"They drew first blood and Luka went Rambo", "Luka scored 55% of Slovenia's points" - NBA reddit reacts to Luka Doncic's record-setting performance in EuroBasket
Luka Doncic logged a 47-point game against France in EuroBasket yesterday. He set a new record, climbing to second place for points in a match in EuroBasket history. Slovenia emerged victorious, winning 88-82.
Doncic had 37 points through the first three-quarters, and despite his heroics, the game was fairly close. France, led by Rudy Gobert, tied the game at 64 points apiece at the end of the third quarter.
However, Slovenia outscored France 24-18 in the fourth quarter. Doncic logged 47 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Goran Dragic added 14 points, four rebounds and four assists in the winning effort.
France's loss comes despite having had five players score 10 or more points in the game. Gobert led all the scorers with 19 points and 8 rebounds. Fournier rallied behind with 15 points and three assists in the loss.
Doncic's incredible performance, along with a circus-shot three-pointer over Rudy Gobert, was unarguably the highlight of the game.
R/NBA reacted to Luka Doncic's performance, with some hailing it as one of his best.
Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks' 2022-23 season preview
The Dallas Mavericks are inavriably centered around Luka Doncic. Their remarkable achievements in the 2021-22 NBA season were in part due to their role-players, but largely because of how potent Luka Doncic can be offensively.
Luka is often compared to the best to ever play the game. At 6-foot-7, comparisons to LeBron James come naturally. However, the precedent for one-superstar teams winning an NBA title isn't particularly strong, especially in recent years.
This is primarily because most contending teams are unequivocally made up of two or more superstars. So, after a historic Game 7 triumph over the Phoenix Suns, and then a five-game exit at the hands of the Golden State Warriors, what could the 2022-23 season for the Dallas Mavericks look like?
For starters, the Mavericks have brought in some reinforcements, while have also lost depth. An offense that works through Doncic requires the Mavericks to put shooters around him to stretch the floor. This heliocentricity lent itself well in the playoffs last year.
Spencer Dinwiddie, Davis Bertans, Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock all shot the ball at over above 36%, with Dinwiddie shooting at a team-best 40.4%.
The acquisitions of Christian Wood and JaVale McGee doubly reinforces the void at the center position, which was previously held by Dwight Powell. Christian Wood as a power-forward and McGee in the starting lineup is also something to look forward to.
The Mavericks have a good mix of stable and burgeoning role-players. However, the West is filled with win-now teams, owing to which the Mavericks will likely end up in the middle of the pack this year.