Watch: Luka Doncic stakes NBA assist of the season claim with ridiculous behind-the-back dime for a Grant Williams 3-pointer
Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic submitted one of the “best assist for the season” entries with a behind-the-back pass to Grant Williams in their NBA In-Season Tournament game against the Denver Nuggets on Friday.
"The Don" did it early in the contest, driving into the lane before dishing the spectacular dime to an open Williams on the corner for a triple. The new Mavs player drained the basket to narrow their deficit at that point to one, 13-12.
Luka Doncic and the Mavericks opened their NBA In-Season Tournament campaign on the road against the league champions Denver Nuggets coming off a solid start to the brand-new NBA year, winning four straight.
In the first three quarters against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, however, Dallas struggled, trailing 93-76, with four minutes left to play in the third quarter.
Doncic, though, was solid with 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
In the NBA In-Season Tournament, Dallas and Denver are lumped together in West Group B along with the Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets.
The NBA's “tournament within a tournament” is being implemented for the first time this season to give added dimension to the league year.
The tournament has a similar format to that of in-season European football tournaments and the WNBA Commissioner's Cup. All the 30 NBA teams are competing in matches set from Nov. 3 to Dec. 9.
Luka Doncic remains a triple-double threat this season
Dallas superstar Luka Doncic is off to a good start in the just-started 2023-24 NBA season, posting near triple-double averages in their first four games.
The six-year star from Slovenia has been steadily great for 33.8 points, 10.5 rebounds and 9.8 assists for the 4-0 Mavericks.
It is a continuation of his stellar showing since being drafted third overall in the 2018 NBA rookie draft.
Entering this season, the four-time NBA All-Star is ranked 10th all-time in triple-doubles, at 56, in the regular season.
Last year, he recorded a monster triple-double stat line of 60 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists in their wild 126-121 win over the New York Knicks in December. The feat was the first 60-20-10 game by any player in NBA history.
With how he has started their campaign this around, it seems like Doncic’s all-around ways are not about done, which bodes well for the Mavericks squad to get back in the postseason and go deeper in the tournament.