The King Has Returned! Luka Doncic Timely Comeback Electrifies Mavericks’ Playoff Push

Shorthanded by the injuries to former All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson, Mavericks star Luka Doncic returned at the perfect time for Dallas. The Mavs have won four consecutive games, including a high-scoring road win Sunday in Portland, in which the Blazers and Mavericks combined for 268 points.

Doncic, who was sidelined since Nov. 19 with a wrist sprain, erupted for 36 points in his return. The Slovenian guard dished out 13 assists and nailed four triples, proving that a couple of weeks off didn’t deter his MVP-caliber season.

“Being hurt is never fun for him—he wants to play and help the team win,” Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said. “Leading up to this game, he had been playing five-on-five and preparing to get back. With some of our key guys like Kai [Kyrie Irving] being out, it was the perfect time for Luka to return.” 

Doncic expressed gratitude and joy for returning to the court after an extended layoff.

“Just happy, man. This is what I love to do. I was just happy to be out there playing with joy,” Doncic said. “Obviously happy that we got the win. Felt like they were getting every shot we got in the end. Just really happy to be back.” 

During Doncic’s five-game absence, the Mavs went 4-1 and have climbed up to the fifth seed in the Western Conference standings. Although they mustered four wins without him, Doncic’s return to the floor was a welcome sight for Dallas.

Mavs guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who scored 20 points off the bench on Sunday, was left reflecting on a “different type of look” that the superstar has that leaves him in awe.

“It’s funny, his greatness doesn’t surprise me at all,” Dinwiddie said after the game. “What I’m more so thinking in those situations is just watching from the standpoint of reading his body language. You can kind of tell when [Luka] is like, ‘Alright, I hit couple but I’m kind of tired, like, somebody else do something, I want to get into this action, that action.’ 

“And you can tell when he’s got a different type of look where it’s like, ‘I hit a couple, and I’m about to run off like 15 more.’ And so when he has that look, we all spectating at that point. Cause nothing ain’t nobody on this planet gonna do.”

Doncic shot a blistering 63% from the floor on 24 attempts in his return against the Blazers. The All-NBA forward caught fire with a 15-point second quarter, which was a huge boost for the Mavs and helped the team overcome a slow start. His 36-point performance against Portland was his seventh game with 30+ points this season.

“He played great,” Kidd said. “This was a big road win for us, especially given how the schedule is set up right now.”

As Kidd alluded to, Doncic returns at a pivotal time for the Mavs. Over the next 10 games, the Mavs will face off against a bevy of superstars, including Ja Morant, James Harden, Anthony Edwards, De’Aaron Fox and Kevin Durant. With so many elite scorers coming up, the Mavs will rely on Doncic to help them weather the storm.

Despite the team performing admirably in his absence, Dinwiddie and the Mavs are excited for Doncic to assume the Batman role once again.

“When you have an MVP—or MVP-caliber—player like Luka, you let him be that MVP,” Dinwiddie said.