Mavericks: James Harden reacts perfectly to Luka Doncic’s tough buzzer-beating fadeaway.

Mavericks: James Harden responds flawlessly to Luka Doncic’s difficult buzzer-beating fadeaway.

The Dallas Mavericks were defeated 120-111 by the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. Despite the defeat, superstar Luka Doncic recorded another triple-double with 28 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds. According to NBA Buzz, one of his game highlights was a difficult fadeaway jumper on James Harden.
After the shot, Harden gave Luka a friendly slap on the backside as a thank you for his tough shot.

Despite the Clippers’ sizable lead at halftime, Dallas fought back and fought until the final minutes of the fourth quarter. With about two and a half minutes remaining in regulation, the Mavericks trailed by just one point, 111-110. The Clippers took a six-point lead thanks to a layup plus a free throw by Norman Powell and a dunk by Kawhi Leonard. After the Mavericks failed to convert, it was Leonard again, spinning behind his defender and converting a sidestep layup to extend the Clippers’ lead and eventually seal the game.

Behind Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Derrick Jones Jr. chipped in with 21 and 19 points, respectively. The Mavericks were missing their other star, Kyrie Irving. Irving is still recovering from a right heel contusion suffered in a game nearly two weeks ago.
Doncic’s scoring streak continues.

Luka Doncic had an 11-game streak with at least 30 points prior to Wednesday’s game. This season, the 24-year-old Slovenian is averaging 32.7 points, 9.1 assists, and 8.4 rebounds per game for the Mavericks. He is currently ranked fifth in this year’s MVP race. Doncic has five 50-point games in his career, including one in which he scored a career-high 60 points against the New York Knicks in 2022.