Luka Doncic had yet another spectacular game tonight, as his 33 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves allowed the Mavericks to steal Game 1 on the road. But in doing, so Doncic has made even more history, as he is now the all-time scoring leader in Western Conference Finals history.
Doncic’s 33 points pushed his points-per-game average to 32.2 across six games. He surpassed former Suns star Amar’e Stoudemire, who had averaged 30.6 points per game across 11 games to take the all-time leading position.
When you look at the list and see the incredible names in the top 10, such as Hakeem Olajuwon (30.4 PPG), Alex English (30.3 PPG), Kyrie Irving (30.0 PPG), Anthony Davis (29.2 PPG), Dirk Nowitzki (28.9 PPG), Kevin Durant (28.8 PPG) Paul George (28.7 PPG), and Stephen Curry (28.7 PPG), it puts into perspective how incredible this accomplishment from Luka is.
Doncic has at least three more games to cement his lead even further, as the Mavericks look to close out the Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals in quick fashion, and head to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011. Doncic will hope to replicate the run of a fellow European Mavericks legend, and his former teammate, Dirk Nowitzki, and win an NBA championship this season.
The Mavericks currently have a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals. Considering the Mavs were the underdogs coming into the series, they will be thrilled with the win, especially since it was away from home. Their priority will now be to protect their home court and wrap up the series as soon as possible. For that to happen, Doncic needs to continue his scoring exploits and lead the Mavericks to victory in this series.
Could Luka Have The GOAT Playoff Run This Year?
Luka Doncic is playing some great basketball this year. Despite them being the sixth seed, he has led the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals, beating the L.A. Clippers, and the Oklahoma City Thunder, who were the number one seed in the Western Conference this year.
It’s not just his scoring, but his overall game that has evolved. Mavs head coach Jason Kidd spoke recently about his evolution compared to the Mavericks’ previous Western Conference Finals run in 2022. For comparison, Luka Doncic was averaging 31.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game in 2022. And this year, he is averaging 27.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game.
Luka’s dip in scoring numbers but increase in assists per game can be attributed to the arrival of Kyrie Irving, who is also a reliable scorer who takes the load off of Doncic’s shoulders and allows him to control the ball and distribute it to his teammates.
Doncic praised Kyrie Irving after Game 1, noting that his scoring performance helped the Mavericks stay in the game when the Timberwolves were leading, and forced the rest of the team to step up and play better in the second half.
Doncic and Irving will be crucial for the Mavericks in this series, as their performances will determine their ability to win games in this series and reach the NBA Finals. Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals tips off on Friday night, and all eyes will be on the Timberwolves to see how they respond to the loss.
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