Luka Doncic nets another triple-double, Mavs down Rockets

Luka Doncic recorded his eighth triple-double of the season while Christian Wood scored 12 of his 21 points in the third period as the host Dallas Mavericks sprinted past the Houston Rockets, 129-114, for their fifth consecutive victory on Thursday, December 29 (Friday, December 30, Manila time) .

Doncic finished with 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists to lead a Mavericks offense that shot 51.6% overall while producing a 25-5 advantage in fastbreak points. Doncic was coming off a historic 60-21-10 line against the Knicks two nights earlier.

The Slovenian star had 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in the opening period but it wasn’t until the second quarter that Dallas began to pull away, starting with a corner three-pointer from Tim Hardaway Jr. (18 points) that provided the Mavericks their first double-digit lead at 48-37 with 5:56 left in the first half.

Doncic put the finishing touches on that frame, drawing an offensive foul from Rockets center Alperen Sengun with 1.1 seconds remaining to thwart a transition opportunity. Doncic followed by beating the buzzer with a 35-foot 3-pointer that lifted Dallas to a 65-51 lead at the break.

Wood (5-for-8), Doncic (4-for-9), Hardaway (3-for-8), and Spencer Dinwiddie (3-for-5) each made multiple three-pointers for the Mavericks, who placed four starters in double figures. Dwight Powell added 19 points on 8-for-8 shooting with 6 rebounds in only 21 minutes off the Dallas bench.

Not only were the Rockets inept in transition, they also shot 12-for-34 from behind the arc and missed 11 free throws. 

Rookie forward Jabari Smith Jr. matched Doncic with 14 first-quarter points but finished with only 16 while missing 5 of his final 6 shot attempts. Sengun posted 11 points and 6 rebounds but logged just 17 minutes as he was whistled for 5 fouls.

Jalen Green led the Rockets with 23 points while Kevin Porter Jr. added 17 points and 7 assists. They both shot 4-for-7 on threes, with their teammates finishing 4-for-20 from behind the arc.

The Rockets have dropped seven of eight games. – Rappler.com