NBA: Doncic, hampered by the surreal: a ‘stolen’ triple, another prodigy and a missed basket

Surrealism stopped by Luka Doncic. It seems like the only way to stop the strongest MVP candidate in the NBA, the unmistakable leader of the Dallas Mavericks. A team that struggles to make the next step, but also loses matches against direct competitors. Like the one against the Denver Nuggets (97-98), in which the Slovenian didn’t shine, but he managed to win it.

Doncic ran into several surreal situations. The first happened before the break. With the Mavs leading 56-52, Doncic hit a career-high triple at the buzzer. Send the game to the break with seven Texas players. The teams retreated to the locker rooms and the basket was reviewed, as with all those limited-time games. Surprise: Doncic crossed the line. Not worth it or not worth it.

And since there was time to play, surrealism arrived. After the restart, the clock was delayed by a few seconds to repeat that final play. And from midfield, another Slovenian, Vlatko Cankar, did the impossible. Score a hat-trick from midfield. Madness. And the Mavs lost a good income. “I saw many videos. It didn’t look like I stepped on the line. My heels were up,” Doncic said.

Fate things Those six points that vanished (three against Dallas and three for Denver) will be necessary in hindsight. Because the Nuggets entered the game with an advantage in accuracy. Dallas led by four (93-97, 45 minutes) with two baskets under Powell’s basket. But Denver answered it and put up a three-pointer for Porter Jr.. Vinnie Smith and Caldwell-Pope misfired their mission to finish… There was a decisive shot.

And Doncic came out with five seconds on the clock with the ball in his hands. He had 3.7 errors left on the clock. I tried from the logo, but it failed. 22 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists were not enough. And he did not forget what happened with that miracle trio of Kankar, although he took the “iron”. “It’s a massive change of momentum. However, you can’t say it defined the party,” he judged.