Jason Kidd on Luka Doncic’s Playoff Heroics: ‘He Enjoys the Moment’

Luka Doncic finished Game 6 against the Phoenix Suns with 33 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists to lead the Mavericks to a 113-86 win to force a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday.

The blowout win was Luka Legends’ first career elimination game win in three tries, the first two chances coming in losses to the Clippers the last two seasons. The Mavericks have now answered a loss of at least 20 points with a victory of their own 10 straight times this year, 13 if you count last season, including a playoff win against the Clippers.

“I don’t know if he was playing as if he was trying to do something different,” Kidd said. “I think he enjoys the moment. You guys have seen a little bit longer than I have up close. He’s not afraid of the stage. I think you guys call it the first time winning an elimination game. He’ll be in this situation a long, long time.”

Luka talking trash gets me hyped 🤣 (via @espn) pic.twitter.com/99gqXehkpu

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 13, 2022

The Mavs’ blowout win can be attributed to their stifling defense. Dallas held Phoenix to a season-low in scoring, regular or postseason, for the second time in the Western Conference semifinal series. The Suns were also held to a playoff low 40 percent shooting from the field and turned the ball over a season-high 22 times.

Luka hyped up the crowd and had words for Devin Booker after this offensive foul. pic.twitter.com/9IDmWJeXd8

— ESPN (@espn) May 13, 2022

Dallas was also aided by the contributions of Reggie Bullock (19 points), Jalen Brunson (18 points), and Spencer Dinwiddie (15 points on 5-7 shooting from beyond the arc).

“I think we won this game on the defensive end,” Doncic said. “We’ve got another game. That’s fun. It’s playoffs, and we’re going to give our energy.”

The Mavericks blew the gates open with a 19-6 run to finish the first half, turning a two-point lead into a 60-45 lead going into halftime. The Suns attempted to make some second-half pushes, but the Mavs were clicked on all cylinders and grew their lead to as many as 27 points, ensuring long before the final whistle that there would be a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday.