Sports

Doncic's 33 Points, 18 Rebounds Lead Mavericks Past Pelicans 118-97

December 4, 2019 / 5:29 AM CST / CBS Texas

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NEW ORLEANS (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — Luka Doncic has Dallas coach Rick Carlisle searching for new superlatives to describe his second-year star.

Doncic scored 15 of his 33 points in the third quarter and grabbed 18 rebounds in just 28 minutes to power the Mavericks to a 118-97 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night.

"Eighteen rebounds is a lot. That's a lot of rebounds for a point guard," the normally measured Carlisle said with a smile. "I don't care what planet you're from. That's tremendous."

Doncic shot 9 of 18 from the field, making five 3-pointers, and hit 10 of 13 free throws to lead the Mavericks to their eighth victory in the last nine games.

The 6-foot-7 Doncic had 12 points the first quarter and then broke open a three-point game by scoring 15 of the Mavericks' 25 points in the final 9:18 of the third, when Dallas built a 84-75 lead. Two of Doncic's jumpers came from at least 25 feet with no defender in his face.

"I can shoot from halfcourt, too," Doncic said with a laugh.

"He has unlimited range," said Dallas center Kristaps Porzingis, who was saddled with early foul trouble and played only 18 minutes, allowing him to watch the Doncic show. "Not only that, but he can get to the rim any time he wants and facilitate for others. He's hooping right now."

Or, as Dallas owner Mark Cuban said when walking out of the Mavericks' locker room: "He's unbelievable."

Dallas led by as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter and coasted home. Doncic said his rebounding wasn't that difficult against the Pelicans.

"I felt like the ball was just coming into my hands after they missed," he said. "I didn't even know I had 18."

Seth Curry added 19 points off the bench for the Mavericks, and Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber each had 12.

Brandon Ingram scored 24 points and Jrue Holiday had 18 for New Orleans, which lost its sixth consecutive game.

Doncic had 18 points and eight rebounds to spark the Mavericks to a 59-53 halftime lead. The Mavs overcame a sloppy offensive start in which they committed five turnovers in the first 3:44 and also misfired on 23 of their first 29 shots.

The Pelicans scored the first 11 points of the second quarter to take a 35-24 lead, but Dallas responded with a 27-11 run, getting most of its firepower from the bench. Backup point guard J.J. Barea nailed back-to-back 3-pointers and added a driving bank shot to lead the surge.

New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry said his team played well enough defensively but could not overcome 27% 3-point shooting and 40% shooting overall.

"You've got to be able to score, and we couldn't get the ball in the basket tonight," Gentry said. "We missed 12 layups. We missed 21 shots in the paint."

The Mavericks have a quick turnaround as they face the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday night to start a three-game homestand.