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Luka lights up Pelicans with 49 points in 125-118 win

Luka Doncic never ceases to amaze. The Mavs star put up 49 points againast the New Orleans Pelicans during the Mavs' last game before the All-Star break.

Update:
Luka lights up Pelicans with 49 points in 125-118 win

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic dominated against the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday, putting up 49 points in the 125-118 victory.

This game made Doncic's fourth 40-point game over the last eight. In the first quarter, he put up 19 points, five rebounds, and four assists, a dominant performance from the start. By the fourth quarter, the Mavs were up 105-81 and Doncic had already accounted for 45 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists.

Mavs starting their vacay a little too early

It certainly appeared as though the Mavs would easily walk away with the win, but the Pelicans actually made a comeback, CJ McCollum stealing the ball and breaking away to take the score to just 112-118 with 37 seconds left on the clock. Jalen Brunson saved the day, nailing two free throws just ten seconds later to give the Mavs the sure win.

“Luka set the tone early and often,” said head coach Jason Kidd. “But that’s just something that great players do. They set the tone knowing that guys could start thinking about the break.”

Even against a mediocre team and with a big lead, this was a lesson to the Mavs that you can never fully relax or celebrate until that final buzzer sounds.

“I think we played great for three quarters – three quarters and something,” Doncic said. “But then we relaxed a little bit and let them come back. We’ve got to learn from that. We can’t let this happen.”

Doncic domination

Doncic scored a career-high 51 points last week against the LA Clippers and had a chance to score his second 50-point game on Thursday. He was nearly there, but a missed pair of free throws with 13 seconds on the clock kept him just shy.

Mavericks power forward Maxi Kleber marveled at Doncic's abilities and accomplishments. “I didn’t even realize that he already had (45) points (after three quarters). It felt so quiet and easy," said Kleber. “He’s such a talented scorer. Not just a scorer – overall offensive player — he finds people. He had eight assists and we all know that could have been more, too. He’s just gifted, and as a teammate it’s fun to watch.”