“He’s Picasso”
Superstar Doncic delights the NBA with trick shots
April 1, 2024, 6:39 a.m
The Houston Rockets are celebrating eleven wins in a row before the Texas duel with the Dallas Mavricks – but then comes superstar Luka Dončić. The Slovenian puts on a gala performance and enchants the hall with an art basket. There are bitter bankruptcies for two German stars.
Luka Dončić led the Dallas Mavericks to their seventh NBA victory in a row with a gala performance and scored a magic basket in the Texas duel with the Houston Rockets. The Slovenian had seven rebounds, twelve assists and 47 points in the 125:107 – the most spectacular of which came from a ball thrown from below almost from the three-point line with the clock running out in the third quarter. “He’s Picasso. Give him a paintbrush and he does something special. That throw was special,” said coach Jason Kidd.
The Mavericks around Maxi Kleber from Würzburg moved up to fifth place in the Western Conference two weeks before the end of the main round and are now tied on points with the New Orleans Pelicans. After eleven wins, the Rockets suffered another defeat and lost touch with the Golden State Warriors in tenth place and the last place to take part in the so-called play-in for the playoffs. The Warriors around superstar Stephen Curry defeated the San Antonio Spurs with exceptional talent Victor Wembanyama 117:113.
There were also bitter defeats for the Germans Isaiah Hartenstein and Dennis Schröder. With the Knicks, Hartenstein lost in the last second 112:113 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who took the lead in the Western Conference again and made their playoff participation perfect. The Knicks only lost to the Spurs after overtime on Friday and are in danger of losing fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
“I’m already on the other side of the mountain”
Schröder, on the other hand, only has theoretical chances of making the playoffs with the Brooklyn Nets. In the duel with his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers around superstar LeBron James, the Nets lost 104:116. With seven games remaining, the German world champion captain’s team is already five and a half wins behind the Atlanta Hawks in tenth place. James was once again the best man on the floor and then struggled with the approaching end of his career. “I’m already on the other side of the mountain. I won’t be playing for 21 years, that’s for damn sure,” emphasized James after his 40 points including nine converted three-pointers in the 116:104. “I don’t know when this door will close and I’ll end my career, but I don’t have much time left,” said the 39-year-old.
The most successful thrower in the history of the best basketball league in the world is playing at a high level again this season and currently has the best three-point shot rate of his career. 41.6 percent of his attempts hit the target, his career high for a full season came from the 2012/2013 season with the Miami Heat, when he converted 40.6 percent of three-point attempts. In recent years he has increasingly had to deal with injuries. James can exercise an option and extend his contract with the Lakers for $51.4 million.