Doncic fires 24 in NBA return as Mavericks down Spurs

BACK IN FORM. Luka Doncic finishes 2 assists shy of another triple-double. Photo from NBA

LOS ANGELES, USA – Luka Doncic made a winning return from a four-game injury absence, scoring 24 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 102-98 NBA victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, December 26 (Friday, December 27, Philippine time).

Doncic, whose 8 triple-doubles are the most in the NBA this season, added 10 rebounds and 8 assists in his first game since he sprained his right ankle in a December 14 game against Miami.

"Felt good," a smiling Doncic said, although he added: "It was like I was running a marathon, I was so tired.

"When you miss 4 or 5 games, it's different, but it was great being back and we won," added Doncic, who played without any minutes restriction.

The Mavericks led by 17 points with 4:07 left to play.

It was good to have Luka back on the court!@luka7doncic | #MFFL pic.twitter.com/vQIU7boePe

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) December 27, 2019

San Antonio scored the last 13 points of the game but couldn't completely close the gap.

Rudy Gay's three-pointer with 38.6 seconds left pulled San Antonio within 4 points.

But the Spurs' Derrick White missed a three-pointer with 5.8 seconds remaining, and Doncic corralled the rebound to close it out.

Tim Hardaway Jr scored 17 points, and Kristaps Porzingis and Dorian Finney-Smith added 13 apiece for the Mavs.

DeMar DeRozan led San Antonio, scoring 16 of his 21 points in the second half. – Rappler.com