Slovenian phenomenon Luka Doncic scored 42 points as the Dallas Clippers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 105-100 Wednesday night and lead 3-2 in their NBA playoff series.
Dallas will have the first opportunity to seal the pass to the second round of the Western conference next Friday on their court.
At 22, Doncic added another feat to his prodigious career with a personal tally of 42 points, 6 triples, 8 rebounds and 14 assists.
Only one other player in history, LeBron James (2018), has achieved a playoff game with at least 42 points, 8 rebounds and 14 assists.
The point guard carried the weight of the Mavericks to the point that at halftime he had scored or assisted for 46 of the 56 points his team had.
Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard (23 points) and Paul George (23 points and 10 rebounds) held their team to a tight finish after a 9-0 run from Los Angeles.
Doncic missed several shots but Tim Hardaway Jr. (20 points), Kristaps Porzingis (8) and Dorian Finney-Smith emerged with key baskets to keep Dallas ahead on the scoreboard.
Three points behind (103-100), the Clippers had one last chance with 8.8 seconds to go but Leonard missed a forced 3-pointer from the corner.
“I played very poorly at the end, I made a lot of mistakes, but my teammates played very well and we won, which is what matters,” Doncic declared at the end of the game. (GG) (AFP)