Luka Dončić

Peering up at a scoreboard that showed a red-hot Phoenix Suns team ahead by double-figures, Luka Dončić, through a magical feel for the game exclusive to almost only him, conducted a comeback attempt through a fireball of his own. Collecting a rebound on Josh Okogie’s misfired triple, Dončić coolly shifts his focus to a seemingly-mundane early-offense set with his new All-Star backcourt partner getting a step on Phoenix’s defense. In recognition of it upon even passing the Dallas Mavericks’ midcourt logo, Dončić, slingshotting a pass from behind his head, uncorks a perfectly-pinpoint cross-court dime, positioning a teammate for an extraordinary fastbreak bucket. Under Dončić’s overseeing, Dallas resiliently clawed back from a 13-point halftime deficit, ultimately falling one untimely foul shy of potentially overcoming the star-powered Suns on November 8, 2024. In elite form even so, the NBA’s reigning scoring champion constructed a 30-point showing (on 11-of-25) shooting, accompanied by seven rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and five 3-pointers in 42 minutes.