Luka Doncic had colorful language to describe a certain rookie’s debut during the Dallas Mavericks’ game against San Antonio on Wednesday night — and he wasn’t referring to Spurs sensation Victor Wembanyam!
“He didn’t seem like he was nervous, he played freaking fantastic,” the Mavericks star, 24, he said of his new teammate Dereck Lively II, before he got a little pinker when the f-bomb slipped out in a postgame interview on ESPN.
Lively, a Duke product who went No. 12 in the 2023 NBA draft, grabbed headlines and the ball with his assured performance.
His double-double performance – 16 points, 10 rebounds – topped the much-anticipated league debut of generational talent Wembanyama, who got off to a slow start and was in foul trouble before scoring nine points in the fourth quarter and finishing with 15 points, five baskets, two steals and two assists.
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The Mavs won the game 126-119 thanks to Lively’s contribution, as well as Doncic’s contribution.
Slovenian superstar became the third player in NBA history have a 30-point triple-double performance (33-13-10) in a season opener, joining Oscar Robertson (1961, 1966) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (2019).
Meanwhile, Lively’s acting also entered the record books.
According to NBA.combecame the second player in NBA history to score 15-plus points and 10-plus rebounds while shooting 85% or better in a debut game.
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Novak missed just one shot en route to shooting 87.5% from the field, according to Si.com.
But another outstanding stat from the historic night might excite Spurs fans the most.
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Statistics of 19-year-old Wembanyama it was amazingly almost the same as San Antonio’s second No. 1 draft pick.
In Tim Duncan’s first game with the team in 1997, he also scored 15 points, had 2 assists and shot 6/9 from the floor,
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Source: HIS Education