Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic Lights Up Charlotte Hornets in Loss

The Dallas Mavericks continued a troubling trend of futility with a 110-104 loss to the Charlotte Hornets despite yet another spectacular performance from their young superstar Luka Doncic. The four-time All-Star totalled 40 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and two blocks.

Luka Doncic SHOWED OUT today ‼️

40 PTS, 12 REB, 8 AST, 2 BLK, 2 STL, 74.4 FPTS

His stat-stuffing performance earns him the @YahooFantasy Player of the Night! pic.twitter.com/4JzsJfzg8N
— NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) March 27, 2023

It was a high-volume effort from Doncic, who labored through a so-so shooting night to hit 12 of 29 field goal attempts (including seven of 16 from three) and nine of 10 free throw attempts. Amazingly, it was his 13th 40+ point game this season. Just barely 24 years old, Doncic is averaging 33.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game with a career-high .610 true shooting percentage. If the Mavs can ever get the right team around him, he'll be an MVP someday.

Despite Doncic's play, the Mavericks are 36-39 and 11th in the Western Conference. What's worse, they're in the middle of a downward spiral: since Kyrie Irving debuted for the Mavericks following a trade deadline splash, the Mavs are 6-13. They have a very real chance of missing the play-in tournament, and Irving is a free agent at the end of the season. If things go sour over the final stretch of the season, the Mavs may have a full-blown disaster on their hands.

The Mavericks travel to Indiana to face the Pacers tonight in the second game of a back-to-back.