Luka Doncic and Dallas Mavericks Fall Short Against Golden State Warriors

Luka Doncic's return from injury didn't quite go as planned. The NBA's best young superstar accumulated an impressive 30 points, seven rebounds, and 17 assists, but the Mavericks fell 127-125 to the Golden State Warriors.

Luka tonight 🔥

30 PTS
7 REB
17 AST

He has a Mavs franchise-record 41 games with 30+ points this season. pic.twitter.com/DNXyM7KrY0
— NBA (@NBA) March 23, 2023

Doncic put in a tough night's work in his first appearance back from a five-game absence due to a thigh injury. He played over 40 minutes, and his shots didn't come easily. The four-time All-Star hit only 11 of 27 field goal attempts and six of his 10 free throws, but he made up for it with a season-high 17 assists. Needless to say, the Mavs did not ease him in.

Unfortunately for the Mavs, they may have no choice but to press Doncic as hard as his body will allow. They're 36-37 and ninth in the Western Conference. If they're going to make a significant postseason run, they'll need to claw their way out of the play-in tournament, and the easiest way to do that is to avoid it altogether by climbing to the sixth seed. They'll need Donic and trade deadline acquisition Kyrie Irving at the peak of their powers to do it.

The Mavericks host the Charlotte Hornets for the first game of a home-and-home on Friday night.