Luka Doncic's Massive Game Falls Short in Dallas Mavericks Loss to Indiana Pacers

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic had another amazing game on Tuesday night, but it wasn't enough to lift his team over the Indiana Pacers. The four-time All-Star tallied 39 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in a 124-122 loss.

📸 2.28.23 @TIAA | #MFFL pic.twitter.com/pmQ43WMWql
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) March 1, 2023

Doncic hit 14 of his 25 field goal attempts and eight of his 12 free throws. Amazingly, it was his 38th 30+ point game of the season, lifting his season average to an NBA-leading 33.2 points per game. Oh, and he's also pitching in 8.8 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game. If the Mavs were a better team, Doncic would be right in the middle of the MVP conversation.

Unfortunately, the Mavs aren't a better team: they're 32-31 and seventh in the Western Conference. There had been some hope that acquiring Kyrie Irving at the trade deadline could transform the team into a real contender, but that hasn't manifested thus far; the Mavs are 3-5 since the former Net logged his first start with the franchise. There's still plenty of time for Doncic and Irving to evolve into a deadly dynamic duo, but the Mavs aren't a true powerhouse quite yet.

The Mavericks host the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.