Gregg Popovich Joked That The Spurs Were Going To Hold Luka Doncic To Under 50, So Naturally He Had 51 And The Mavs Won By A Single Point

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Luka Doncic is on an absolute tear right now. He may have had one of the most ridiculous months of basketball in recent memory during December. There's being locked in and then there's whatever the hell Luka is currently doing. It doesn't seem to matter who they play, nobody has been able to stop this guy.

So after Luka's historic night earlier this week, Gregg Popovich talked about Luka and joked about how the Spurs goal was to keep him to under 50 points. Some might say he jokingly guaranteed it.

Enter Saturday night. The Mavs rolled into San Antonio and you'll never believe this, but they unfortunately did not hold Luka to under 50. In fact, he finished with 51

To add salt to the wound, the Mavs won by a single point

For those now keeping track at home, this was the 3rd 50 point outing for Luka in the month of December. That is…..ridiculous. 

Where does this factor in to the MVP race? Who knows. That thing is an absolute bloodbath right now and there's a lot of basketball to be played which will hopefully sort everything out. Part of me thinks it's only going to make things harder though because guys like Jokic, Tatum, Luka, Giannis, Giannis, Embiid etc are not slowing down. In fact every night they play it seems like they're only strengthening their MVP case. What a race that is shaping up to be.

So for now, I say we focus on the brilliance of Luka, because that's what this is. It's basketball brilliance. If you were curious if Luka heard Pop's comments, of course he did

At least Pop was a great sport about it after the game too

so for Luka to come out and drop 51 right on his head was fantastic. That almost feels fake if we're being honest. The scoring of 51 isn't surprising because again, Luka has been dropping 50 left and right recently, but to finish with 51 and to win by a single point is perfect. Not only that, but it was a win the Mavs desperately needed as they continue to rise up the West seedings. This now makes 6 in a row and puts the Mavs in the 4th spot out West, where they trail the Grizzlies by just 2 games. Remember, this was a team that was flirting with the Play In a few weeks ago, and then Luka went nuts. Some might say their win streak is a product of a MIN/HOU/LAL/NYK/HOU/SA stretch and they have HOU again tomorrow, but who cares. Wins are wins, and it's not like the Mavs aren't also 12-8 vs teams .500 or better, which is tied for the most wins in the entire NBA.

My advice to coaches/players/executives/fans everywhere would be whatever you do, do not challenge Luka. Do not say into a microphone or on camera that you're going to limit him to under a certain point total. That is a death wish. He may not seem like it, but the dude is a killer. The last thing you should be doing is giving him bulletin board material because a night like last night is exactly what you get.

I can only imagine what 2023 has in store for Luka, but my guess is a few more 50 bombs. Especially when he's playing at this current level. What a monster.