Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks and Zion Williamson of the MNew Orleans Pelicans talk to each other after the game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, March 4, 2020. /VCG
New Orleans Pelicans 123-127 Dallas Mavericks
The victory at the American Airlines Center on Wednesday was the fourth for the Mavericks this season over the Pelicans. In other words, they have completely swept the Pelicans.
This game was a lot more fun than the result for multiple reasons. For example, Luka Doncic reaping Jrue Holiday's ankles with consecutive crossovers once became the most popular trend on U.S. social media. There were also other highlights like Doncic surpassing Jason Kidd to drop the most triple-doubles (22) in franchise history of the Mavericks; Zion Williamson continuing his 20+point-game-streak and only one away from matching Blake Griffin (14) for the best rookie record.
However, the most valuable fact about this game was that it hosted a fight between five potential future icons of the league.
From L to R : Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans and Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis of the Dallas Mavericks in the game at the American Airlines Center, March 4, 2020. /VCG
ESPN on Tuesday released a list of 25 players who are under 25 years old and likely to become future NBA super stars. Five of them played in Wednesday's game between Dallas and New Orleans: Luka Doncic (21), Kristaps Porzingis (24), Zion Williamson (19), Brandon Ingram (22) and Lonzo Ball (22).
Doncic put down 30 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists. It only took him 121 games to reach the triple-double number that Kidd spent 500 games getting in Dallas. Porzingis had a double-double of 34 points, 12 rebounds and more importantly, he delivered five blocks. By working together, Porzingis and Maxi Kleber made Williamson play his third-worst game this season.
Ingram was one of the most efficient players on the court on Wednesday as he went 11-22 to score 27 points. With a 6-10 performance in field goals between the paint and the 3-point line, he is already qualified as the "last resort" for New Orleans. Like Ingram, Ball is meeting people's expectations on him in the new team. Already a qualified orchestrator, Ball drained seven triples in two games in a row. Though Williamson was encircled by the Porzingis-Kleber dual-giant pair, he still managed to score 21 points. Don't forget, this was the first time the 19-year-old has played back-to-back games.
Luka Doncic (L) of the Dallas Mavericks tries to penetrate against he defense of Jrue Holiday (R) of the New Orleans Pelicans at the American Airlines Center, March 4, 2020. /VCG
However, the above highlights aside, these young men still have a lot to work on to further improve their respective games. The Pelicans insisted on leaving Holiday open around the 3-point line defending Doncic – an understandable decision because his 3-point rate this season was only 32.5 percent. Moreover, committing seven turnovers partly explained why the Mavericks were losing by five points when Doncic was on the court.
Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans gets denied with his shooting by Kristaps Porzingis #6 and Maxi Kleber #42 of the Dallas Mavericks in the game at the American Airlines Center, March 4, 2020. /VCG
Williamson also had a lesson to learn from Wednesday's loss. He was 9-18 in field goals and allowed five blocks on him. Though this was only the 16th game he played, the rest of the league are already onto something over how to trap the 19-year-old monster. Though Williamson has an incredible combination of power and athleticism, 99 percent of his offense happened under the rim, making him too predictable for defenders. Moreover, one difference between Williamson and Shaquille O'Neal is height: O'Neal is 2.16 meters tall and it's basically impossible to keep him from seeing the basket. Nonetheless, it's a totally different story for the 1.98-meter Williamson. The Mavericks showed a good example of how to defend against him. Get two giants in the paint, one to slow him down and the other always ready to block him. This is way easier than finding a new Giannis Antetokounmpo for one-on-one defense of Williamson.
Like the above two, Porzingis, Ingram and ball all have their own problems to overcome. Currently, they are as talented and special as they are incomplete and immature. The sooner any of them can grow to approach the better version of himself, the faster either the Mavericks or the Pelicans will rise as a heavy weight of the league.
And also, both teams are in the Southwest Division, which means this clash of geniuses will keep taking place every season for the foreseeable future.
Other results on Wednesday (home teams in bold):
Boston Celtics 112-106 Cleveland Cavaliers
Oklahoma City Thunder 114-107 Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers 100-119 Milwaukee Bucks
Orlando Magic 113-116 Miami Heat
Memphis Grizzlies 118-79 Brooklyn Nets
Utah Jazz 112-104 New York Knicks
Chicago Bulls 108-115 Minnesota Timberwolves
Washington Wizards 104-125 Portland Trail Blazers