National Basketball Association

Luka Dončić goes "Baby Bird," exploding on LA Clippers in Game 5 win

Updated Jun. 3, 2021 4:06 p.m. ET

Wednesday's NBA playoffs showcased plenty of fireworks, but one burned brighter than the rest.

Luka Dončić put on a spectacle for the Dallas Mavericks in their win against the LA Clippers, taking a 3-2 playoff series lead.

Dončić had 40 points by the end of the fourth quarter, finishing the 105-100 victory with 42 points, along with 14 assists and eight rebounds.

In other words, as Emmanuel Acho of "Speak For Yourself" predicted ahead of Game 5, Dončić put Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and the Clippers to sleep.

It was a massive bounce-back game for Dončić, who struggled mightily with just 19 points in Game 4's 25-point loss to the Clippers.

The 22-year-old's ailing neck was clearly an issue in that contest, but he seemed much more like his normal self on Wednesday.

But to hear Dončić tell it, he could have been better, particularly in the fourth quarter, where he put up just two points and two assists.

And in his postgame news conference, Dončić downplayed his performance and instead, credited his teammates.

"I've got to play way better, you know," Dončić said. "I missed a lot of shots. Some layups that I should have made. But it wasn't just me, man. The whole team, the energy."

Dončić shot just 45.9% after putting up 37 field goal attempts, but Tim Hardaway Jr. was the only other Maverick to hoist more than nine.

Outside of Hardaway, the rest of Dončić's teammates scored a combined 43 points, and none of them registered double digits in scoring.

So, it's a hard sell from Dončić, considering he scored or assisted on all but six of Dallas' buckets in the game.

That number, merely six baskets that Dončić didn't have a direct hand in, is a number that Nick Wright used to illustrate why the "22-year-old Slovenian phenom" is the best player in the playoffs.

Wright also pointed to a feeling about Dončić on Thursday's episode of "First Things First."

"The feeling that tells you Luka ⁠— right now, this very moment ⁠— is playing at a higher level than any player in the league … is the moment, Brandon, he tries to get a breather," Wright said. "The moment the Mavs are like, ‘Let’s steal two minutes of rest of Luka,' they look like a junior varsity team playing over their skis! … He can't take a breather. It is reminiscent, in so many ways, of a young LeBron in Cleveland."

To Wright's point, early in LeBron James 's career, he routinely carried the Cleveland Cavaliers to the playoffs where he was the lone All-Star representative.

Furthermore, only one other player in NBA history has had a 40-plus, 14-plus assist game in playoff history. That player was James, in 2018 during his second stint with the Cavs.

James was 33 years old that season, though, and it bears repeating ⁠— Dončić is still just 22.

Shannon Sharpe also showered praise on Dončić, aka "Baby Bird," on "Undisputed."

Colin Cowherd of "The Herd" also joined the Dončić chorus but cautioned against expecting the 22-year-old to deliver a championship on his own.

"Can they find him a [No.] 2 [player]? Maybe you have to go buy a 2," Cowherd said. "They tried to do that with [Kristaps] Porziņģis, but he's a 3. So they overpaid to get Porziņģis. He's not a 2. If he's your 2, you're not winning championships. If he's your 3, you can win."

Not everyone is all-aboard to Dončić Express, however.

Sharpe's "Undisputed" co-host, Skip Bayless, thought Wednesday's performance had much more to do with the Clippers choking than Dončić going off.

The other interesting twist to the Clippers-Mavericks series is the teams return to Dallas for Game 6.

Normally, a closeout game on your home floor would be an ideal scenario for the Mavs, but neither team has won a game at home so far.

Dončić and the Mavs will have a chance to buck that trend ⁠— and advance ⁠— at 9 p.m. ET on Friday.

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