Luka Doncic reached the 50-point mark for the fourth time this season, pouring in 53 points to carry the Dallas Mavericks past the visiting Detroit Pistons 111-105 on Monday night.
Doncic’s fifth career 50-point game came after he sat out the previous game with a sprained ankle. He added eight rebounds and five assists.
Spencer Dinwiddie was the only other Dallas player in double figures with 12 points.
Bojan Bogdanovic’s 29 points led the Pistons. Saddiq Bey had 18 points and Jaden Ivey tossed in 14 before fouling out.
The Mavericks scored the first 10 points but the Pistons settled in after a timeout. Detroit actually had a five-point lead with 3:34 left in the first but Doncic continued to fill up the nets. He made a 3-pointer in the final minute of the first, completing a 24-point quarter and giving his team a 30-27 lead into the second period.
His output was the highest first-quarter total for any player this season.
Bogdanovic had a personal 7-0 spurt late in the half to give his club an eight-point lead. Doncic hit a 3-pointer in the final minute for his only points of the quarter. Bogdanovic made the final basket of the half as the Pistons carried a 57-53 lead into the locker room.
Detroit opened the second half with a 9-2 run to take an 11-point lead.
Bogdanovic made it 74-63 midway through the quarter. Doncic then brought his team back into the game. He reached the 40-point mark with 4:12 left in the quarter to cut Detroit’s lead to 76-72.
The Pistons nudged the lead to eight but the Mavs finished the quarter on an 8-1 run to cut it to 84-83.
Dallas then opened the fourth with a 9-2 spurt, including six points from Dinwiddie. Bogdanovic made a 3-pointer with 5:26 left to cut the Mavs’ lead to 98-96.
Doncic dunked with 3:58 remaining for a 103-98 advantage, and his step-back jumper with 2:10 left gave his team a 107-102 lead, and gave him his 50-point game.
Bogdanovic answered with a 3-pointer, but Doncic hit another jumper to make it 109-105.
Detroit came up empty on its last four possessions.
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