Luka Doncic was unable to continue his record-breaking NBA run of six straight 30-point triple-doubles but winning is the priority over individual statistics for the Dallas Mavericks star.
That was the message from Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd after Dallas cruised past the Chicago Bulls 127-92 on Monday.
Doncic had 27 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds, posting yet another triple-double but this time without scoring 30 for the first time in seven games.
"It's about winning to him," Kidd said. "Numbers, I don't know if they really mean anything to him today.
"But when he does retire, he'll look back to see the game that he was playing was at a different level than anybody else."
Doncic exited the rout midway through the fourth quarter but still boasts seven straight 20-point triple-doubles, joining Michael Jordan (1989) and Oscar Robertson (1961) for the longest such streak in NBA history.
Former Bulls center Daniel Gafford also converted all nine field goals, extending his run of consecutive shots without missing to 28, just seven shy of the NBA record.
"My philosophy for sure is just being consistent, having a mindset of just going to finish everything no matter if there's somebody in front of you or if there isn't somebody in front of you," Gafford said.
"At the end of the day, either dunking it or putting it in the rim."
Onuralp Bitim was a rare bright Chicago spark with a career-high 17 points, while DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic each scored 13, though that did not stop Dallas from winning a third straight game.
"We gave up a lot of rolls to the basket and offensive rebounds," Bulls coach Billy Donovan said.
"We've got to be more pulled in than we were. ... We kind of were too worried with getting back out to that 3-point line instead of saying, 'Hey, we're going to take away the roll.'"
Lakers to move for Hurley as new head coach – reports
The Los Angeles Lakers will move for Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley to succeed Darvin Ham, according to reports.
The Lakers fired Ham last month after suffering a five-game exit at the hands of the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
They have only gone beyond the first round of the postseason once in four years since winning their last NBA championship in 2019-20, missing the playoffs in 2021-22.
According to a report from ESPN, the Lakers have interviewed several candidates for the role and have now settled on Hurley, who has had six seasons with UConn and led them to back-to-back national titles in the last two years.
The report said the Lakers are now preparing a huge, long-term contract offer to Hurley, who has previously spoken of his ambition to coach in the NBA.
Hurley has a 141-58 record with the Huskies and appears to have seen off competition from Charlotte Hornets assistant James Borrego, Boston Celtics assistant Sam Cassell and Denver Nuggets assistant David Adelman, all of whom were reportedly interviewed.
Celtics' Porzingis off injury report for Game 1 of NBA Finals against Mavericks
The Boston Celtics will get starting centre Kristaps Porzingis back in the lineup on Thursday when they host the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
It was reported Tuesday that he would return, and when asked by reporters on Wednesday, he said he would be back.
"I'll play tomorrow," he said.
The Celtics later submitted their official injury report and he was not included.
Porzingis sustained a right calf strain in Game 4 of the opening round of the playoffs against the Miami Heat on April 29 after averaging 14 points and 5.7 rebounds in the first three meetings.
Al Horford moved into the starting lineup after Porzingis went down and averaged 10.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in 10 games as Boston went 9-1 to reach the NBA Finals for the second time in three seasons.
The Celtics acquired Porzingis from the Washington Wizards last June, and the fourth overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds in 57 games for Boston this season.
Porzingis spent part of three seasons with Dallas before being traded to Washington in February 2022.
Irving 'the most gifted player the NBA has ever seen', says James
Kyrie Irving is the "most gifted player the NBA has ever seen" and holds the key to the Dallas Mavericks' chances of victory in the NBA Finals, according to former team-mate LeBron James.
James and Irving played together with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014 to 2017, making the NBA Finals in each of those seasons and triumphing in 2015-16.
Irving then enjoyed stints with the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets before joining Dallas last February.
He has been in great form during the offseason, averaging 22.8 points and 5.2 assists as well as shooting 48.5 per cent from the field to help put Dallas in contention for their second NBA championship.
Speaking on an episode of his 'Mind the Game' podcast, James said of Irving: "I'm so happy and so proud to watch him continue his growth.
"I'm so f****** mad at the same time that I'm not his running mate any more.
"I would call Kyrie 'the wizard' all the time. There was nothing on a basketball floor that Kyrie couldn't do."
James highlighted Irving's performance in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, when he scored 24 of his 30 points in the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves, as the standout moment of this postseason.
While Boston may be favourites for the NBA Finals, which tip off on Thursday at TD Garden, James says Irving's ability gives Dallas a chance.
"That was like, 'oh s***, Dallas may be able to not only win the Western Conference finals, they might be able to win the whole thing'," James said of Irving's Game 1 display.
"Because of that wild card. He's the most gifted player the NBA has ever seen."
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