Mavs Star Luka Doncic 'Put On a Show' for Slovenian Crowd in Cleveland

The Dallas Mavericks won on Wednesday, and Luka Magic showed up in front of a friendly Cleveland Cavaliers crowd.

The Dallas Mavericks played in Cleveland on Wednesday night - the city with the largest population of Slovenians outside of Slovenia in the world - and Luka Doncic is always sure to give his people what they came to see.

On the second night of a back-to-back, Doncic finished with 35 points, nine rebounds, and 13 assists in the Mavs’ 120-112 win over the Cavaliers. 

© David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

© David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

© David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

“I know a lot of Slovenians live here (in Cleveland),” Doncic said. “I saw a lot of Slovenians out there and it’s always amazing to see their support.

“When the home people are out here to see you, obviously you want to put on a show for them.”

Cavs are actively tampering for Luka with Slovenian folk dancing during the halftime show. pic.twitter.com/pt32s0N2DC

— Mike Seuffert (@MikeSeuffert) March 31, 2022

Despite wanting to impress the crowd, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd admired how Doncic played appropriately within the context of what was needed for his team to win the game. 

“He wanted to put on a good show,” Kidd said. “Not just a show, but he came to work and that’s what he does.

“He comes to work and we get to see it on a daily basis, and he came up one rebound short of a triple-double. He knew when to get off the ball and when to attack. He’s playing at a very high level for us right now and we need that.”

With this performance, Doncic put the finishing touches on what has been a masterful month of March for him and the Mavericks. Dallas finished with a 12-4 record while the superstar finished with averages of 29.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 7.8 assists in 14 appearances.

© David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

By achieving the victory over the Cavaliers, the Mavericks improved to 48-29 on the season and did their part in positioning themselves to gain the third seed in the Western Conference standings. 

The Golden State Warriors lost 107-103 to the Phoenix Suns later on Wednesday night, which dropped their record to a matching 48-29. With the Mavericks holding the tiebreaker, Dallas moved into third—trailing only the Suns and Memphis Grizzlies in the West.