No one could have expected Luka Doncic to get that offensive rebound putback. But it’s good that he did because it gave us the best celebration.
Doncic recorded the first 60-point, 20-rebound triple-double in NBA history during an overtime victory against the Knicks. It was an absolutely absurd accomplishment for the and it was only made possible due to some late-game heroics in regulation.
Dallas trailed by 9 points with 35 seconds remaining in the game. Per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, NBA teams had lost the previous 13,884 games played that included such a large deficit with such a small amount of time left to play.
The Slovenian-born superstar, however, was at the free-throw line down with the New York cut to just two points with 4.2 seconds on the clock.
EVERY ANGLE of Luka's RIDICULOUS game-tying putback bucket 🎬😱 pic.twitter.com/zVJAAKVw19
— NBA (@NBA) December 28, 2022
But free throw attempts are only worth one point, so Doncic threw the ball off the backboard. He then managed to get his own rebound and shoot just in time with a mind-blowing putback.
No matter how many times you watch this replay, it will never make sense.
There is no way that even Doncic comprehended what he had just done, and you can tell in his celebration. The 23-year-old has literally no idea what to do with himself:
He does his lil dancey dance 🕺 @FanboysMarket | #MFFL pic.twitter.com/6rD139av0Y
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) December 28, 2022
This is not the first time we have seen a silly little dance from Doncic. This one, according to Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, deserves to have a name.
But this was just absolutely delightful because his joy is clearly so natural and unfiltered in this high-stakes moment. In fact, he was so overtaken by the moment that he thought his team had won.
Luka Doncic, explaining his reaction to the putback: "Honestly, a lot of people ask me about this back in the locker room, and I thought we won it. When I went to the crowd like this, I thought we won the game. I see it’s tied, and I was like, 'Oof.' I didn’t know what to do." https://t.co/yLaC7t3DkE
— Callie Caplan (@CallieCaplan) December 28, 2022
The putback was so exhilarating that he forgot he still had to play overtime, which is when Dallas eventually sealed the deal and secured a victory.
It is too early to declare a serious frontrunner for the MVP award, but this performance — and this dance — was a nice addition to the resumé Doncic is building thus far.
