Luka Doncic's scoring flurry sets Mavs on course toward playoffs

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Through all the triple-doubles, buzzer-beaters and three All-Star Game trips in four seasons, Luka Doncic never averaged 40 points over a four-game stretch until the final quartet before the break.

Those games also happened to be the first ones since a trade ended Doncic's European pairing with Kristaps Porzingis that never developed the way the Dallas Mavericks had hoped.

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Not that the focus wasn't already on the Slovenian superstar who turns 23 on Monday, but the timing of the 41.5-point-per-game outburst that included Doncic's first 50-point effort made it perfectly clear.

If the Mavericks are going to get past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since winning the franchise's only championship 11 years ago, their point guard will have to dominate.

Nobody knows it better than the point guard from 2011: Jason Kidd, who helped guide a club led by another European star in Dirk Nowitzki.

"Luka’s that type of player that can carry the load, for not just four games but for most of the season," said Kidd, the first-year Dallas coach. "He’s playing not just at an All-Star but at an MVP level right now, and that’s what we need going into the second half."

The Mavericks return from the break Friday night at Utah, which is one spot ahead of Dallas as the fourth seed in the Western Conference. Denver is the third team in the current mix for the final spot with home-court advantage in the first round, something else the Mavericks haven't had since winning the title.

Dallas Mavericks forward Luka Doncic sets to throw a souvenir to fans during a practice session for the NBA All-Star