Luka Doncic gets praise from Green, Curry

Golden State Warriors duo Draymond Green and Stephen Curry think Luka Doncic will be a problem for teams for a long time.

Published : Dec 23, 2018 16:15 IST

Luka Doncic scored 19 points in his team's 120-116 loss in Oakland.
Luka Doncic scored 19 points in his team's 120-116 loss in Oakland.
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Luka Doncic scored 19 points in his team's 120-116 loss in Oakland.

Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic was lauded by Golden State Warriors duo Draymond Green and Stephen Curry after dazzling again in his team's 120-116 loss in Oakland.

Doncic scored 14 first-quarter points at Oracle Arena - the most by a rookie in the opening period against the Warriors in the Steve Kerr era - and finished with 19 in total having only spent 30 minutes on court due to an injury he sustained in the third quarter.

The Slovenian teenager, who also contributed three rebounds and five assists, sustained a bang to his hip when he crashed into a chair on the baseline.

A young fan was sitting on that chair and Doncic, who stopped playing at the time to check on the child, later gave the boy a signed jersey.

That bang restricted how involved Doncic was in the fourth quarter, but he had still left an impression on Green and Curry.

READ: 76ers pull away for win over Raptors

"That dude [is] good," Green told a news conference.

"He got it. He is going to be a problem. He [is] already a problem. But he gonna be really good for a long time.

"You kind of have the questions like, 'Oh, can he do that in the NBA like he's doing it in the EuroLeague?' He can.

"He's exciting to watch. He'll be good for a long time. He's kind of lifted that franchise."

Green's team-mate Curry, a two-time NBA MVP, is also a fan.

"He's very talented. He's smart, high-IQ guy, obviously," Curry said after the Warriors (22-11) was leading by 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists from team-mate Kevin Durant.

"[He] has a lot of confidence to his game, lot of swag to his game. He came out firing with some patented moves that he showed, but he's a guy that just knows what he's doing out there.

"Obviously, he's a rookie, but he's found a way to impose his will most nights, and it's going to be good to see him develop in this league and a star."

Dallas (15-16) faces the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday and Doncic said he would assess his injury to determine if he could feature.

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