A dribble hand-off was triggered for Luka Doncic in an effort to move O.G. Anunoby off of him. It nudged Anunoby back and Doncic pursued the rim against Khem Birch, eventually rising up on the opposite side of the basket for his attempt. Doncic is massive with a guard skillset. He thought he had navigated himself into a winning situation, only Anunoby popped up from behind to block his shot. Doncic kicked out his leg, Anunoby fell over top, and as the Raptors continued up the floor Doncic stuck behind to help Anunoby up.
"I think he's probably one of the nicest dudes in the league. He never talks trash, he never does anything. But, I tripped him, not on purpose, so that's why I helped him." Doncic said after the game. Adding: "He's an amazing player. On both sides of the floor."
When Anunoby came out for media he was told about Doncic's comments, and responded in kind: "He's one of the nicest guys in the league, too. He doesn't talk trash either."
Dudes rock. Love saying nice things about each other.
That play, however, was not the only time that Anunoby would get the better of Doncic. And evidenced by his notable presence on the court for all 24 minutes of the second half, Nick Nurse didn't want to provide the Mavericks with a chance at another matchup to spark a run.
"Our idea was to keep O.G. matched up with him all night." Nurse said after the win. "I think he’s gonna sleep good tonight, he was at a lot of minutes, a lot of work, a lot of denying the ball back. He did get a lot of help, and stuff, too. It was good to let him go toe to toe with one of the league’s best and good that he could make the plays at the other end, at the same time."
