WATCH: Luka Doncic Mimics Michael Jordan With Brilliant Ankle-Breaker on Spurs’ Dejounte Murray

Dallas Mavericks started off their second half of the season with a victory against the San Antonio Spurs, beating them 115-104. The duo of Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic put on a show, scoring a total of 50 points for the Mavs.

While Porzingis led the team in points, the Slovenian Doncic had an impressive triple double, scoring 22 points, 12 assists, and 12 rebounds. The 2-time All-Star capped off the performance with an amazing move near the end of the game.

With 1:46 left on the game clock, Doncic channelled his inner Michael Jordan and pulled off a filthy ankle breaker on Spurs’ Dejounte Murray and scored a three pointer. Take a look.

After a slow start to their season, the Mavs have clawed back their way to the eighth spot in the Western Conference with a record of 19 wins and 16 losses.

Their second superstar Kristaps Porzingis has stepped up significantly in the last 10 games, averaging 22.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. With a healthy Porzingis finally firing at all cylinders, Doncic and the Mavs have won eight of their last 10 games.

The Mavs will hope that their duo can maintain their exceptional form ahead of a tough run of fixtures, where they face teams like the Clippers and the Blazers.

Are Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks dark horse contenders in West?

After a strong finish to their playoff run last season, Doncic and the Mavs were seen as a dark horse in the Western Conference. That hasn’t been the case so far for the team, however.

In the off-season, the Mavs emphasized in improving their defense and gave up a prolific shooter in Seth Curry to the 76ers and brought in Josh Richardson. Richardson might be a great perimeter defender, but without Curry’s lethal three point shooting, the Mavs have struggled offensively.

Last season, the Mavs were the best team offensively, ranking first in offensive rating. This season, they have slipped all the way down to 13th in offensive rating. They have regressed defensively as well, slipping to 23rd in defensive rating from last season’s 17th.

With a major dip both offensively and defensively, the Mavs have understandably slipped to the eighth seed in the Western Conference. But recently, the Mavs have shown massive signs of improvement, winning 8 of their last 10 games.

The Mavs can still make some changes to the roster ahead of the trade deadline. They have the necessary cap space available and assets to add a superstar to their team. Will the Mavs pull off a surprise trade and form a big three before the deadline? If they do, they surely will become one of the biggest contenders in the West.