Luka Doncic saved the best for last and anchored the Dallas Mavericks to an enthralling 136-132 overtime win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, August 8 (Sunday, August 9, Manila time).

Doncic looked like he could do nothing wrong as he notched a career-high 19 assists on top of 36 points and 14 rebounds to help the Mavericks return to the winning track and improve to 42-30.

The Mavericks’ inability to close out games has been exposed recently after losing a couple of matches in the restart bubble no thanks to their persistent second-half meltdowns.

But Doncic flipped the script this time with his passing wizardry and savvy as he tallied his third triple-double in the bubble – the most in the NBA.

Doncic forced overtime with a pair of free throws before he starred in the extra period by scoring and assisting 4 of the Mavericks last 6 points.

After tying his previous career-high in assists, Doncic upped the level of difficulty late as he dished out a left-handed between-the-legs assist to Maxi Kleber for an and-one that gave the Mavericks a 133-128 lead.

Doncic then sank a floater with 11 ticks remaining for a 135-130 advantage, an enough cushion to withstand the Bucks.

“I’m feeling fresh. Just trying to make the right decisions,” Doncic said when asked what has been working for him in the bubble.

Dorian Finney-Smith backstopped Doncic with 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists as he also came through in the crunch with several timely buckets in the overtime period.

Finney-Smith knocked down back-to-back triples that gave the Mavericks a 128-119 lead and sank a free throw with 5 seconds left that secured his team the victory.

Kristaps Porzingis had 26 points and 11 rebounds in the win, Kleber put up 15 points, while Trey Burke added 10 points.

Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 34 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 blocks in the losing effort as the league-leading Bucks lost their third game in the bubble to drop to 55-15.

Brook Lopez also had 34 points for the Bucks, Khris Middleton churned out 21 points, 11 assists, and 6 rebounds, while Eric Bledsoe chipped in 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. – Rappler.com