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The NBA announced today that Mavericks guard Luka Dončić and Mavericks forward/center Kristaps Porzingis were named to the Kia NBA All-Seeding Games First Team and Kia NBA All-Seeding Games Second Team, respectively, after they finished as the only pair of teammates to average 30 points per game in the bubble. Dallas was also the only team to have multiple players named to the All-Seeding Games Team.
Dončić (6-7, 230) was a unanimous First Team selection after receiving all 22 first-place votes. He nearly averaged a 30-point triple-double in the bubble, ranking sixth among all players in scoring (30.0 ppg), eighth in rebounding (10.1 rpg) and second in assists (9.7 apg). The second-year Slovenian, who became the youngest player in NBA history (21 years, 168 days) to lead the league outright in triple-doubles this season (17), also led all bubble players in triple-doubles with three.
The 2019-20 Kia Most Improved Player finalist opened seeding play with a 28-point, 13-rebound, 10-assist effort against Houston on July 31. He followed that up by going 18-of-19 (.947) from the foul line en route to posting a 40-point, eight-rebound, 11-assist night at Phoenix on Aug. 2.
Dončić registered game highs of 34 points, (a career-high) 20 rebounds and 12 assists in Dallas’ 114-110 overtime win at Sacramento (Aug. 4), becoming the youngest player in NBA history (21 years, 158 days) to record a 30-point, 20-rebound, 10-assist game. He helped the Mavericks sweep the Bucks after posting game highs of 36 points, 14 rebounds and (a career-high) 19 assists in Dallas’ 136-132 overtime win over Milwaukee on Aug. 8, becoming the first player in league history to post a 36-point, 14-rebound, 19-assist stat line.
The 2020 All-Star tallied 25-plus points in six of his seven seeding game appearances.
Porzingis (7-3, 240) ranked tied for fourth among all restart players in scoring (30.5 ppg) and tied for 10th in rebounding (9.5 rpg). He scored at least 20 points in each of his six games in Orlando, including 30-plus points four times.
The 7-footer opened the restart by pouring in a season-high (team-high) 39 points (13-26 FGs, 10-11 FTs) to go along with a game-high 16 rebounds against Houston (July 31). In his final seeding game against Portland (Aug. 11), he connected on a career-high seven 3-pointers en route to tallying a team-high 36 points (12-17 FGs, 7-9 3FGs) in 36 minutes.
A panel of sportswriters and broadcasters on site in Orlando selected the Kia NBA All-Seeding Games Team. The panel voted for five players for the All-Seeding Games First Team and five players for the All-Seeding Games Second Team, choosing a total of 10 at any position from either conference.
The Mavericks enter the 2020 postseason as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference and will face the second-seeded L.A. Clippers in the first round beginning on Monday.
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