Houston Rockets star James Harden squared off in an entertaining matchup with Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic on Monday night, and in some ways it was a showdown between teacher and pupil.
Following the game, which the Rockets won 120-104, Doncic told reporters he has studied Harden’s game and tries to model his own after it.
Luka Doncic says he's studied James Harden's game, "especially the drawing fouls and the stepback. I watch a lot of his film, for sure." A lot of basketball people consider Harden the best comp for Doncic.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 12, 2019
Doncic led the Mavericks with 21 points in the game. Harden led the Rockets and all scorers with 31. Three of Doncic’s 21 came on a beautiful step-back with Harden defending.
Luka. Step-back. Splash. #MFFL | #GameNight pic.twitter.com/XPATp020It
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 12, 2019
It’s also worth noting that Harden drew a blocking foul on Doncic that the rookie was not pleased about.
Harden gets a steal and draws a blocking foul on an unhappy Luka Doncic pic.twitter.com/H8kbxCEsoy
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) February 12, 2019
Doncic’s game has often been compared to Harden’s, and Harden probably shares the same opinion as the first-round pick about scoring in the NBA. Harden is averaging an absurd 36.5 points per game this season, so the Mavs should have no problem with Doncic studying his game.
