Title: “24 Points in 3 Minutes”: Inside Luka Dončić’s Unreal Practice Runs
DALLAS, TX — July 29, 2025
Kyrie Irving wasn’t exaggerating. In fact, several Mavericks players say he was being modest.
When Irving told reporters that Luka Dončić gave someone 24 points in 3 minutes during practice, it wasn’t hyperbole—it was the kind of moment that leaves even NBA veterans shaking their heads.
It happened during a midseason scrimmage at the Mavericks’ practice facility in early 2024. The starters were sluggish. Jason Kidd blew his whistle, reset the clock, and told Luka to “wake them up.” What followed was basketball combustion.
Luka scored 24 points—uninterrupted—in three minutes.
He did it all: a logo three, a spin-cycle post-up, a step-back with a hand in his face, a one-legged Dirk fadeaway, and a filthy behind-the-back dribble that dropped a rookie to the hardwood before draining a side-step triple.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Tim Hardaway Jr., still recovering from the memory. “He wasn’t even sweating.”
Kyrie, sitting out that scrimmage with light soreness, watched from the sideline.
“He was laughing while doing it,” Kyrie said later. “Calling his moves before they happened. ‘Tween, tween, step-back — cash.’ And then again. ‘Same move, same result.’”
Luka wasn’t showboating out of arrogance. It was joy. Freedom. His way of expressing mastery of a game that seemed to slow down just for him. His defenders weren’t G League guys either — they were rotation players. Still, he made it look like high school drills.
One assistant coach kept stats for internal purposes. The final tally from those three minutes:
8/8 FG
6/6 from three
2 rebounds
2 assists
0 dribbles wasted
“He was playing chess while everyone else was still learning checkers,” the coach said.
The performance never made headlines until Kyrie dropped the quote in a podcast months later. But within the Mavericks locker room, it was already mythology.
Some compare it to Kobe’s legendary 70-point practice. Others say it’s the closest thing to what Michael Jordan did in closed Bulls scrimmages — but with more smiles and no trash talk.
Even Luka downplayed it. “Eh, I just had fun,” he told reporters. “Some days the rim feels like the ocean.”
The moment underscored what teammates have said for years: Luka Dončić is a basketball savant. He sees angles before they form, reads help rotations like novels, and hits shots that most stars wouldn’t attempt in video games.
“He’s different,” Kyrie said. “I’ve played with greats. Played against LeBron, Steph, KD. Luka’s up there, man. What he does in practice? That’s the scary part — sometimes it’s even better than games.”
So, do you agree with Kyrie?
If you ask those who’ve faced Luka on the practice court — defenders still turning around looking for the ball — you won’t hear debate.
You’ll hear silence.
And maybe a muttered: “Yeah… he really gave us 24 in 3 minutes.”
Let me know if you’d like a stylized version of this as a social post, podcast transcript, or video script.
