Two quarters were all Luka Doncic needed to silence doubters in return

He’s finally back and in MVP form.

After missing the last five games with a right wrist sprain, Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic returned to the floor Sunday night against the Portland Trail Blazers. Dallas managed to win four of the five games Doncic missed because of that wrist sprain, and fans couldn’t wait to see him back on the hardwood.

While Doncic’s eleven days off allowed him to fully recover from his wrist injury, he was also able to recover from the knee bruise that caused him to miss a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier in the season. Doncic’s knee bruise was the second leg injury of Doncic’s young season, as he had been dealing with a calf bruise throughout the preseason, and it seemed like Doncic struggled quite a bit in his first season because of the injuries he went through.

Some Mavericks fans feared that Doncic wouldn’t be fully healthy Sunday night or would get off to a slow start after missing nearly two weeks of play, but Doncic only needed two quarter throws to erase any doubt in fans’ minds. He had practiced for a few days before the Trail Blazers game and was not disappointed.

Doncic finished the game with 36 points, seven rebounds, 13 assists and three steals while shooting 15-24 from the field and 4-10 from downtown and his dominance came in a 137-131 win over the Trail Blazers really got rolling in the second quarter. This was undoubtedly one of the most dominant games of the season for Doncic, and the game came easily to him.

Doncic finished the game with 15 points, four rebounds and five assists while shooting 6-6 from the field and 3-3 from downtown in the second quarter, and he was unstoppable. His step-back threes fell, he reached the rim with ease, and he played with the extreme confidence that made him unique for the rest of the game.

Doncic appeared to be fully healthy in this game and also allowed him to play at a high tempo, which is exactly what the Mavs needed from him. Playing fast has helped the Mavs win so many of these games lately, and Doncic picked up right where all of his teammates left off in last night’s win over the Utah Jazz.

Doncic pushed the pace for most of last season when he was fully healthy, and he reminded everyone that he can play at that pace if injury doesn’t hold him back. That was especially evident in the second quarter when he pushed the ball forward in transition and found teammates for open threes and dunks, and it didn’t look like his knee was bothering him at all.

After the game, Doncic said that he thought his pace was “great” against Portland and that he now wanted to “keep it up.” Doncic saw how fast the pace was while he was away, and he wanted to “adjust” to their style of play upon his return.

It’s probably been months since Mavs fans have seen Doncic fully healthy for a regular season game, considering the injuries he battled through the first quarter of this season, and he’s shown everyone that his health will no longer be a problem during the season. Close win over Portland.

Doncic played this game against the Blazers with his right wrist wrapped, and his next chance to show his dominance will be at home against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night. It was a huge breath of fresh air for the Mavericks to have him back on the floor, and he looked just like the old Luka Doncic, who almost won MVP last year.

Given the injuries he battled, Doncic had to evaluate much of the early part of the season, and he gave fans a great glimpse of how dominant he can be when fully healthy and locked up.