NBA 2018-19: Matches to watch out for in Week 9, Dec 10th to Dec 16th

#3 Dallas vs. Atlanta, Wednesday, December 12th

Luka pictured on

Draft

night alongside Adam Silver

Rookie sensation Luka Doncic scorched the Rockets on Saturday night and built the hype surrounding his name to near-unprecedented levels for a rookie; It may be remembered as 'Halleluka night' someday in the future. Jason Gallagher and Isaac Lee are the two men responsible for that, as the songwriter and performer of 'Halleluka', a parody of Jeff Buckley's iconic song, Hallelujah which Lee performed live during the Dallas Mavericks' win over the Rockets.

Doncic responded by scoring eleven consecutive points late in the fourth quarter to erase an eight-point deficit and single-handedly delivered Dallas an iconic win. He even capped his eleven-point run with a step-back three that looked eerily like a right-handed James Harden.

Doncic and Atlanta Hawks point-guard Trae Young will always be linked thanks to the draft day trade which saw them switch teams, and this matchup between the two serves as a particularly intriguing contest. While Doncic is rapidly announcing himself as a generational talent, Young has hit an early rookie wall and crashed back down to Earth after starting the season on fire.

Through his first 13 games, Young averaged 18.5 points, 8.2 assists, and 3.3 rebounds, all while compensating for his low three-point percentage by converting more than 50% of his two-point attempts. In his last 13 games, he has averaged just 12.3 points, 6.2 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and shot a woeful 31.3%.

There will always be some extra feeling in the game when these two go head-to-head, and this game should have some extra spice to it given the trend of the rookie' seasons recently.