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The Dončić twitch

The Indiana Pacers survived 60 seconds until the Luka Dončić they surely dreaded arrived.

The Los Angeles Lakers have won 10 of their last 11 games, a tear that Dončić has fueled. Whatever Dončić wants right now, he’s getting. And what he wants is a stepback 3-pointer.

The Pacers knew that. So did the other four Lakers on the court. It didn’t matter.

On Los Angeles’ second possession of Wednesday’s game, Dončić received a dribble handoff from center Jaxson Hayes. He went one step to the right against Indiana pest Aaron Nesmith, then crossed over to his left hand while above the 3-point arc. Once the crossover came, Nesmith knew where to go next. But he couldn’t reach Dončić.

No one can.

Dončić nailed the 3, spurring another 40-point outburst.

He’s averaging 39.5 points over this 11-game streak, which has vaulted him into the MVP conversation. Dončić may not win the award, but he’s climbing the ladder, just as the third-place Lakers are rising up the standings.

And during this time, he’s revealed a singular focus: Get to that left hand. And once he does, fire off a stepback.

Even by Dončić’s standards, his recent reliance on fadeaway 3-pointers is the stuff of fiction. Since March 6, when this hot streak began, he is chucking 8.5 stepback 3s a game, according to Second Spectrum.

It’s an average so gargantuan that it may be impossible to properly place into context. But let’s try.

James Harden, the king of the stepback, isn’t even averaging 8.5 3-point attempts per game this season, let alone 8.5 stepback 3s. Meanwhile, Dončić isn’t popping them errantly. He’s shooting 37 percent on stepback 3s over these 11 games.

The stepback is the final type of 3-pointer a shooter will develop, behind stand-still ones, off-the-dribble pull-ups and 3s while on the move. At first, the footwork scrambles toes and heels. Lower-body strength is necessary. It’s not easy to catapult a basketball 27 feet in the opposite direction your body is falling.

But Dončić does it. He was averaging 5.9 stepback 3s a game before this stretch began, which nearly doubled the average of the second-place Harden. Now, he’s blowing that number away. And it’s causing mass anxiety for defenses.

For example, only a few minutes after Dončić nailed that jumper over Nesmith, he drove left on Pascal Siakam, the one player on a tanking team who does not seem to know he’s on a tanking team (and props to Siakam for that). After one bounce, Dončić shuffled his feed backward, ducking behind the 3-point arc. Siakam reacted the only way he could. He had no choice but to chase the stepback.

He closed out, but Dončić kept his dribble and headed to the hoop. Siakam stayed true to the scouting report. Forget about cutting off the drive. Instead, press up against Dončić’s right shoulder from his backside. It’s reminiscent of the ways teams would strategize against Harden in his prime. But that created a lane to the paint, where Dončić lofted in a floater.

Dončić is taking 13.9 3-pointers per game during this stretch, most of which are stepbacks. And even the shots that aren’t 3s are coming because defenses are so nervous about preventing Dončić from getting to his old reliable.