In Thursday morning’s episode of “Undisputed,” analyst Skip Bayless praised Luka Doncic, likening his late-game performances on the road to those of the legendary Michael Jordan.

When current players are compared to legends like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, or LeBron James, people take note, as comparisons of this magnitude must be warranted by exceptional performances.

It just so happens that Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Dončić has elicited comparisons to all three throughout his career, as the Slovenian phenom has demonstrated that he is a generational talent time and time again. However, Dončić received such a comparison from an unexpected source, as Skip Bayless was not bashful when heavily praising Luka for his late-game playoff performances on the road.

Bayless, who has been very critical of Luka in the past, admitted, “I’ve had my moments going back three or four years ago when I wasn’t the biggest fan of Luka.” However, the host of the sports talk show “Undisputed” was quick to change his tune about Dončić, as he compared the young superstar to the all-time great Michael Jordan.

Bayless stated, “One thing he does have in common with Michael Jordan is… Luka has a history of big fourth quarters in playoff games on the road.”

Bayless went on to describe how Doncic preferred the hostile environments of road playoff games, stating, “He loves it. He lives for it. He lights up for it. He did it to Oklahoma City. He did it to the Clippers out here in LA in the first round. He enjoys this, he lives for it. He needs to hear the boos. He needs to hear the crap that gets yelled at him, and he responded last night by just flat out taking over the fourth quarter.”

Bayless continued to express how impressed he was with Luka’s response to Minnesota’s late-game push. “Minnesota had a 13 to 1 run early in the fourth quarter and then all of a sudden, let there be Luka!” Bayless exclaimed, describing how Luka skillfully maneuvered around Minnesota’s defenders, particularly mentioning Jaden McDaniels, who made Second Team All-Defense.

Despite McDaniels’ height, length, and defensive prowess, Luka was able to figure him out, consistently getting past him and scoring in a variety of ways. “Luka just sort of had his way” Bayless said. “It took him a little while to figure (McDaniels) out, but he moves at that herky-jerky pace, and Jaden McDaniels at 6‘9, two inches taller than Luka, could not keep him out of the lane.”

The Mavericks’ Game 1 win in the Western Conference Finals and Luka’s late-game heroics were significant, but the team still needs to win three more games to reach the NBA Finals. Although Doncic is a bona fide superstar, he won’t truly have a seat at the table with Jordan, Kobe, or LeBron until he wins a championship.

However, if the Dallas’ defense continues to perform at a high level, and if Luka continues to dominate late in games, the Mavs have a good chance of achieving this.

Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals is scheduled for Friday, May 24, and will tip off at 7:30 p.m. CT.