There was a moment Tuesday night when Luka Doncic was caught staring.

He looked like he was thinking. His eyes fixed forward, his brow furrowed, his spot on the bench comfortable, as the bench unit handled most of the dirty work in the fourth quarter.

Maybe he was pondering his impressive 34-point, 12-rebound and 12-assist triple-double. It wouldn't be the first time he's admired his numbers. Maybe he was thinking about how easy the game was as the Los Angeles Lakers' defense provided its best impression of a matador. Dallas got to the rim at will. Maybe he was enamored by the six other double-digit scorers, relishing in the help he currently has on the roster. Dallas did shoot 51 percent from the floor team.

Yet all these guesses are somewhat off base. On his mind was something drastically different. And after the game, he let everyone know exactly what it was — championships.

"Every year is the same, win a championship," Doncic said. "I know we have a lot of things to work on but you never know in the playoffs, anything can happen. Right now we are rolling."

Rolling is an understatement by Doncic. The Mavericks (47-29) are read hot. And the latest victim was Los Angeles to the tune of 128-110.

"Our group took care of business from the start," Jason Kidd said. "We had three good quarters of basketball. [The] Fourth-quarter, it is what it is. We got the win."

The race for third place 

Deep playoff runs aren't just a product of offseason maneuvering, though that does play a part.

What matters is timing — teams hitting their stride at the right point in the year. And every season there are teams that start hot and eventually fall apart. See the Cleveland Cavaliers as an example.

As teams plummet from their early-season crescendo, others fill the void gleefully. Dallas is one of those teams. And now, it's hard to believe that at one point in the season the Mavericks were on pace for a .500 year.

Since January, the Mavericks are 31-10, trailing only two teams: Phoenix and Boston. And coincidentally, the Golden State Warriors, the third seed in a crowded Western Conference, are 21-21 since January.

They are plummetting. Dallas is climbing. And the Warriors are missing Steph Curry in games that will define how they finish the season. Dallas has Doncic, who is playing the best basketball of his career.

As a result, Dallas only sits one game back from the three-seeded Warriors and three games away from its first 50-win season in seven years.

The race is on.

On Wednesday, Dallas plays the fading Cavaliers. Golden State plays scorching Phoenix.

Dallas is closing.

Yet, if you ask Doncic, the three seed is nice, but he's more focused on winning a championship.

In the end, that's all that matters anyway.

"I just have to keep working," Doncic said. "Hopefully one day [I will] win a championship."

Related Dallas Mavericks reading 

"Mavericks: 3rd in the West looks obtainable for Dallas." 

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Feature image via Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports.