At one point, in the Mavericks’ 144-126 victory over the Clippers (3-5) on Friday night at American Airlines Center, in In-Season Tournament play, Los Angeles had a 12-point lead in the first quarter. However, Dallas had a 35-4 run at the end of the first quarter into the second, and they rolled from there.
The Mavs(7-2) erupted for 47 points in the second quarter and led 77-51 at halftime; Luka Doncic scored 32 of his 44 points in the second and third quarters, and Dallas had their largest lead of 32 points in the third.
“I thought everybody was alert and made plays,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said about the big run. “With all that being said, you’ve got to make shots, and I thought everyone made shots. Even Luka [Dončić] was making a lot of shots there in that run.”
Kyrie Irving, who had 27 points, six rebounds, and three assists, said the big run was about shotmaking.
“A bit of luck that they weren’t making shots, but outside of that, I feel like we were making them play in the halfcourt a little bit more than they anticipated,” Irving said. “They’re a great one-on-one, individual team, and I think they know that in that locker room. So, we wanted to make an emphasis tonight that they had to play through each other. They’re a new group, so we just wanted to take advantage of some of their mistakes in transition and make the game easier on ourselves by getting our in transition. ”
Doncic ended the game shooting 17/21 from the field, including 6/9 from deep; he also added six rebounds and six assists. The 81% from the field marks the highest of his career. According to him, the big run was about defense.
“It was great,” he said. “It was our defense, and we had the pace. We said before this game that we need to run, so that’s what we did.”
Dallas could have been better on Wednesday night in losing against the Raptors, so it was nice to see them bounce back against the Clippers. This team will score points this season; they must find a way to stay consistent on the defensive end.
Dallas heads on the road for the next four games, starting in New Orleans as they begin a two-game set with the Pelicans on Sunday night.
Mavericks offensive explosion:
The Dallas’ 144 points is the most in regulation since 1986 (147 at Seattle Sonics).
The Mavericks notched 47 points in the second quarter against the Clippers tonight, the fourth-most points scored in a quarter in team history.
Dallas made 19 threes in win over Clippers.
Notes:
Derrick Jones Jr. recorded 11 (4-10 FG, 1-4 3FG, 2-2 FT), 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals. His 11 points and 10 rebounds mark his first career double-double, and his three steals in the first quarter marks a new career-high steals in the first quarter — tied for the second-most steals in a single quarter in his career.
Tim Hardaway Jr. recorded 17 points (6-13 FG, 2-8 3FG, 3-3 FT), three rebounds and three assists.
Rookie Dereck Lively II recorded a block tonight, marking his eighth consecutive game with a block since his debut. He is the only Mavericks rookie to accomplish that feat in his first eight games, and his eight consecutive games with a block ties for the fifth-longest streak with a block by a Mavericks rookie.
According to ESPN, Dallas could not play on their newly designed In-Season Tournament court due to a “manufacturing issue.”
Maxi Kleber (right small toe dislocation) missed Friday’s game against the Clippers.
Every so often, Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic does something that makes you shake your head, which was the case on Friday night in the team’s home opener against the Brooklyn Nets.
Late in the fourth, with the game tied at 120 and the shot clock running down, Doncic made a hook shot three-pointer that banked off the glass and in! Ultimately, Dallas would defeat the Nets(0-2) 125-120.
This is Dallas’ first 2-0 start since the 2019-20 season.
Doncic had a game-high 49 points (16-25 FG, 9-14 3FG, 8-10 FT), 10 rebounds and seven assists, including 14 points in the fourth quarter. His nine 3-pointers mark a new career-high from behind the arc, but the talk after the game was his game-winning shot.
“I’m just glad I didn’t call a timeout when I wanted to,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “We probably wouldn’t be sitting here. That’s a Luka [Dončić] special. He likes the ball late, he loves those situations, and he finds a way. The thing about Luka, he practices a lot of crazy shots. Sometimes they get caught on camera. Sometimes, it’s just the human eye that catches them. Tonight was one of those shots.”
Kyrie Irving, who faced his former team for the first time since the trade and had 17 points, seven rebounds, and six assists on Friday, was impressed by Doncic.
“There was a lot of magic in the air, man,” Irving said. “That shot was crazy. I was going in to crash the offensive glass, and I was like, ‘Man, this has a chance.’ I was just following it, and what a night for Luka (Doncic), what a night for our team.”
Doncic explained what he saw on the game-winning shot.
“I saw there were two or three seconds left [on the shot clock] and just knew I had to put it up and touch the rim so that we would have a chance of reloading [the clock],” he said.
According to Doncic, the shot felt good when it left his hands.
“Yes, actually,” Doncic said about the shot. “It was feeling good. I promise.”
When asked if this was the toughest shot he’s made in a game, Doncic said the following:
“It was probably this one,” he said. “I don’t know what I did. Against Portland is a consideration, but I think this one was tougher. I think it was a little bit of a hook shot.”
Dallas returns to action on Monday night when they travel to Memphis to play the Grizzlies.
Notes:
Doncic’s 49 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists mark his 14th game with 40-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and seven-plus assists, tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for seventh all-time in NBA history for most games with that stat line.
Brooklyn’s Cam Thomas finished today’s game with a team-high 30 points as well as seven rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. His 30-point effort marks his second consecutive 30-plus point game and the second time in his career he has recorded consecutive 30-plus point games. His seven rebounds tie the second highest of his career.
In their return to Dallas, Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith recorded 23 points (8-17 FG, 6-12 3FG, 1-2 FT), three rebounds, eight assists, and 12 points (4-8 FG, 4-7 3FG), seven rebounds and three assists, respectively. Dinwiddie’s six 3-pointers ties for the third-most 3-pointers made in a game in his career.
The Dallas Mavericks have agreed to a contract extension with guard Josh Green, the team announced on Monday.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, it’s a three-year, $41 million contract extension. The two sides were able to reach an agreement on an extension of his rookie contract before the 6 p.m. deadline.
The 22-year-old enters his fourth season, having increased his averages in each one prior. In 2022-23, he posted career-high averages of 9.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 25.7 minutes. Green also shot 53.7% from the field (205-382 FG), 40.2% from three (68-169 3FG), and 72.3% (68-94 FT) from the free throw line.
“We have seen Josh work extremely hard over his time with the Mavs to become an impactful player on both ends of the floor,” said Mavericks GM and VP of Basketball Operations Nico Harrison said in a press release. “His energy is contagious for our group, and when he’s in the game, he pushes his teammates to play at a different speed. Josh is a high-level person and teammate, and we are happy to have him with our program for the long term.”
Green produced six games with at least 20 points in 2022-23 after not scoring 20 or more points in any game in his first two seasons. During the month of February, he scored in double figures in a career-best six consecutive games. In March, Green posted three straight games with 20 or more points.
The Australian native played one year of college basketball at Arizona before being selected 18th overall by Dallas in the 2020 NBA Draft. Green owns career averages of 5.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 18.2 minutes over 166 games (29 starts) in his three seasons, and he has 17 games of playoff experience.
Representing his national team, Green has played for Australia in the 2023 FIBA World Cup and 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, where he won a bronze medal – the country’s first-ever Olympic medal in men’s basketball.
The Dallas Mavericks finished the preseason with a 114-104 victory over the Detroit Pistons at the American Airlines Center on Friday night.
Dallas was led by fourth-year guard/forward Josh Green, who scored 15 of his 22 points in the first quarter. He converted 5-for-5 field goal attempts, including 3-for-3 from three. His five field goal made marks the first time in his career he has recorded at least five made field goals in a quarter.
“I think he was aggressive,” Kidd said about Green. “He didn’t hesitate, caught, shot, got to the basket. Just a lot of carryover of what he’s been doing this preseason.”
Green added: “I just wanted to come out and just win the game going into the season with a win under our belt and with momentum. I wanted to come in and when I’m open, shoot the ball. I know what I’ve been doing to work on. Just a little bit of everything and just trying to have fun.
Green is eligible for a contract extension, which would start at the beginning of the 2024-25 season, and the Mavs and Green have until October 23 to make that happen. If not, he will become a restricted free agent at season’s end. Whether he gets paid now or later, Kidd believes Green will get his money.
“I think he’s just trying to play the game the right way through everything that he’s been working on during the summer and things that we have asked him to do, both offensively and defensively,” Kidd said. “I think that’s what he has been focused on. I think that the contract is going to take care of itself at some point. He’s going to get a contract at some point, and if it’s not now it’s going to be after the season. But he’s doing everything to be successful with or without the contract. He’s just focused on doing the right things. He did that for us this training camp, and we believe he’s going to do that for us during the season.”g
The 22-year-old, who averaged 9.1 points, 3.0 rebounds last season, says he will let his agents handle the extension and focus on playing basketball.
“I’m just letting my agents and the front office take care of that,” Green said about the extension. “But my eye is on the 25th and beating the Spurs and getting off to a good start.”
Green appears to be elevating his game. According to Marc Stein, Green’s team and the Mavs have discussed an extension, so we’ll see how this plays out.
When the Dallas Mavericks acquired Kyrie Irving from the Nets in February, the goal was to form a lethal combination with Irving and Luka Doncic, but the Mavs had some injuries, did not play well, and missed the playoffs.
However, Dallas believes the pairing can be successful, and according to Shams Charania, Irving will be back in Dallas and has agreed to a three-year, $126 million deal, with a player option in the third season.
Irving, 31, is still one of the purest scorers in the NBA. Last season, in 20 games with the Mavericks, the eight-time All-Star averaged 27.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists.
The Doncic and Irving pairing can work, especially if they put the right pieces around them. Additionally, Irving would need to stay healthy and be reliable. Jason Kidd will have an offseason and training camp to make it work.
Mavs bring back a familiar face
Seth Curry is back in Dallas. According to reports, it’s a two-year deal. Last season, Curry, who played for the Brooklyn Nets, averaged 9.2 points on 46% shooting from deep. Curry had two previous stints with the Mavs(2016-17, 2019-20).
Powell returns
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Dwight Powell has agreed to a three-year, $12 million deal with the Mavs; last season, the 31-year-old averaged 6.7 points and 4.1 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per contest.
The nine-year veteran will provide depth for the Mavs frontcourt.
Exum is coming to Dallas
Dante Exum is back in the NBA. According to Wojnarowski, it’s a guaranteed deal. The former No. 5 overall pick last played in the NBA with Cleveland in 2o21.
Last season, Exum led Partizan, of the Euroleague, to a championship.
The 27-year-old has battled injuries throughout his career. He tore his ACL in 2015; he battled a shoulder injury in 2017; in 2018, Exum suffered a partially torn patellar tendon in his right knee.
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Mavs GM Nico Harrison is hoping to build a team around Doncic and Irving and is hoping to build a championship team. Again, Dallas missed the playoffs last season, which was a clear disappointment, and they don’t want that to happen again.
When the Dallas Mavericks sat many of its top players for the final two games of the regular season, including Kyrie Irving for both games and Luka Doncic(who played one quarter against the Bulls), many accused the Mavericks of tanking, and the league agreed.
On Friday, the NBA announced that the Mavericks organization has been fined $750,000 for conduct detrimental to the league in an elimination game against the Chicago Bulls on April 7.
According to the league, the Mavericks violated the league’s player resting policy and demonstrated through actions and public statements the organization’s desire to lose the game in order to improve the chances of keeping its first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The league did not find that the players who participated in the game were not playing to win.
“The Dallas Mavericks’ decision to restrict key players from fully participating in an elimination game last Friday against Chicago undermined the integrity of our sport,” said Joe Dumars, NBA Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations, in a press release. “The Mavericks’ actions failed our fans and our league.”
Dallas, who missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2018-19 season, is looking to keep their pick, which is a top-10 protected pick. If the pick lands after 10, it goes to the Knicks(Porzingis trade), so if all goes well, Dallas will at least keep the 10th pick, which could allow the Mavericks to add talent around Doncic and, if he stays, Irving.
The Dallas Mavericks(38-43) were officially eliminated from playoff contention after losing to the visiting Chicago Bulls 115-112 on Friday night.
Dallas will miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
Entering this game, Dallas was a 1/2 game behind the Thunder for the 10th and final spot in the Play-In Tournament, but now it’s over, and the Mavs are okay with it.
Dallas sat Kyrie Irving(foot), Christian Wood(rest), Maxi Kleber(hamstring), Josh Green(rest), and Tim Hardaway Jr.(ankle). Luka Doncic played little over one quarter on “I Feel Slovenia” night, scoring 13 points, so it was clear what the Mavs’ plans were for this game and the season-finale; this team waived the white flag of surrender and was looking to tank.
“Understanding it’s not so much waving the white flag,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said after the loss. “Decisions sometimes are hard in this business, and you have to make hard decisions, and we’re trying to build a championship team, and sometimes you got to take a step back. Understanding, again, with this decision, maybe a step back, but hopefully, it leads to us going forward.
“Again, it’s not always easy to make decisions, but these are decisions that are made from my bosses, and we got to follow them. We trust Cuban and Nico to put the pieces together to put us in a position to win a championship, and so that’s just starting the process today.”
At this point, the Mavs focus on next season. Dallas is currently slotted for the 10th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The draft lottery could change that, but it’s a good chance they stay at 10. If they remain at 10, their pick, which is top-10 protected, would not go to the Knick(Kristaps Porzingis trade), which gives the team more assets to go after more talent. In addition, it appears the team wants to re-sign Irving and build around Doncic and Irving going forward.
Back to this season, what a disappointment. When the Mavs acquired Irving in February, many felt this team could make noise in a wide-open Western Conference. At the time, the Mavs were 29-26 and the fifth seed in the West. Unfortunately, things never came together, and Dallas is 9-17 after the trade.
Regarding the tank, again, the West is wide open, and anything could have happened once they got into the Play-In Tournament, but again, the white flag was raised, and now it’s on to the NBA Draft Lottery, NBA Draft, free agency, and more.
The Dallas Mavericks hoped to gain ground in the standings on Friday night as they hosted the lowly and shorthanded Charlotte Hornets.
However, Charlotte(24-51), without Kelly Oubre Jr. and Terry Rozier, led by as many as 21 points and held on late to defeat the Mavs 117-109.
With the loss, Dallas(36-38), who now have lost three straight, including two straight at home, is now the 11th seed in the Western Conference, so if the playoffs started today, they would not make the playoffs nor the Play-In Tournament.
The Mavs never led after the first quarter and allowed the Hornets to score 37-first quarter points, which did not please their head coach Jason Kidd.
“It was awful. Dogs***,” he said. “I think just understanding the talk before the game of what we’re playing for – playoffs or championship – and to come out in that first half, but more-or-less that first quarter, and give up 37 [points]. The interest level just wasn’t high. It was just… disappointing.”
Luka Doncic, who led the Mavericks with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists, had interesting comments after the loss. According to Doncic, he’s not playing with happiness.
“I mean, yes. It’s really frustrating,” he said. “I think you can see it with me on the court. Sometimes, I don’t feel it’s me. I’m just being out there. I used to have fun smiling on the court, but it’s been so frustrating for a lot of reasons – not just basketball.”
Doncic referred to some things of a personal nature happening outside of the game, but he did not get specific.
The Mavs are about to embark on a five-game road trip, which starts Sunday in Charlotte against these same Hornets.
Kyrie Irving, who had 19 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, says the team can’t make any excuses or point fingers.
“I have been in positions before in the season when we have been under .500 and scratching and clawing to get into the playoffs,” he said. “It’s not a position you want to be in, but it’s our reality, and we have to face it. There is no time for excuses or pointing fingers – just move on to the next game and do all that we can to prepare in the best way. We knew tonight was a very winnable game against the Hornets.”
Dallas, who have eight games left, is 9-15 against Eastern Conference teams, and their next five, all on the road, are against teams from the East, including the 76ers and Heat, so it will be challenging for the Mavs. Look, the Mavs could miss the Play-In Tournament and the playoffs; it’s a real possibility, especially considering how they played on the road(14-22) this season.
“I understand that we’ve got eight games left, so we’re still in control of this, but our effort has to be a little bit better from the start,” Kidd said.
Seeing how these final eight games play out for Dallas will be fascinating.
Notes:
-P.J. Washington led the Hornets with 28 points, tied for his second-best scoring output on the season.
-Dwight Powell (7-7 FG) and Christian Wood each added 14 points for the Mavericks.
The Dallas Mavericks lose another close game.
On Tuesday night, Kyrie Irving missed a three at the buzzer as the Mavs fell to the Pacers 124-122 at American Airlines Center.
Dallas has lost two straight and five of their last six, and they fall to 1-4 with Luka Doncic and Irving on the court together, and three of those four losses have been by three points or less.
After the loss, Doncic, who celebrated his 24th birthday and led the Mavericks with 39 points (14-25 FG), nine rebounds, and six assists, was happy with the look Irving got on that final shot.
“It was a good shot; I think,” Doncic said. “It’s Kyrie. He can make a lot of those shots. We trust him.”
Mavs head coach Jason Kidd added on the final shot: “Great look. Executed the last play, Kai [Kyrie Irving] had the option for the two or the three. He had a good look; I thought it was good.”
Irving, who finished with 16 points, five rebounds, and nine assists, wants to win badly in Dallas but knows it may take time to get chemistry with his teammates.
“Great shot, great look, just didn’t go down,” he said. “Obviously, we had a few different options on that last play, but I just appreciate the coaching staff and my teammates trusting me with that shot. And just the comfort they gave me afterwards. I really want to win here, really put a lot of pressure on myself; at times, I think I need to scale it back a little bit.
“Just because the second half of the season, we’re not going to be great every single possession. Usually, these learning curves and learning moments happen in preseason, but it’s happening now. It puts a glaring eye on what we’re doing right and what we’re doing wrong; easy to criticize, but for us, I just got to focus on being the best that I can be. I got to focus on showing up, not just for Luka [Dončić], but for my teammates.”
Much of the talk is about Doncic and Irving, but according to Doncic, it’s not just about him and Irving; it’s about the whole team.
“I think we should be talking about the whole team because we play as a team,” Doncic said. “We lose, and we win as a team. It’s not just about two players. It is about the whole team. So, we have to do better as a team. That’s it.”
The Mavs(32-31) are not closing out games and have dropped to the seventh seed in the Western Conference. Dallas has to take advantage of this six-game homestand, and right now, they’re 1-2. The next three games will be challenging as the 76ers, Suns, and Jazz are coming to town, so if they don’t want to continue to dip in the standings, they better start figuring some things out.
With just over seven minutes left in the second quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers(29-32) on Sunday, the Dallas Mavericks(32-30) took their largest lead of 27 points and were in complete control.
However, the Lakers closed the half strong and cut the lead to 61-47 at the break. Los Angeles would outscore the Mavs 64-47 in the second half and defeat Dallas 111-108 at American Airlines Center.
This season, teams were 0-138 when trailing by 27-plus points, but that changed with the Lakers’ win on Sunday.
Kyrie Irving, who had 21 points, a career-high-tying 11 rebounds, and five assists, says no 20-point lead in the NBA is safe.
“It’s a tale of two halves,” he said. “I think tonight showed it. First half, we were playing incredible, other than the last three minutes of the first half, where I think we came in up 14. We were up 25 or 23 … I’ve been quoted saying this, ‘There is no 20-point lead that is safe in this league anymore,’ just because of pace and style of the game. But for us, I think we showed some great poise in the third quarter. But in that fourth quarter, I have to do a better job of just getting us into some initiated offensive sets and just be aggressive and not kind of force my way into the lane.”
Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said Dallas lost its rhythm and got too caught up with the officials.
“We lost our rhythm in the sense of just playing our game and not worrying about the other elements,” he said. “Our rhythm there in the first two-and-a-half [quarters], we were playing at a high level on both ends offensively and defensively. Then, we just got a little distracted with the whistle. We’ve just got to be better with that.”
Luka Doncic, who had 26 points, nine rebounds, and five assists on Sunday, agreed with Kidd about the team getting distracted by the officials.
“It’s probably true,” he said.
Kidd knows what it takes to win an NBA title; he did it as a player and an assistant. According to Kidd, if the Mavs want to win a championship, he believes the team has to grow up.
“We’ve got to grow up, if we want to win a championship,” Kidd said. “There’s no young team that’s ever won a championship, mentally or physically.”
Dallas was down three with 15 seconds left, and an inbound pass from Irving to Doncic was thrown toward the backcourt, but not knowing the ball could be thrown in the backcourt, Doncic tried to keep the ball in the frontcourt, which caused a turnover. Anthony Davis secured the loose ball for the Lakers, and Dallas was forced to foul.
“I thought Luka needed a little bit more room, so I threw it towards the backcourt because I thought Jarred Vanderbilt did a great job denying him,” Irving said of the play. “I thought he was just going to let it bounce twice and then go grab it, but once I saw him try to save it from halfcourt, I looked at him maybe like a minute later and was like, ‘You know you can go backcourt,’ and he was like, ‘Ah, man. That’s my fault.’”
Doncic added: “That was my bad. I totally forgot you can go backcourt. That was my mistake. That is why I tried to save it.”
Dallas, who has lost four of their last five games, has to execute better late in games, and thus far, Doncic and Irving have struggled together in that area. Fortunately, with 20 games left in the regular season, they have time to fix it.
“I’m glad it’s happening during the season and not during the playoffs,” Kidd said. “When you have those two guys [Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving] out there, it’s about the details. We’ve got to do a better job with the details.”
