The Dallas Mavericks will be without Luka Doncic for at least another month, but they continue to win without him. On Saturday, they will try to improve to 8-2 this season without their star when they face the Portland Trail Blazers.
Doncic injured his left calf during a Christmas Day game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, the Mavericks managed to win 98-89 on the road against the Phoenix Suns on Friday, despite Doncic’s absence.
Kyrie Irving, who made his first four shots, ended the game with 20 points, shooting 6 of 21 overall. It was a team effort that helped Dallas secure its 15th win in the last 19 games.
Irving is confident that the team’s success will continue against Portland. “We can’t drop any games,” Irving said after Friday’s win. “This is an important part of the season. This is where teams either start dropping off or improving.”
Four other Mavericks players scored in double digits, and the win went just as coach Jason Kidd had planned. “Injuries are injuries,” Kidd said about Doncic. “We’ve played without him. Next-man-up mentality, and that’s what we’re facing now. The depth of our team is being tested, and those guys in that locker room are up for that test.”
Dallas defeated Portland 132-108 on Monday in their previous meeting. Doncic had 27 points in that game, and the Mavericks have won the last six matchups against the Trail Blazers.
Portland had been struggling with eight losses in nine games before securing a 122-120 home win over the Utah Jazz on Thursday. Scoot Henderson hit the game-winning shot with just 0.1 seconds left.
“You dream of plays like that,” Henderson said. He finished the game with 18 points and 10 assists, marking his third straight double-digit scoring game after struggling with shooting in the previous three games.
Henderson dismissed the idea that he needed a confidence boost from the game. “I don’t need nothing,” he said. “I need my family, my support, and God. Everything else is gonna be up and down anyway. So, I don’t think I needed a game like this.”
Deni Avdija also had a standout game for Portland, scoring a season-high 27 points with eight rebounds and six assists. Shaedon Sharpe added 27 points and made five 3-pointers, while Deandre Ayton contributed 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Portland’s head coach Chauncey Billups will miss his second straight game due to his grandmother’s funeral. Assistant coach Nate Bjorkgren is stepping in as acting coach. In the loss to Dallas on Monday, Avdija led Portland with 19 points.
