Tag: Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks will aim for their seventh straight win when they play the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night.

Both teams come into the game after experiencing very different outcomes in their games on Thursday.

Dallas won 137-101 against the Washington Wizards to start a three-game road trip. They have now won 10 of their last 11 games.

On the other hand, the Raptors had their four-game home winning streak ended by a 129-92 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Luka Dončić recorded his first triple-double of the season in the Mavericks’ win, finishing with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. This was his 78th career triple-double, tying him with Wilt Chamberlain and James Harden for seventh place in NBA history.

“I finally got one,” Dončić said. “Just to be up there mentioned with those great names, it’s unbelievable to me. I never take it for granted.”

Kyrie Irving led the Mavericks with 25 points, even though he played just 25 minutes. Dončić played 32 and a half minutes in a game where the Mavericks led by as many as 42 points. Eight Mavericks players scored in double digits.

“First of all, I think we have a lot of depth,” Dončić said. “Anybody that steps on the court can produce a lot of things. Everybody knows their role. Chemistry, I think, is one of the most important things in teams like this. And we have it. Everybody gets along. And it’s just fun to play with these guys on the floor.”

In addition, Dončić had two steals and one block.

“When you talk about Luka’s ability to have the handprint that he can have on the game in a sense of passing, rebounding and scoring, he does all three things at a very high level,” said Dallas coach Jason Kidd. “Right now, he’s shooting the ball extremely well, and when he sees the double-team, he understands, as the quarterback, who’s open and how he can get the ball to them, and he’s done that at a high level.”

The Raptors can take lessons from the Thunder’s dominant performance. Oklahoma City had 15 steals and forced Toronto into 20 turnovers.

“Sometimes we make turnovers recklessly, and sometimes it’s because of the other defense,” said Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic. “I felt tonight it was their defense. They made us turn the ball over, so there’s going to be a lot of good film for us to learn from this.”

The Raptors were also missing Jakob Poeltl, who was out with an illness. Jonathan Mogbo stepped up in Poeltl’s place, scoring a career-high 17 points off the bench.

“(Poeltl is) really good for us in pick and rolls, setting screens, freeing up people,” Rajakovic said. “He’s just like settling force for us but, to be honest with you, it was really good for me tonight to see Jonathan Mogbo in an expanded role in, you know, in different matchups. He started in the second half and I thought that he had an overall good game tonight. But yeah, we missed (Poeltl) tonight.”

RJ Barrett also had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Raptors, achieving his fifth double-double of the season. Scottie Barnes added 12 points and 12 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the year.

The Dallas Mavericks are on their best run of the season, and much of their success has come without their star player, Luka Doncic.

Dallas will try to win its eighth game in nine tries when it faces the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night.

Doncic missed Saturday’s 106-94 win over the Utah Jazz because of a wrist sprain, and he is expected to sit out again for the sixth straight game. Klay Thompson (foot injury) is also likely to miss his fourth consecutive game.

Kyrie Irving stepped up against the Jazz, scoring 30 points, dishing out nine assists, and grabbing four steals. He also tied his season-high with six 3-pointers and is averaging 28.0 points per game over the last four games.

The Mavericks also got a big performance from Quentin Grimes, who hit five 3-pointers and scored a season-high 24 points. This came after he scored 21 points in a 129-114 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd was pleased with how Irving handled the game when the Jazz made a run in the third quarter on Saturday.

“The way he goes about the game, understanding when it’s time to go and when it’s time for others to go — he does a really good job of pushing the others to score,” Kidd said after the game. “We got some stops, and that led to our pace where we could get out and run. I thought Ky did a good job of pushing and getting us some easy ones at the rim.”

Dallas got off to a strong start against the Jazz, taking a 40-22 lead in the first quarter. However, their play dropped in the second quarter, and they led by just seven points at halftime.

“It could’ve gone either way,” Irving said about the game. “We just had to stay mentally locked in and make sure we finished the game.”

Portland, on the other hand, had lost four of its last five games before defeating the Sacramento Kings 115-106 at home on Friday.

Deandre Ayton led the Trail Blazers with a season-high 26 points and nine rebounds, dominating in the paint.

“Just attacking the paint and getting as many paint touches and moving the ball,” Ayton said about their success inside. “Just being confident in our shots and finishing them.”

Ayton also gave credit to his teammates for getting him involved. “Hats off to my backcourt for getting me going and being on me and just talking to me about being the last line of defense,” he added.

The Trail Blazers also got strong performances from Anfernee Simons (21 points, nine assists), Deni Avdija (20 points, nine rebounds), and Dalano Banton (17 points, career-high five steals).

Banton said the win against the Kings was important and helped Portland go 2-1 in West Group A of the NBA Cup competition.

While the Houston Rockets have secured first place in the group, Portland, the Minnesota Timberwolves (2-2), and the Los Angeles Clippers (1-2) are still fighting for a spot. The Trail Blazers will face the Clippers on Tuesday.

“This in-season tournament, I think it’s big for all players,” Banton said. “Not just our team, but I think everyone. It brings a whole different aspect to the game with the different court and the energy that it brings. I feel like it’s amazing. And we really do want to qualify for the next round.”

Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (knee) and point guard Scoot Henderson (quadriceps) are listed as questionable for Sunday’s game. Grant has missed the last two games, while Henderson has sat out four of the past five.

The Mavericks won all four games against the Trail Blazers last season and have won 10 of the last 12 meetings.

The Dallas Mavericks will look to get another win without Luka Doncic when they play the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.

Doncic has missed the last three games due to a sprained wrist and will be reevaluated later this week. The Mavericks, currently ninth in the Western Conference, have won five of their last six games and are 2-1 since Doncic got hurt.

“We’ve got a lot of competitors in this locker room, guys that want to win and put their body on the line,” said Mavericks star Kyrie Irving. “We’re not sure who is going to be healthy day-in, day-out, but those who suit up are going to be ready to play.”

Irving scored 32 points in the Mavericks’ win over Atlanta on Monday, where Dallas also played without Quentin Grimes and Klay Thompson. The Mavericks also got a big performance from 7-foot Daniel Gafford, who had 10 points and is averaging a career-high 12.3 points per game.

Gafford, 26, has played for the Bulls and Wizards before being traded to the Mavericks at last year’s trade deadline. He leads the NBA in field goal percentage at 72 percent.

“I’m just getting better as the days go by,” Gafford said. “It’s about having patience and trying to expand my offensive game to make more plays. Teams are blitzing and switching more, so I’m figuring out how to make the right passes and take advantage of mismatches.”

This game is part of the Knicks’ five-game road trip. The Knicks are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference. On Monday night, they scored a season-high 145 points in a win over the Denver Nuggets, which left Nuggets coach Michael Malone furious in a post-game press conference.

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau was more calm in his comments, focusing on his team’s defense.

“You look at what all the markers are telling you, over the last five games, we have averaged 123 points and given up 115, and we have won four of five. Net rating (is) the most important stat there is to me,” Thibodeau said. “Then I look at how many points we are giving up in the paint, we’re top five there, how many second-chance points, we’re top five there.

“I think the physicality is there, the rebounding is there. Now it never ends, it’s something you have to always work on, so that’s where we are.”

Offensively, the Knicks rank fourth in the NBA with 119.1 points per game. OG Anunoby scored a career-high 40 points in the win over Denver.

Karl-Anthony Towns has been exactly what the Knicks hoped for when they acquired him in the offseason. He leads the Knicks with 26.3 points per game, while Jalen Brunson has scored 24.9 points per game.

The Knicks are still missing key players, including Precious Achiuwa (hamstring) and Mitchell Robinson (ankle). It’s unlikely either will play during this road trip, but Thibodeau said both are making progress in their recovery.

“We’re really encouraged with both guys,” he said.

Dallas has beaten the Knicks in each of the last two seasons, winning the season series both times.