NBA: Doncic dazzles in vain as Mavs downed by Pelicans

LOS ANGELES -- Luka Doncic scored 37 points but it was not enough to stop the Dallas Mavericks from slipping to defeat against the depleted New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.

Slovenian star Doncic dragged the Mavs to within one point of the Pels with four seconds remaining after a driving lay-up made it 112-111.

The 23-year-old was left shaking his head in disappointment after a three-point effort on the buzzer that would have snatched victory bounced off the rim to hand New Orleans a 113-111 win.

Doncic finished with 11 rebounds and seven assists in addition to his 37-point haul, with Spencer Dinwiddie providing support with 24 points and Christian Wood 23 points.

But Dallas were ultimately pipped by a balanced New Orleans line-up that saw eight players finish in double figures.

The victory was made all the more impressive given injuries that deprived New Orleans of regular starters Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

Trey Murphy III scored 22 points -- making 8-of-8 from the field -- while C.J. McCollum made 14 points with 11 assists.

McCollum later admitted he could barely watch as Doncic launched his last-gasp three-point attempt on the buzzer.

"When he shot it I just thought 'Please don't go in, please don't go in'," McCollum told an on-court interviewer.

"I didn't shoot the ball well but a lot of young guys stepped up tonight and that's what we're going to need all season long.

"We're a solid team. Guys work hard, get in early and stay late and they relish these kind of opportunities to come out and put on a show."

The Pelicans improved to 3-1 with a win to move into second in the Western Conference behind leaders Portland. Dallas fell to 1-2 with the loss.

In other games on Tuesday, the Washington Wizards took their season record to 3-1 with a 120-99 romp against the Detroit Pistons at home.

Kyle Kuzma led the Washington scorers with 25 points with Kristaps Porzingis adding 20. Will Barton added 16 from the bench, including four three-pointers.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Doncic posts 33-point triple-double, as Mavs beat 76ers

Luka Doncic tallied 33 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds and the host Dallas Mavericks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 107-98 on Friday.

It was the 8th triple-double of the season and the 44th of Doncic's career. The guard tied his season high for assists.

Reggie Bullock added 20 points, Jalen Brunson contributed 19 and Dwight Powell had 14 for Dallas. Dorian Finney-Smith also chipped in with 13.

The Mavericks played without Kristaps Porzingis for the 3rd straight game, as he has a bone bruise on his right knee.

Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 27 points and 13 rebounds, Tyrese Maxey added 18 points and Tobias Harris had 13. Georges Niang also contributed 13 and Seth Curry had 11.

In a bizarre scene, the game was delayed for 45 minutes with 6:03 remaining in the first quarter due to a crooked rim. Doncic hit a 3-pointer then pointed to the referees regarding the rim. After a quick check by maintenance workers, a new basket stanchion was brought in to replace the original one.

The Sixers bolted to a 40-24 lead early in the 2nd quarter and held on for a 63-53 advantage at halftime. Embiid led the way with 18 points and 9 rebounds before the break.

Doncic paced the Mavericks with 15 first-half points.

Dallas came out aggressive in the 3rd and quickly closed within 68-67 when Powell dropped in 2 free throws with 8:08 left.

The Mavericks tied the game at 76 when Doncic completed a 3-point play with 3:36 to go. Bullock drained a trey on their next possession for a 3-point lead.

The Sixers looked out of sync on offense for most of the 3rd and trailed 85-78 at the end of the quarter. Doncic scored 11 points in the 3rd.

Maxey hit a pair of free throws on the Sixers' first possession of the 4th. Niang added a short runner in the lane, Maxey made a difficult layup, and the deficit was one with 9:26 remaining.

Niang then hit a 3-pointer, Danny Green drove to the basket and scored and the Sixers capped an 11-0 run to lead 89-85.

Bullock hit consecutive 3-pointers and the Mavericks went back ahead 96-91 with 5:25 to go.

Doncic's three-point play with 1:39 left gave the Mavericks a 103-96 advantage.

-reuters

NBA: Mavs, Luka Doncic agree to 5-year, $207M extension

Dallas Mavericks superstar guard Luka Doncic agreed to terms on a five-year, $207 million supermax rookie extension, multiple media outlets reported on Monday.

The Mavericks announced they will hold a news conference Tuesday in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Doncic and agent Bill Duffy, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, general manager Nico Harrison and head coach Jason Kidd are expected to participate.

Doncic, 22, is eligible for the designated rookie max extension since he's been voted first-team All-NBA on two occasions.

"Today is a dream come true," Doncic told ESPN in a statement. "The game of basketball has given me so much and has taken me to so many amazing places. I am humbled and excited to remain in Dallas as part of the Mavericks and appreciate the support of my fans.

"Along with this new contract, I am also happy to announce that I am increasing my efforts and focusing on expanding The Luka Doncic Foundation. My foundation is an international non-profit that will give back to places that mean so much to me like my home country of Slovenia, as well as the communities in North Texas.

"(I'm) happy to share in partnership with 2K Foundations we are unveiling two basketball courts here in Slovenia soon. We are refurbishing my childhood courts where I learned and practiced the game. The opportunity for kids to play on the same courts and pursue the same dreams I had is something I'm excited about."

The two-time All-NBA pick and 2019 Rookie of the Year has averaged 25.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 7.7 assists in 199 games (all starts) for the Mavericks over his first three NBA seasons.

He was taken No. 3 overall in the 2018 draft by the Atlanta Hawks, who then flipped him to Dallas for Trae Young and a 2019 first-round pick (Cam Reddish).

The Mavericks finished first in the Southwest Division this past season but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games. Doncic averaged 35.7 points, 10.3 assists and 7.9 rebounds in the series.

-reuters  

Shorthanded Jazz rout Mavs for 11th win in row

Bojan Bogdanovic scored a season-high 32 points and sank seven 3-pointers to lift the shorthanded Utah Jazz to their 11th straight victory, a 120-101 blowout of the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night in Salt Lake City.

Joe Ingles became the franchise’s all-time leading 3-point scorer on a night when Utah hit 20 3-pointers for their ninth consecutive game with 15 or more from beyond the arc. Houston set the NBA team record with 10 straight games with at least 15 triples between the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.

Ingles, who finished with 10 points, surpassed Hall of Famer John Stockton for his Jazz record 846th 3-pointer in his 493rd game. Stockton made 845 3-pointers in 1,504 games during an era in which teams didn’t rely nearly as much on the outside shot as they do now.

Utah played its second straight game without All-Star Donovan Mitchell, who remains in the NBA’s concussion protocol after being hurt Tuesday against the New York Knicks. Luka Doncic amassed 25 points, seven assists and six rebounds, but Dallas lost a fourth game in a row for the first time since a seven-game skid in March 2019.

-reuters

Mavs pull away while Doncic sits, beat Clippers 127-114

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Luka Doncic has his first NBA postseason victory, though probably not the way he expected.

Instead of leading the Dallas Mavericks on the court, he was helping lead cheers from the sideline as his teammates pulled away while he sat.

Doncic scored 28 points and the Mavericks put together the pivotal run when he was out to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 127-114 on Wednesday night and even the Western Conference playoff series at a game apiece.

“This is how we’re going to have to win games,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. “Our depth is going to be a big part of it.”

Two nights after scoring 42 points in the highest-scoring debut in postseason history, Doncic played just nine minutes in the second half because of foul trouble. He finished with eight rebounds and seven assists.

The 21-year-old picked up his fourth foul less than a minute into the third quarter, shaking his finger toward the Dallas bench that he didn’t want to come out.

He stayed on then and, when he did come out toward the end of the period, Dallas put together a strong stretch of basketball. A finishing 14-4 spurt made it 98-85 entering the fourth.

And even after Doncic picked up his fifth less than a minute into the final period and had to go out again, the Mavs pushed the lead to 18 in the final 12 minutes.

Doncic said when he returned to the bench he was frustrated for about 15 seconds, then turned his attention to supporting his teammates.

“Being on the bench, it’s hard for me. I want to help my team but we won the game,” Doncic said.

Kristaps Porzingis added 23 points for the Mavericks. They beat the Clippers for the first time in five meetings this season and earned their first playoff victory since 2016.

Kawhi Leonard had 35 points and 10 rebounds, but Paul George had a mostly miserable performance for the second-seeded Clippers. They played without starting guard Patrick Beverley because of a calf injury.

“We expect a tough matchup, we expect a tough challenge, but the good thing about it is we’re up for the challenge,” George said.

With the top-seeded Lakers and Bucks looking sluggish in the bubble even before they both lost their playoff openers to No. 8 seeds, some betting sites had begun listing the Clippers as the title favorites.

They certainly look the part, having added Leonard and George in the summer and then some veteran pieces during the season. They helped the team compile some of the best offensive statistics in team history, but the defense wasn’t sharp and allowed reserves Trey Burke, Seth Curry and Boban Marjanovic to come off the Mavs bench and score in double figures.

“I just thought their bench outplayed our bench and our starters,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said.

George finished 4 for 17 for 14 points.

Game 3 is Friday.

After falling behind 10-0 and 18-2 in the opener, Dallas was the team to start fast Wednesday. Doncic and Porzingis made consecutive 3-pointers for an 8-0 lead and Doncic hit another 3 that made it 15-2.

Lou Williams came off the bench and provided a quick spark, scoring 10 points in the period as the Clippers cut it to 29-25 after one. Dallas reopened a double-digit lead by scoring the first 11 of the second to make it 40-25 and led by 17 later in the period before Los Angeles got it down to 61-56 at halftime.

“We knew after the first game that we were right there and we could compete with probably one of the favorites to win it all,” Porzingis said.

George missed his first five shots before hitting a 3-pointer nearly four minutes into the second half.

TIP-INS

Mavericks: Burke scored 16 points, Curry 15 and Marjanovic 13. ... Porzingis was listed on the injury report in the morning because of right knee soreness.

Clippers: Reggie Jackson started in place of Beverley and scored 11 points. ... Lou Williams scored 23.

PAT’S PAIN

Rivers wasn’t sure when Beverley was hurt, saying it was an injury that had been lingering. The Clippers noticed the guard wasn’t moving well at their shootaround and decided to scratch him. Rivers didn’t know if the injury could keep Beverley until the next game or until next week.

Associated Press

Doncic scores 24 in NBA return as Mavericks down Spurs

LOS ANGELES – Luka Doncic made a winning return from a four-game injury absence on Thursday (Friday, Manila time), scoring 24 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 102-98 NBA victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

Doncic, whose eight triple-doubles are the most in the NBA this season, added 10 rebounds and eight assists in his first game since he sprained his right ankle in a December 14 game against Miami.

"Felt good," a smiling Doncic said, although he added: "It was like I was running a marathon, I was so tired.


"When you miss four or five games, it's different, but it was great being back and we won," added Doncic, who played without any minutes restriction.

The Mavericks led by 17 points with 4:07 left to play.

San Antonio scored the last 13 points of the game but couldn't completely close the gap.

Rudy Gay's 3-pointer with 38.6 seconds left pulled San Antonio within four points.

But the Spurs' Derrick White missed a 3-pointer with 5.8 seconds remaining, and Doncic corralled the rebound to close it out.


Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 17 points, and Kristaps Porzingis and Dorian Finney-Smith added 13 apiece for the Mavs.

DeMar DeRozan led San Antonio, scoring 16 of his 21 points in the second half.

In Detroit, the Pistons snapped a five-game skid with a 132-102 rout of the Washington Wizards.

Detroit matched their season high for points as they turned the tables on a team that had beaten them twice already this season.

Christian Wood led the Pistons with 22 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Tim Frazier added 17 points and six assists, Blake Griffin scored 14 points with 11 rebounds and Andre Drummond added 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Detroit, up 68-48 at halftime, out-scored the Wizards 38-28 in the third to put the game away, giving coach Dwane Casey a chance to rest players — including the banged-up Griffin — in the fourth quarter.

To make matters worse for Washington, All-Star Bradley Beal left the court in the fourth quarter with soreness in his right lower leg.

He said he'd felt discomfort in the first half.

"We'll see how he feels tomorrow and evaluate it," coach Scott Brooks said.

In New York, Julius Randle drained a career-high five 3-pointers on the way to 33 points to lead the Knicks to a 94-82 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in a cross-town clash at the Barclays Center.

Marcus Morris scored 22 points for the Knicks, who snapped a three-game skid with their first win over the Nets in three meetings this season.

Spencer Dinwiddie led the Nets with 25 points on 5 of 15 shooting.

Randle connected on 14 of 26 from the field for his second straight 30-point game.

The injury-depleted Nets connected on just 21 of 78 shots from the field.

Their 26.9 percent shooting was the worst in the league this year — worse than the 29.9 percent shooting performance of the Chicago Bulls against Toronto in November.

Irving absent

“We were just sharp," Randle said. "To hold that team to 82 points, 14 points in the paint, is just really, really sharp.

"We grinded the whole way, played a complete basketball game and we got the win."

Brooklyn star Kyrie Irving missed his 19th straight game as he continues to recover from a right shoulder injury, with Nets coach Kenny Atkinson offering little information on when he might return.

"I think we're still in the rehab process," Atkinson said, adding that he didn't think Irving and the Nets had reached the point of contemplating surgery.

"We're (in) on-court workout situation but the contact just hasn't been cleared yet," he said of Irving's progress. "I think that's the next hurdle. I wish I could tell you when that is.

"Hopefully sooner rather than later."

source: philstar.com

Doncic delivers another triple-double as Mavs rout Warriors

LOS ANGELES – Luka Doncic posted his league-leading seventh triple double of the season en route to a 35-point performance as the Dallas Mavericks trounced the Golden State Warriors, 142-94, on Wednesday (Thursday, Manila time).

The 20-year-old Slovenian scored 35 points in just 26 minutes of playing time and he finished with 11 assists and 10 rebounds in front of a crowd of 19,500 at the American Airlines Center.

Doncic scored 33 of his points in the opening half en route to his second consecutive triple-double. He was coming off a career-best, 42-point performance in a triple-double Monday against San Antonio.

Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with 20 points and went four-for-four from beyond the arc for the Mavs, who posted their third straight win to start a four-game homestand.

Rookie Eric Paschall led Golden State with 22 points.


Elsewhere, Fred VanVleet scored 24 points and added seven assists, and the Toronto Raptors improved to 6-0 at home this season with a 113-97 win over the Orlando Magic.

It was the second win for the Raptors against the Magic this season.

Terence Davis had a career-best 19 points and Pascal Siakam tallied 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Raptors who shot 52 percent from the floor.


Norman Powell added 15 points and Chris Boucher delivered 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Centre Nikola Vucevic and forward Aaron Gordon left the game with sprained ankles in the first half and did not return.

source: philstar.com

Cuban says Mavs want Porzingis, Doncic for long haul

LOS ANGELES – Kristaps Porzingis won't join new Dallas teammate Luka Doncic on court this season, but once he does Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wants to keep the duo together for the long haul.

"Our goal is to keep these two together for the next 20 years," Cuban said Monday (Tuesday Manila time) as the NBA club held a press conference to introduce new acquisitions Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr. Courtney Lee and Trey Burke.

Latvian big man Porzingis, the number four pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, hasn't played since undergoing surgery to repair a torn left knee ligament last February.

He was traded from the New York Knicks last week in a blockbuster multi-player deal, but the Mavericks were quick to say that they don't expect him to resume competition this season.

Cuban said the Mavericks will evaluate Porzingis and develop a timetable for his return.

"I've been patient this whole time and I'm going to keep staying patient," Porzingis said. "We're going to make the right decisions."

While Porzingis can become a restricted free agent at the end of this season, Cuban envisions Porzingis staying in Dallas and forming a dynamic duo with rookie sensation Doncic, the third overall selection in last June's draft who is averaging 20.7 points per game along with 7.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists.

Porzingis, 23, said he had a "great relationship" with the 19-year-old Slovenian, having played against him in Europe.

"I remember he was a few years younger than me. We just know each other from playing against each other for a long time," Porzingis said. "Now that I have the opportunity to play with him I'm really excited about it."

source: philstar.com