It is not easy to replace Luka Doncic in any situation with a ball in between. The Dallas Mavericks know them well. During the years that it has been there it has been difficult to give it rest, or to know when to do it, and in the current season this trend is being accentuated to the maximum. Until today they were all defeats, four in total, when the Slovenian had to watch his teammates play while he was dressed for the street. The ailment that now worries in the franchise occurs in the left ankle and it was decided that, after playing against the Grizzlies and Pacers, it was time to stop at the appointment with the Thunder. It was a series of three away games and the latter was the most affordable. They played and they won. On the track and off it with that decision.
The downside for the Mavericks is that it’s hard to gauge whether this is a step up or an oasis in the desert. The Thunder have only won eight games and are the penultimate in the West, it is convenient that in Dallas they do not have many illusions with a victory of this entity. Jason Kidd’s men have been making the rubber for thirteen games, taking only four victories from them and none in a row. They go in jumps. The good news is that, without being a brilliant night of people that is being this year, like Porzingis or Brunson, or that it should be in circumstances like today, like Hardway or Bullock, reinforcements arrived. Especially those of Maxi Kleber, physically touched at the beginning of the season, or Moses Brown, who broke up last year in the team he beat here.
In OKC came the victory for 84-103. With Porzingis at 18 points and as the leading scorer, the Mavs took her, who fixed the recurring problems in the triple (9/33) with dominance on the rebound (54 to 39) or by better controlling losses (11 to 6). I triumph with peace of mind.
It remains to be seen at what point Luka Doncic remains, almost a bigger headache than that of this meeting. Veteran journalist Marc Stein, well-informed on Mavericks-related matters, not only dismisses him for tonight’s game against the Hornets but talks about multiple games. It would be logical. Although the balance of the team is tied in wins and losses, the season heights we are at make Texans have to consider not pushing their main value much more than he already does.
Six triples in five minutes spiced up a first quarter in which Shai came to the rescue to even put his team ahead after losing six points. A Burke 3-pointer, however, kept the Thunder from going ahead at the end of that opening set. As soon as the second started, another jerk from Dallas to go to ten. The distance was beginning to not come down from there, at least ostensibly, and thanks to the appearance of Kleber. The German center, despite giving Dort a triple for being late to score, allied first with Porzingis and then with Brown to maintain the level of his team. Moses, despite having worked with Tyson Chandler in the summer, has a long way to go, but it is true that in this game he did what he was asked to do: gain an advantage in the zone, taking advantage of five of his six shots to the basket to maximize possessions. Two shots of two and one of three by Jalen Brunson opened the Thunder again, who featured an ill-fated day from rookie Giddey or Bazley and Dort midway through the third period. In the last quarter, Oklahoma’s deficiencies were more evident than in any other, which only managed to score thirteen points and went backwards instead of pressing to equalize.
