In the 117-101 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Sunday afternoon, it was Luka Doncic who kept things interesting for the Mavs despite being down by double-digits for more than half the game.
After the first half, Doncic had already notched 30 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. Luka would secure his fourth triple-double of the season halfway through the third quarter and ultimately finished the game with 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 15 assists. This marks the 29th triple-double of his career, passing Michael Jordan on the all-time triple-double list.
While Luka was having a monster half, his supporting cast struggled to get things going offensively. In his second game of the season, Kristaps Porzingis finished with 20 points but went 0-7 from downtown. Willie Cauley-Stein (10) and James Johnson (10) were the only other Mavericks to finish with double-figure points. Doncic did take 30 shots and turned the ball over five times, but it’s not like any of the other Mavericks were any better today.
No loss should have an excuse, but for the fourth game in a row, Dallas was without key role players due to the COVID-19 outbreak that occurred after the win against the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 7th. On top of that, Tim Hardaway Jr. was absent based on a day-to-day groin injury. Players that are crucial to Coach Carlisle’s defensive scheme were missing, and the explosive offense of THJ was obviously a huge blow.
The good news is that Jalen Brunson should be cleared to play as early as Monday against the Toronto Raptors. The status of Josh Richardson, Maxi Kleber, Dwight Powell, and Dorian Finney-Smith are all still in question, but I would assume they would return sometime this coming week.
Dallas now evens back to .500 at 6-6 as they still have yet to play a game this season at full strength. The Mavs travel to Tampa to face the Toronto Raptors (4-8) back-to-back tomorrow as they try to snap a two-game losing streak.
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