Without Luka, Mavericks rely on multiple heroes to hold off Thunder
It’s about time.
For much of the season, when the Dallas Mavericks have found themselves in a tight game late, they were often missing the chemistry of an older, more established team and a steady hand to help guide them through to victory.
On many occasions, rookie Luka Doncic has shown why he’s so highly-regarded by being that player for the Mavs, even in defeat.
On Sunday afternoon in Oklahoma City, however, Doncic wasn’t on the floor against the Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. He was back in Dallas nursing a right thigh contusion.
That left room for another Mavericks player to step up when they were, as usual, in another back and forth barn-burner down the stretch. This time, it wasn’t just one guy. In fact, just about everybody took a turn being the hero in Sunday’s 106-103 win.
Dwight Powell’s monster dunk on a nifty feed from Jalen Brunson gave the Mavs the lead for good at 104-103 with 21 seconds remaining. The Thunder missed twice from the 3-point arc before Ryan Broekhoff grabbed the rebound, was fouled, and secured the win with two free throws.
Before it was Powell and Broekhoff, it was Trey Burke, who led Dallas with 25 points and put the Mavs up by two with 1:15 remaining with a driving layup. Dirk Nowitzki even pulled down 13 rebounds — his most in two seasons — and provided an offensive boost with seven points. Or it was Brunson’s pull-up, 20-foot jumper that reclaimed a 102-101 lead with 1:09 left?
It’s Burke’s most points since Jan. 25 and a game-high since joining Dallas via trade. His eight assists are also his high with Dallas and the most he’s had since October. And don’t forget Devin Harris, who helped ignite the offense early, scoring 14 of his 15 points in the first half by going 4 of 6 from the arc.
“He played great tonight. He can heat it up quick,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of Burke. “That’s an art, it’s a skill. He’s a unique player. He was one of the guys who got us going.”
Burke came off the bench to score eight points in less than five minutes in the first quarter.
“My teammates did a great job of finding me once I did get hot,” said Burke, who made 10 of 18 shots, including 4 of 8 from the arc. “
Brunson scored 11 of his 18 in the first half as the Mavs took a two-point lead into the break.
“He’s kicking people’s asses is what he’s doing,” said Carlisle, who noted the rookie is shooting over 40 percent on 3-pointers since January.
After losing consecutive games in the final minute on the road, the Mavs closed their road trip by closing. It’s only their sixth win by three or fewer points this season. They had lost six by three or fewer points and 20 games by seven or fewer points. Dallas finishes the season 3-1 against the playoff-bound Thunder, who have lost eight their past 10.
“We’ve really put together two terrific road games in a row,” Carlisle said. “We got a little unlucky in Miami.”
Dallas returns home for three at American Airlines Center, beginning with the Philadelphia 76ers at 7:30 p.m. Monday.
This story was originally published March 31, 2019 at 7:42 PM.
