You are here
Home > Basketball > Mavericks prove they are more than just Luka Doncic’s team with impressive near-comeback vs. Miami Heat

Mavericks prove they are more than just Luka Doncic’s team with impressive near-comeback vs. Miami Heat

Luka Doncic is the sort of player that few teams can afford to lose for more than however long his typical bench stints turn out to be. The Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, however, took the loss in stride. 

Doncic suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter of Dallas’ game against the Miami Heat, and in total, the Mavericks fell behind by as many as 23 points. And yet, it took overtime for the Heat to put the Mavericks away. Even without Doncic, Dallas was able to take one of the NBA‘s best teams down to the wire. 

The supporting cast thrived as it has all season: together. Tim Hardaway Jr. led the way with 28 points, but Jalen Brunson, Maxi Kleber and Kristaps Porzingis all reached at least 17. After getting blown off of the floor to the tune of 73 first-half points, the defense clamped down in the second half and held Miami to only 39. With a couple of extra breaks, the Mavs could’ve beaten the 19-7 Heat without their best player. 

This is a development that should surprise few. The Mavericks have had one of the best benches in the NBA for years, and this year’s group has been the driving force behind much of Dallas’ early-season winning. 

After all, coming into Saturday, Dallas’ net rating dropped by less than a point per 100 possessions when Doncic went to the bench this season. Compare that with other MVP candidates, and the difference is staggering. The Lakers, for example, are 14.7 points per 100 possessions worse when LeBron James is on the bench. 

It has been a core principle in Dallas for Rick Carlisle’s entire tenure as coach. Never are his teams overly reliant on a single player, and as badly as the Mavericks want Doncic back, the silver lining of his injury is the opportunity it provides the rest of this roster. 

Dallas has an absolutely brutal schedule coming up. The Mavericks face the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday before returning home for a date with the Boston Celtics. After that? They hit the road again for two more games: at the Philadelphia 76ers and at the Toronto Raptors

Nobody would blame the Mavericks for getting swept in this stretch, but if tonight’s loss was any indication, Dallas is not going down without a fight. The Mavericks wouldn’t be able to last an entire season without Doncic, but a week or so seems more than reasonable given this group’s depth. It may cost Doncic a trophy at the end of the regular season, but it is part of what makes the Mavericks so dangerous both now and in the future. 

FacebookTwitterEmailWhatsAppBloggerShare
Tutorialspoint
el-admin
el-admin
EltasZone Sportswriters, Sports Analysts, Opinion columnists, editorials and op-eds. Analysis from The Zone Team
Top