By james art Mavericks guard Luka Doncic surged in the final minute on Tuesday and buried a dagger 3-pointer that put the finishing touches on a 120-114 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves to help Dallas sweep a challenging early-season matchup.
The loaded Mavericks will play their third game in four nights when they host the Houston Rockets on Thursday.
Dallas showed that Doncic doesn’t need to be an alien from the start to enjoy success. The Mavericks beat Minnesota despite Doncic missing 17 of his 27 field goal attempts. His 33-footer with 1:04 left was his only 3-pointer in eight attempts.
Fellow guard Kyrie Irving did the heavy lifting for Dallas on Tuesday, especially in the third quarter when he scored 16 of his team-high 35 points. PJ Washington scored 17 points with eight rebounds and Daniel Gafford had 14 points.
Doncic shot a combined 15-for-49 (30.6 percent) from the floor against the Utah Jazz and Timberwolves. He also missed 15 of 17 shots from behind the arc in that span.
Still, the Mavericks won both games thanks to their timely defense and offensive depth, a fact that should worry the rest of the NBA.
“Yeah, it’s crazy,” Doncic said. “Our team is so deep. Obviously, we have Ky (Irving) and we know what to expect from him every night. But I think this team is very deep. I don’t think I’ve had a good shooting day yet, but we’re 3-1, so that just goes to show how good a team we are.”
The Rockets meet Dallas after Monday’s 106-101 win over their other in-state rival, the San Antonio Spurs.
Guard Jaylen Green made seven 3-pointers and scored a season-high 36 points in the win. He entered Wednesday ranked eighth in the NBA in scoring average with 28.8 points per game.
Green, who signed a three-year, $106 million deal with Houston earlier this month, picked up where he left off last season. He averaged 24 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists after February to lead a playoff surge that came up just short.
The 22-year-old has made significant progress in learning how to exploit defenses. His late-season performance a year ago showed his development, with Green no longer attacking the rim with reckless impatience.
Selected No. 2 overall by the Rockets in 2021, Green has benefited from sharing the backcourt with veteran point guard Fred Van Vleet. Still, much of that growth has to do with Green’s understanding of how to use his gifts and how his skill set serves as the foundation for what Houston aims to accomplish offensively.
“That’s a big part of everything,” Houston coach Ime Udoka said. “Fred is obviously there. He also helps, even if he’s not handling the ball, putting guys in their places and making them play the game we want. We want to pursue certain players.
“So Jalen recognizes him. Fred obviously helps… but so do the other guys. We understand who we are after. When they try to pre-switch or do some things, we can still search for the match and find the right one. I think everyone improves that way.”
– Field level media
