Waiting for Doncic: Mavericks shine without their star

The Dallas Mavericks are proving they can hold their own even without their superstar Luka Doncic. In an impressive stretch, the team has secured victories in seven of their last eight games, defying expectations amid a challenging lineup shuffle. Missing not only Doncic but also sharpshooter Klay Thompson and sidelined guard Danté Exum, Dallas has managed to climb into the top six in the Western Conference standings. For any team navigating such adversity, these results are nothing short of remarkable.

Another Statement Win on the Road

On Saturday night, the Mavericks defeated the Utah Jazz 106-94 in Salt Lake City. The win came on the front end of a back-to-back, with the team now preparing to face the Portland Trail Blazers. Doncic, sidelined for two weeks with a nagging right wrist injury, traveled with the team and is expected to return soon. However, given the team’s stellar form, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Mavericks opted to rest him for one more game.

Kyrie Irving continued his stellar play, leading Dallas with 30 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds. Yet, the real revelation was Quentin Grimes, who has stepped up brilliantly in Doncic’s absence. Grimes poured in 24 points, including 17 in a career-best first half. Over his last 10 games, Grimes has consistently hit double figures in scoring, shooting an impressive 43% from beyond the arc. His emergence has been a game-changer for the Mavericks, providing much-needed depth and firepower.

Utah Struggles Amid Dallas’ Momentum

The Jazz, in stark contrast, have struggled to find their footing, dropping seven of their last eight games. On Saturday, they were overwhelmed early, trailing by 20 points by the end of the first quarter after a three-pointer from Spencer Dinwiddie capped a dominant Dallas run. Despite multiple attempts to cut the deficit, Utah never managed to take the lead, encapsulating the frustration of “rowing only to drown at the shore.”

Lauri Markkanen, returning to the lineup after missing the previous game for the birth of his child, led the Jazz with 19 points. However, Utah shot a dismal 35.8% from the field, undermining their efforts. Bright spots included Walker Kessler, who contributed 18 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks, but it wasn’t enough to stop Dallas’ momentum.

What’s next for the Mavericks?

As the Mavericks gear up for their clash with Portland, all eyes are on Doncic’s potential return. While fans are eager to see their star back in action, the team’s recent performance raises an intriguing question: should they continue to play it safe and give Doncic more time to recover?

With Irving in top form and role players like Grimes stepping up, Dallas appears more than capable of holding the fort.

Around the NBA: Saturday’s other scores

Original article written by Mike Maestre, translated with the assistance of AI and edited by Calum Roche.

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Utah Jazz

Stats

20 John Collins
23 Lauri Markkanen
24 Walker Kessler
3 Keyonte George
2 Collin Sexton
13 Isaiah Collier
15 Drew Eubanks
33 Johnny Juzang
8 Patty Mills
19 Svi Mykhailiuk
25 Micah Potter
28 Brice Sensabaugh
18 David Jones
34 Oscar Tshiebwe
5 Cody Williams

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
20 John Collins	36	16	9	4	5	2	2	1	1	3/3	5/10	1/5	0	2	0
23 Lauri Markkanen	33	19	5	1	4	1	1	1	0	3/5	5/9	2/11	0	1	0
24 Walker Kessler	29	18	10	6	4	1	0	3	5	4/5	7/9	0/0	0	1	0
3 Keyonte George	32	5	6	1	5	8	5	1	0	3/4	1/6	0/2	0	4	0
2 Collin Sexton	29	13	4	0	4	2	2	0	0	2/2	4/8	1/5	0	0	0
13 Isaiah Collier	12	0	0	0	0	3	2	0	0	0/0	0/1	0/2	0	2	0
15 Drew Eubanks	13	2	5	1	4	2	1	1	0	0/0	1/6	0/0	0	1	0
33 Johnny Juzang	15	2	5	2	3	0	0	0	1	0/0	1/3	0/2	0	1	0
8 Patty Mills	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
19 Svi Mykhailiuk	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
25 Micah Potter	12	6	3	1	2	0	1	1	0	0/0	0/1	2/3	0	0	0
28 Brice Sensabaugh	22	13	6	3	3	1	1	2	0	2/2	1/3	3/9	0	2	0
18 David Jones	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
34 Oscar Tshiebwe	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
5 Cody Williams	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0

Dallas Mavericks

Stats

13 Naji Marshall
25 P.J. Washington
2 Dereck Lively II
5 Quentin Grimes
11 Kyrie Irving
26 Spencer Dinwiddie
20 Kessler Edwards
21 Daniel Gafford
23 Jazian Gortman
1 Jaden Hardy
42 Maxi Kleber
88 Markieff Morris
7 Dwight Powell
8 Olivier-Maxence Prosper
0 Brandon Williams

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
13 Naji Marshall	13	3	1	1	0	1	1	0	0	0/0	0/2	1/3	0	1	0
25 P.J. Washington	34	16	11	2	9	1	1	1	1	0/0	5/11	2/5	0	3	0
2 Dereck Lively II	22	6	7	3	4	4	0	0	2	0/0	3/4	0/0	0	1	0
5 Quentin Grimes	28	24	3	0	3	0	2	0	1	1/6	4/5	5/11	0	3	0
11 Kyrie Irving	36	30	7	2	5	9	3	4	0	2/2	5/12	6/13	0	1	0
26 Spencer Dinwiddie	30	7	2	1	1	10	1	3	0	2/2	1/5	1/4	0	3	0
20 Kessler Edwards	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
21 Daniel Gafford	23	14	11	3	8	3	2	1	0	2/3	6/6	0/0	0	3	0
23 Jazian Gortman	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0/0	1/1	0/0	0	0	0
1 Jaden Hardy	16	4	2	0	2	2	3	2	0	2/2	1/4	0/3	0	3	0
42 Maxi Kleber	28	0	4	0	4	0	2	1	1	0/0	0/1	0/0	0	3	0
88 Markieff Morris	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
7 Dwight Powell	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
8 Olivier-Maxence Prosper	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
0 Brandon Williams	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0