The Mavs had a mixed season due to the absence of several star players over the period. Now Dallas Mavericks finally got their main man back after 23 days – 10 games.
Dallas Mavericks is a potential playoff team this season from the Western Conference. But they are currently in the play-in situation with an 18-18 record and placed 8th in the competitive western conference.
The main reason for their mixed form is the absence of their star players. Out of 36 games played only Dorian Finney Smith has played most – 34 games for the team. Other main contributors like Kristaps Porzingis (played 26 games), Tim Hardaway Jr. (played 29 games), and Luca Doncic (played 21 games) were missing for most of the period.
Dallas Mavericks entered Chesapeake Energy Arena without Porzingis, but welcome Maxi Kleber, Tim Hardaway Jr from Covid-19 protocol, and their all-star Luca Doncic after 23 days.
Doncic played his last game against the Nuggets on 15th Nov 2021 before making his return against the clippers on 23rd Nov. Again he was absent for 10 straight games for the Mavericks from 12th December 2021 till today. This was the longest absence period for Doncic in his career.
Dallas Mavericks All-Star Doncic on his return
Luca played for 31+ mins into the game scoring 15 points for the Mavs. He Doncic also grabbed 9 rebounds and provided 10 assists in the game. He was playing with a long brace on his left knee, indicating that is not 100% fit for the game.
It might have forced him to limit his explosive plays as took just 14 shots in the game. His main idea was to create shots for his teammates rather than scoring by himself. He was very passive at the offensive end which is very unlike Doncic.
In a post-game interview, Luca said ”It was hard. The last time I did five-on-five was like four weeks ago. Weird feeling, but I’m just really happy to be back.” Luca missed 23 days due to ankle soreness and 10-days Covid-19 Health and Safety protocol after testing positive.
OKC’s Josh Giddey was also back from Covid-19 protocol. Giddey was the performer of the game with his 1st ever triple-double. He scored 17 points with 13 rebounds and 14 assists in the game. With this, he became the youngest NBA player to get a triple-double in a game.
Marquese Chriss, who is on a 10-day contract, was the top performer for the Mavs with 15 points in 14 minutes. Hardaway Jr. also scored 15 points off the bench as the Mavs win the game 95-86 against OKC.
Mavericks will now host Denver Nuggets on 3rd January 2022. Dallas can expect a return of Porzingis for that game.
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