For a team reincorporating three players, one superstar reacclimating to NBA speed and another in need of rest, the Mavericks’ Sunday night matchup with the Thunder finished just as they hoped.
Dallas stymied a late upset threat to win 95-86 against the shorthanded, rebuilding Thunder.
Doncic returned from 10 games out with left ankle soreness and COVID-19 to come one rebound shy of a triple-double (14 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds), while Porzingis sat as a healthy scratch with a Monday night back-to-back matchup against Denver looming.
Doncic didn’t have to play the do-it-all All-Star role that Dallas often requires in victory, thanks to widespread production from reserves — including Marquese Chriss’ team-leading 15 points — and a Maxi Kleber three-pointer with 24 seconds remaining to extend Dallas’ lead to seven.
Instead, the Mavericks weathered limited playing time for Doncic, Kleber and Tim Hardaway Jr. in their first games after clearing COVID-19 protocol and won a second consecutive game for the first time since Dec. 12-13.
Hardaway and Kleber both missed a team-high six games in health and safety protocol since testing positive for COVID-19 in the week before Christmas, but Dallas had been without Doncic longer.
The 22-year-old sat out five games in mid-December after re-twisting his left ankle Dec. 10 in a loss to Indiana. On Dec. 22, just as he was aiming to return before Christmas against the Bucks, Doncic became the Mavericks’ fifth player — at that point — to contract the coronavirus and enter isolation.
Just like that, the Mavericks’ COVID-19 outbreak went from bad to worse.
Dallas finished December 5-5 without Doncic, improving their season-long sans-Doncic tally to 5-9. But the team missed his clutch confidence in a few close losses and Hardaway and Kleber’s depth and experience with the second unit.
Meanwhile, the three remained at home in Dallas as the Mavericks’ played the first four games of their five-game holiday road trip.
While Doncic appeared steady and mobile after playing through pain in the few weeks after he first sprained his left knee and ankle Nov. 15, he also appeared rusty at times.
He didn’t run past mid-court on some fast-break looks for the Thunder, and he committed seven turnovers.
The Mavericks didn’t expect him to be at top conditioning and rhythm after sitting out 10 consecutive games — four more than he missed all of last season — and Kidd tweaked his rotation in response.
Doncic typically plays deep into the first quarter and then rests in the second quarter, for example. But Sunday, he checked out at the 6:44 mark in the opening period — after making his only shot to that point, a stepback three-pointer from his left-wing sweet spot — and returned 1:56 before the second quarter started.
He played similar short bursts in the second half, leaving Jalen Brunson (12 points and seven assists) to occupy Doncic’s usual substitution pattern instead.
Doncic, however, still logged 31 minutes after the Thunder went on a 12-2 run in the last four minutes to cut Dallas’ lead to four points (90-86) with 41.3 seconds left.
On the Mavericks’ ensuing possession, Doncic dribbled to the paint, drew three Oklahoma City defenders toward him and dished a behind-the-back pass to Kleber at the top of the arc for an open three.
Hardaway (15 points) ended the game with two free throws.
The victory returned the Mavericks’ record to .500 (18-18) for the first time since Dec. 21, and they could have more reason for hope soon.
Doncic and Porzingis have played just 15 games together this season.
Dallas is 9-6 in those contests, including a 6-2 start before Doncic suffered his injuries.
Their best win in that stretch? A 10-point win over Denver on Nov. 15.
The Nuggets will be back in town Monday.
