LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. _ Despite nearly five months between games _ 142 days, to be exact _ the Dallas Mavericks' NBA-best offense showed little rust Friday night. As in none.
Unfortunately for the Mavericks, their defense was nonexistent and their late-game woes continued as Houston pulled out a wild 153-149 overtime win at The Arena in the NBA's Disney World bubble _ and prevented the Mavericks from clinching their first playoff berth since 2016.
And just as suddenly, the Mavericks blew a chance to pull within one-half game of Houston for sixth place in the Western Conference, and one game behind fifth-place Oklahoma City.
The Mavericks got 39 points from Kristaps Porzingis, 28 from Luka Doncic and a shocking 31 points from Trey Burke, who was signed just a week before Dallas came to the bubble.
The Mavericks led 133-125 with 4:18 left in regulation, but the late-game woes that plagued them before the hiatus reared again.
Dallas led 138-136 with Seth Curry at the line with 5.2 seconds left in regulation, but he made just one of the two free-throws. The Mavericks purposely fouled James Harden with 3.9 seconds left. Harden made the first free-throw, purposely missed the second and Robert Covington tipped in the miss to tie the game.
Before the game, Mavericks and Rockets players, coaches and staff members locked arms and in solidary took a knee during the national anthem, a peaceful protest of racial injustice and social inequality.
Then it quickly became a night of treys for Dallas _ 21-of-49 as a team, including 8-of-9 by Burke.
Entering seeding play, it was all but a formality that the Mavericks would earn a playoff spot. Their magic number to clinch a berth was two _ any combination of Dallas wins and Memphis losses.
Well, in the game at The Arena that proceeded Mavericks-Rockets, Memphis fell to Portland in overtime.
The game was tied at 42 points after one quarter, with Rockets star James Harden alone pouring in 23.
The Mavericks then pulled out to a 10-point lead and finished the first half with 85 points, tying the franchise record for a first half.
Dallas entered the game with an NBA-best 115.8 offensive rating, a league-record pace. But in Friday's first half the Mavericks posted an unheard-of 141.7 offensive rating.
The Rockets have the league's second-best offensive rating (113.4), so in that sense it's not surprising when these teams produce a lot of points _ but after more than four months between games?
"First of all, it ticks me off that we're not the first," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni half-joked of the Mavericks' league-record offensive rating pace. "We're right behind them at No. 2. Kudos to Rick Carlisle, his staff and players, they're done a terrific job and it is a great offense. Great players."
The Rockets knew Doncic and Porzingis were great players? But Burke? He was cut by Philadelphia in February. The Mavericks signed him on July 1 to fill the roster spot that opened when Willie Cauley-Stein elected not to take part in the season resumption.
The Mavericks' signing of 6-foot Burke to replace 7-foot Cauley-Stein seemed unorthodox, but Dallas actually viewed Burke as a replacement for Jalen Brunson, who was lost for the season with a shoulder injury.
The Mavericks entered the game 23-2 when scoring 120 or more points. On this night Dallas reached that threshold seven seconds into the fourth quarter.
This was the Mavericks' first game in 142 days, dating to that March 11 night when, during a home game against Denver, the NBA suspended the season when it was learned that Utah's Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus.
That Mavericks-Nuggets game was the last to conclude before the hiatus. And Friday night, the Mavericks and Rockets were the last game of the second day of the NBA's return, the marquee game, on ESPN.
Clearly the Rockets came in with a strategy of playing physically against Doncic, as many teams attempt to do _ and it worked early on as Houston held Doncic to 6 first-quarter points while Houston's James Harden poured in 23.
And yet by the end of the first quarter the Mavericks had pulled into a 42-42 tie. No offensive rust shown by either team. But Defense? What defense?
At age 30, Harden is nine years older than Doncic, and on Friday it showed. While Doncic showed his frustration with the referees, Harden cagily earned nine first-quarter free-throw attempts, and D'Antoni left him in the game with two fouls.
Carlisle says he's seen Doncic mature this year and gain "a greater overall understanding of what we need from him, which is basically that he needs to do a little of everything.
"He's got to create for himself. He's got to create for teammates. He's going to have to guard good players. We need him to attack the rim. We need him to make 3-point shots. We need him to direct traffic, make play calls. It's everything."
These seeding games and the next month's playoffs should be the next quantum step in his career, his next moment on the world stage, in this odd bubble setting.
This was the week NBA awards balloting was due. In the Most Valuable Player category, I voted Giannis Antetokounmpo first, LeBron James second, Harden third, Doncic fourth and Kawhi Leonard fifth.
That is the company Doncic keeps now. And to think: He's just going to keep getting better, even after raising his scoring average by 7.5 points this season, his assists by 2.7 per game and his rebounds by 1.5 per game.
"I saw something the last couple of days, somebody in speculation about NBA awards had him as most improved player," Carlisle said. "If you look at his stats and what he's established this year as a starter in the All-Star game and everything else, it's not a stretch."
