Despite an injury, Luka Doncic managed to make history — again
For all the concerns fans should have following Dallas' unnerving 111-106 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans at American Airlines Center Thursday night, Luka Doncic did it again. He made history. After scoring 21 points in the first quarter, Doncic became the first player since Tracy McGrady in March of 2003 to begin consecutive games […]
For all the concerns fans should have following Dallas' unnerving 111-106 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans at American Airlines Center Thursday night, Luka Doncic did it again.
He made history.
After scoring 21 points in the first quarter, Doncic became the first player since Tracy McGrady in March of 2003 to begin consecutive games scoring 20-plus points in the first quarter. Doncic finished the game with 31 points in 22 minutes.
From the opening tip, Doncic was in another zone. And with him on the floor, Dallas worked its way up to a nearly 30-point lead by halftime. However, in the third quarter, Doncic left the game with a heel contusion. And again, Dallas proved why it needs to make a move as the trade deadline approaches.
The Mavericks managed to blow a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. And if not for some favorable bounces and calls down the stretch, Dallas could have been on the opposite end of another blown opportunity.
"The ball just didn't go down for us," head coach Jason Kidd said of the blown lead. "We had some great looks there, some wide-open 3s, and we didn't convert some layups. You look at the defense, sometimes, you can relax with a big lead, so just understanding the Pelicans are a good team, they're fighting to break their losing streak… I thought that we settled on a lot of jump shots there."
The Dallas Mavericks continue to settle
That's been the story of the Mavericks since the Western Conference Finals — settling. Whether it was settling to lose Jalen Brunson for nothing in the offseason, settling for JaVale McGee, or settling for mediocrity while forcing Doncic to be everything — what is clear is Dallas is content setting for just good enough when the window to win is right now.
As reports and rumors continue to swirl surrounding Dallas' activity at the trade deadline, what remains clear is Dallas has no real assets to swing for the fences. Dorian Finney-Smith is a fine player, but he won't net a return of an All-Star level player. Tim Hardaway Jr. has yet to look like the player he was at the tail end of 2021. McGee has no value around the league. And moving on from Christian Wood, despite the success he's had since becoming Dallas' starting center, would be a mistake. So, odds are the move will likely come in the offseason once Dallas can trade its future draft picks.
What makes more sense right now is for the Mavericks to make a small move to get incrementally better while holding on to the future assets the organization has for a better move down the road.
This leads to one unavoidable and relatively dismal conclusion: No help is coming for Doncic in Dallas soon. And in a season full of settling, the organization made its bed and now has to lie in it.
The silver lining is Doncic continues to make history, but it's not because he necessarily wants to — he has to for Dallas to look competitive.
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Feature image via Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
