On Tuesday night, the Dallas Mavericks faced off against the Houston Rockets. With a combined team effort and a near 40-point triple-double out of Luka Doncic, the Mavericks wrangled their in-state foe 121-115.
Kyrie Irving greatly impacted the game with 27 points and five assists. Irving did an amazing job all night knifing his way through Rocket defenders to get easy lay-ins. Irving would even nail down on the defensive end, contributing a block and a steal in the effort to win.
Off the bench, Derrick Jones Jr. had a huge impact when on the floor. In his 34 minutes, he contributed 15 points and six rebounds. All night, Jones Jr. was pestering Houston’s rebounding capabilities and created multiple second-chance opportunities for the Mavericks.
Kyrie Irving and are finally getting the national spotlight they deserve
Doncic led the way with a game-high 41 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. When on the floor, Doncic looked merciless against his defenders no matter who was in front of him. He constantly found open lanes to attack and nail in easy shots.
Despite the Mavericks’ 11-6 start, there has been a lack of national attention on the team and their two superstars. In a segment on ESPN’s show, First Take, Stephen A. Smith and Tim Legler discuss the Mavericks’ recent success and why this start is no fluke.
Throughout the segment, Stephen A. and Legler also discuss Jason Kidd’s comments to a reporter after the game.
Additionally, the Mavericks have some impressive numbers from behind the arc and in the fourth quarter. Legler and Stephen A. discuss how the Mavericks are second in the NBA in 3-point efficiency, only behind the Boston Celtics.
The Mavericks are finally getting some national attention for the first time this season. With Doncic and Irving playing so well, it’s easy to see why. The team still needs to fill some holes, especially on defense, but 17 games into the season, the Mavs have found a formula for winning.
The Mavericks’ next game will be held on Friday, where they will once again play a division rival, the Memphis Grizzlies. For more updates on Dallas Mavericks basketball, stay plugged in.
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Dallas Mavericks fans hoping to watch next week’s clash with the Memphis Grizzlies on ESPN will need to find a new way to watch the game.
ESPN announced on Tuesday that it has shaken up its Dec. 1 schedule, replacing the aforementioned Grizzlies vs. Mavericks clash with a showdown between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics instead, per Dallas Morning News‘ Brad Townsend.
The schedule change isn’t because of the Mavericks, who own a 9-5 record.
A chunk of the blame should be placed on the Grizzlies, who’ve played to a putrid 3-10 record during Ja Morant’s suspension. You can’t exactly fault ESPN for wanting to keep one of the league’s worst teams off of a national broadcast.
Another reason behind the change is because of how well the 76ers and Celtics have been playing. They’re two of the NBA’s top three teams and represent a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview. That’s without mentioning the star-studded rosters that include the likes of Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and more.
The good news for Mavericks fans is that they won’t have to wait too long for another nationally broadcasted game. They face the LA Clippers on NBA TV this Saturday evening before playing four games on national television during December, including a Christmas Day clash with the Phoenix Suns on ESPN.
