Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson Lead Mavericks Past Myles Turner, Pacers
The Dallas Mavericks topped the Indiana Pacers 110-101 at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Wednesday night behind stellar performances from rookies Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson.
It was a back-and-forth affair—both tied at halftime and a one-point game to end the third quarter—but a four-plus-minute dry spell from the Pacers in the fourth quarter allowed the Mavs to pull away.
Leading all scorers was Doncic with 26 points. The No. 3 overall pick also contributed 10 rebounds and seven assists, giving him a double-double in his last game as a teenager. Brunson was right behind him with 24 points and five assists.
Pacers guard Wesley Matthews, whom the Mavs traded to the New York Knicks as part of the Kristaps Porzingis blockbuster on Jan. 31, performed well in his Dallas homecoming with 20 points.
The Mavericks entered the game having dropped five games in a row—dating back to before the All-Star break, while the Pacers arrived in Dallas with an 8-2 record in February.
Doncic-Brunson Pairing Gives Mavericks NBA's Best Rookie Duo
Doncic turns 20 years old on Thursday, and his last game in his teens ended with an exclamation point, as the Slovenian star swished a 30-foot three-pointer for the Mavs' last points of Wednesday's contest.
While Doncic is quickly taking over for Dirk Nowitzki as the face of the franchise—and rightfully so—second-round pick Brunson proved against the Pacers why his development is just as important as that of Doncic if the Mavs want to ascend back into contention.
Nowitzki drilled a couple of threes in the fourth quarter, which we will always be here for, but it was Brunson and Doncic who made sure Dallas' losing streak wouldn't see six games.
One play in particular from Wednesday's win will have Mavericks fans salivating at the possibilities.
Dallas held a five-point lead with just over a minute remaining in the game when Doncic drove to the basket and pulled defenders into the paint. He dished outside to Brunson, who nailed a step-back three-pointer to put the game officially out of reach for Indiana.
Brunson and Doncic combined for 50 points on 6-of-14 from behind the arc. On the season, Brunson is only averaging 7.5 points, 2.5 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game. That said, the departure of Dennis Smith Jr. to the Knicks makes it clear that Brunson is the point guard this offense will be running through.
Doncic, meanwhile, has four triple-doubles as a rookie—becoming the second-youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double behind only Markelle Fultz. He will only get better from here, but Dallas can't—and won't—expect him to do everything.
Ahead of Wednesday night's game, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban specified that it's too early to be placing all responsibility over wins and losses on Doncic. Speaking to Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Cuban put into perspective where his franchise is at:
"We just got rid of 80 percent of our starting lineup. We're trying to teach Luka how to carry a team. And that's a process. There are times when you can let him learn from his mistakes and keep him out there or you can pull him. And we're letting him learn from his mistakes. We still want to win every game possible. This isn't last year by a long shot. Last year we weren't sure what we had to build on."
Accompanying the ascension of Doncic is the midseason acquisition of Porzingis, who is said to be sitting out the remainder of this season as he continues to recover from a torn ACL. Once he's ready to hit the floor next season, though, Cuban expects big things from Doncic and a 24-year-old Porzingis.
The Porzingis trade is already paying dividends by giving a more tangible long-term foundation in Dallas, even if it is contingent on Porzingis signing an extension with the Mavericks, but acquiring the 7'3" former No. 4 overall pick doesn't mean nearly as much without homegrown glue like Doncic and Brunson.
What's Next?
The Pacers will be back in Indiana on Thursday night to host the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7 p.m. ET, while the Mavericks have until Saturday before the Memphis Grizzlies come to town (tip at 8:30 p.m. ET).
