Luka Doncic had been in a scoring lull for the last five games.
OK, make that a relative scoring lull by his standards, which are way higher than everybody else’s.
He had not reached the 30-point mark since Jan. 6 against Chicago – a span of five games.
That changed Friday night – with an exclamation point – and the Mavericks needed all of his 35 points to fend off the pesky Portland Trail Blazers.
The Mavericks struggled at times, but did a solid job of keeping composure and focus down the stretch to survive for a 120-112 victory over the Blazers. Doncic’s scoring was crucial, but he also got a lot of help from his friends.
Shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr., had 29 points and Seth Curry came up big late and finished with 16 points – seven in the fourth quarter when points were hard to come by.
The Mavericks (27-15) now have won four in a row and are 12 games over .500 for the first time this season. For their efforts, the schedule-maker gives them a three-day break before resuming action Tuesday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
It wasn’t like Doncic had struggled during the last five games. He’d averaged 23.2 points. But for a player who was averaging right at 30 per game until then, it was a bit of a comedown.
But there are occasions when that’s the way it’s going to have to be, coach Rick Carlisle said.
“Sometimes, that’s going to be the formula for us to win,” Carlisle said. “He’ll score a lower number and he’ll have a game like Sacramento when he has 15 rebounds and (17) assists. It’s not all about stats.
“We’re trying to win as many games as we can and grow together as a team. Luka, he’s got wisdom beyond his years because when teams junk up the game, double-team him, take the ball out of his hands, he puts his teammates in a great position to make plays and get open shots. He’s very, very unselfish in those situations. And that’s how you got to be when you’re as good as he is.”
Actually, the Blazers didn’t double team Doncic as much as some teams do. They have a more traditional center in Hassan Whiteside, who had a monster game with 21 points, 18 rebounds and five blocked shots. With him, Blazer defenders tend to stay home more often.
Hence, the scoring opportunities that were more prevalent than they had been in recent games.
He responded by making 8-of-12 3-pointers, a career best for 3-pointers made in a game.
“They didn’t double that much,” he said. “But a lot of games, they’re going to double me and people are going to be open.”
Said Carlisle: “You got to understand sometimes teams are going to commit two and sometimes three guys to you. You not only have to move the ball at the right time. But you got to move it in a way to give your team confidence. And he’s doing that. It’s an amazing thing for a 20-year-old star.”
Against the Blazers, the Mavericks had all they could handle because of massive nights by Damian Lillard and Whiteside.
Doncic and Lillard (34 points, 10 assists) had a nice head-to-head battle going much of the night, and while the Mavericks were leading virtually all the way after the first quarter, they weren’t completely in the clear.
Portland got a 3-pointer by Kent Bazemore at the third-quarter buzzer to cut the Mavericks’ lead to 98-89. With Portland’s reserves playing well, the Blazers got as close as 102-98 with 7:24 to play.
They would get no closer, however. And when Doncic capped his big night with a 30-foot 3-pointer with 45.6 seconds left for a 120-109 advantage, it broke the Blazers’ backs.
The Mavericks’ defense, which allowed 37 points in the first quarter, got better as the game went along.
And the offense perked up around Doncic with Hardaway making 5-of-8 3-pointers.
The Mavericks played without 7-3 Kristaps Porzingis for the 10th consecutive game because of a sore right knee. The big man has been close to returning, but was a late scratch Wednesday at Sacramento and was ruled out of Friday’s game earlier in the day.
Not that the Mavericks have whimpered around without him.
They have gone 6-4 in his absence and according to Portland coach Terry Stotts, not a whole lot changes with the Mavericks when Porzingis is out.
“I think their style of play is the same,” Stotts said. “He just adds a different dimension to it because of his talent and size. But I don’t think it necessarily changes how they play. It just makes them a better team.”
The Mavericks won’t argue that point.
The Blazers, by the way, were fighting a manpower shortage after they lost high-scoring guard C.J. McCollum for the night with a sprained ankle in the second quarter. They also had to tread softly defensively at times after Kent Bazemore, who had the responsibility of guarding Doncic early and actually did a decent job when he was in the game, picked up four fouls in the first half.
Twitter: @ESefko
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