The busiest part of the Mavericks’ schedule, a stretch coach Rick Carlisle called the most demanding in franchise history, started on Sunday.
They can only hope the rest of a five-game, seven-day gauntlet produces better luck – and results.
Their health situation deteriorated further for a team already depleted by safety protocol restraints when Tim Hardaway Jr. was ruled out of Sunday’s game with a groin muscle injury. That meant six of their rotation players, all of whom have started at least one game, were sidelined.
The shortage of manpower appeared to finally catch up with the Mavericks as Luka Dončić was turned into a one-man wrecking crew, but the Chicago Bulls wore him and the Mavericks down for a 117-101 victory at American Airlines Center.
It wasn’t for lack of effort on the part of Dončić, who had 30 points – in the first half. The problem was that all the other Mavericks only had 22 points at the time and the Bulls led by as much as 19 points before the intermission.
The second half was better, but it was more of a hood ornament on this jalopy of a game. The Mavericks never really got going as the Bulls completed a two-game season sweep. Interestingly, Chicago is 3-8 against the rest of the league.
The Mavericks slipped back to .500 at 6-6 and this was little more than a stopover at home between trips. They departed after the game and were bound for Tampa, Fla., where they will play the relocated Toronto Raptors on Monday night.
But while Sunday began a stretch of nine games in 14 days, it’s not something the Mavericks can use as a crutch, even with the absence of so many key players.
“Right now, we’re entering the most difficult seven days of scheduling in Mavericks history,” Carlisle said. “But we’re in the business of trying to win games and we just came up short.
“Not having Hardaway hurts us. But we have other guys that can fill in and do the job defensively and play a role within the system. I thought we had some really uncharacteristically bad turnovers at the wrong times today. Some of them were when we were getting some momentum when we were behind. Those take the air out of you a little bit.”
At some point on the three-game trip that continues at Indiana and Houston, the Mavericks hope to get some of their ailing players back. Their luck in the health department could not be much worse right now.
Jalen Brunson was originally listed as questionable for Sunday’s game, but he could not play, which was baffling to Carlisle.
“I think we’re going to get Brunson back (against Toronto),” he said. “I have no idea in the world why he wasn’t able to play today. The guy basically tested negative for a week and a half and didn’t have it (the coronavirus). But they just decided he couldn’t play today. So he’ll join us at the plane and be able to play tomorrow, so go figure on that one.”
Brunson has been going through COVID-19 health and safety protocols, as has Josh Richardson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell. Hardaway’s absence further depleted them. There is no telling yet whether he will be available against Toronto.
The Mavericks could have used any and all of them on Sunday.
As it was, Dončić was on an island. He finished with 36 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists. It was his fourth triple-double of the season after being credited for one at Milwaukee on Friday when a rebound that he tipped to a teammate incorrectly was credited to Willie Cauley-Stein.
But stats don’t mean a whole lot when you lose both of the games. Dončić got his 29th triple-double in his three-year career, passing some dude named Michael Jordan on the list.
Meanwhile, Kristaps Porzingis chipped in 20 points but missed all seven of his 3-point attempts.
“Energy wasn’t good,” Porzingis said. “We didn’t play our best basketball. It looked like a chain reaction. Thinks weren’t going our way. That kind of brought our energy down.”
The second half became interesting midway through the third quarter when Dončić picked up his 10th assist of the game on a nifty behind-the-back pass for a dunk by Willie Cauley-Stein that brought the Mavericks within 77-66.
The Mavericks would get as close as nine points, but a heartbeat later it was 87-70 with the third quarter dwindling down. The Mavericks never got it below 10 points until the final moments of the game.
Twitter: @ESefko
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