DALLAS — The Mavericks appeared primed to cruise to an easy victory Thursday night over the travel-weary New Orleans Pelicans — until Luka Doncic tried to dunk.
About five minutes into the third quarter of Dallas’ 111-106 win, Doncic drove toward the basket and looked to score over Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas. But when he took off, lifting the ball with his left hand, Pelicans star Brandon Ingram swatted him from behind, stopping Doncic’s upper-body momentum as his legs swept up.
He landed on his backside with a thud, and the Mavericks’ blowout mojo fizzled, too.
Though Doncic returned after the Pelicans’ challenged the play to overturn the blocking foul called on Ingram, he made eye contact with coach Jason Kidd after the next possession, shaking his head and walking gingerly toward the locker room without waiting for a member of the Mavericks’ medical staff to accompany him.
As they start a five-game, nine-day road trip this weekend, Luka Injury Watch has resumed, and the Mavericks’ finish without their 23-year-old All-Star on Thursday night did little to quell fans’ calls for roster upgrades before the NBA’s Feb. 9 trade deadline.
Though the Mavericks led by as many as 31 points (62-31) with about five minutes left in the second quarter, the Pelicans three times cut Dallas’ advantage to single digits in the last 4:20.
New Orleans outscored Dallas 49-27 after Doncic exited with 6:47 left in the third quarter, when the Mavericks led by 27 points (84-57). The Pelicans pulled within four points (108-104) when Herb Jones made a transition layup with 58 seconds remaining and three points (109-106) on a Brandon Ingram jumper one possession later.
The Mavericks averted total meltdown when officials ruled Ingram grabbed their final in-bound pass out of bounds with 4.9 seconds remaining and then Spencer Dinwiddie hit a pair of free throws and Josh Green disrupted the Pelicans’ last play.
What a deflating turn after the Mavericks’ early buzz.
Doncic (21 points on 7 of 11 shooting) compiled a 20-plus-point first quarter for a second consecutive game and an NBA-best fifth time this season. If not for Valanciunas getting off an in-bound dunk at the quarter buzzer, Doncic would’ve outscored the Pelicans himself in the opening period.
The Mavericks instead settled for a 40-22 lead entering Doncic’s first break and kept rolling .
With about five minutes remaining in the second quarter, they doubled up the Pelicans and extended their lead to 31 points (62-31) on Spencer Dinwiddie’s three-point play.
They showed no sympathy for the Pelicans’ pregame travel woes.
New Orleans played Tuesday night in Denver — their ninth consecutive loss — but couldn’t depart for Dallas afterward because the ice storm and freezing temperatures across Texas disrupted air travel.
They couldn’t take off Wednesday, either.
The NBA postponed the Detroit Pistons’ Thursday night home game against the Wizards because they got iced into Dallas after playing the Mavericks on Monday. The Mavericks-Pelicans matchup also appeared in jeopardy after New Orleans nixed a suggestion to fly into Oklahoma City and bus down to Dallas.
But, finally, the Pelicans received clearance from DFW Airport and permission from the NBA to travel on game day, and after holding a pregame coaches meeting on the plane Thursday morning, they landed just before 1 p.m.
“Sick situation,” guard CJ McCollum tweeted.
“Aaaaaannnnddddd the buses aren’t here to pick us up,” forward Larry Nance Jr. replied.
“AAU vibes,” guard Jose Alvarado added.
Yet still enough spark to torment the Mavericks in clutch time.
Forgive fans if they started experiencing flashbacks to the Mavericks’ duds in mid-January against the Clippers, who had lost six straight before that matchup, or the Trail Blazers, who entered as losers of their last five.
Or to their seven losses this season to a team playing without its best player, as Pelicans All-Star Zion Williamson remained sidelined Thursday with a long-term hamstring injury.
Or to Dallas’ 0-6 record and disjointed play in full games without Doncic.
The Mavericks’ transition Thursday from blowout positivity to Doncic injury concern to clutch nerves did little to help ease their fears.
