Doncic scores 41, Mavericks prevent Rockets from advancing with a 121-115 victory
DALLAS (AP) Luka Doncic had 41 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, and the Dallas Mavericks prevented the Houston Rockets from advancing to the quarterfinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament with a 121-115 victory on Tuesday night.
Kyrie Irving added 22 of his 27 points in the second half for the Mavericks, who had already been eliminated. Their victory allowed the New Orleans Pelicans to win Group B in the Western Conference with a 3-1 record.
Doncic fell just short of his 59th career triple-double. That would have tied him for ninth place all-time with Larry Bird. He shot 15 of 29, 3 of 10 on 3-pointers.
“Sometimes we take him for granted, and we shouldn’t,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “He’s about winning, but it just so happens he’s a walking triple-double.”
The Mavericks, who trailed by nine points in the third quarter, grabbed the lead for good at 99-98 with 6:25 to play on a drive by Irving. Leading 103-100 with 5:25 left, they went on an 8-2 run that included three free throws by Derrick Jones Jr. when he was fouled by Dillon Brooks on a 25-footer with the shot clock about to expire.
Jabari Smith Jr.’s 3-pointer with 8 seconds left pulled the Rockets within 119-115 before Dallas closed it out.
Doncic played after sustaining a low-grade sprain of his left thumb on his non-shooting hand early in Saturday’s game. He wore a wrap on the thumb.
Doncic made a hook shot from the free throw line after recovering a loose ball near the baseline.
“I’m 2 for 2 in my career on the hooks,” Doncic said, saying the other came while playing for the Slovenian national team against Sweden.
Irving shot 2 for 11 in the first half, 1 for 5 on 3-pointers, with no free-throw attempts. He was 6 for 11 in the second half, hitting 1 of 2 behind the arc, and sank all nine free throws.
“I told the team, ‘Played well enough to win, not smart enough to win,’” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “We were extra-aggressive, especially at the end of the third quarter. Had multiple players make a few dumb fouls, put Kyrie at the line and got him going when he didn’t have a lot going. You can be aggressive, obviously, but slapping somebody on a 3-point shot on the arm is an unintelligent play. It has nothing to do with aggression.”
Alperen Sengun had a season-best 31 points for the Rockets, who had six scorers in double figures. Fred VanVleet had 10 points and 12 assists.
The Rockets have lost all six of their road games this season. They went into play leading the NBA by allowing an average of 104.4 points per game.
The Mavericks didn’t use the specially built court for either of their home tournament games, citing dissatisfaction with the quality.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Will finish a back-to-back at Denver on Wednesday.
Mavericks: Host Memphis on Friday.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Jabari Smith Jr. vs. Dereck Lively II (Kyrie Irving gains possession) | ||
| 11:38 | | Luka Doncic misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 11:36 | | Dereck Lively II offensive rebound | ||
| 11:34 | | Luka Doncic misses two point cutting layup | ||
| 11:33 | | Mavericks offensive rebound | ||
| 11:24 | | +3 | Kyrie Irving makes three point jump shot (Luka Doncic assists) | 0-3 |
| 11:04 | | Grant Williams personal foul (Alperen Sengun draws the foul) | ||
| 10:55 |  | +2 | Alperen Sengun makes two point fadeaway jump shot (Fred VanVleet assists) | 2-3 |
| 10:48 | | Dillon Brooks personal foul (Luka Doncic draws the foul) | ||
| 10:44 | | Kyrie Irving misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 10:42 | | Rockets defensive rebound | ||
| 10:30 | | Josh Green blocks Jalen Green's two point driving layup | ||
| 10:27 | | Jalen Green offensive rebound | ||
| 10:23 | | Jalen Green misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 10:21 | | Alperen Sengun offensive rebound | ||
| 10:20 | | +3 | Fred VanVleet makes three point jump shot (Alperen Sengun assists) | 5-3 |
| 10:05 | | Josh Green turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 9:52 | | Jalen Green misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:50 | | Josh Green defensive rebound | ||
| 9:35 | | +2 | Luka Doncic makes two point bank jump shot | 5-5 |
| 9:21 | | Alperen Sengun turnover (bad pass) (Luka Doncic steals) | ||
| 9:18 | | Fred VanVleet personal foul (Luka Doncic draws the foul) | ||
| 9:13 | | Kyrie Irving misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:10 | | Jabari Smith Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 9:00 | | Dereck Lively II blocks Alperen Sengun's two point layup | ||
| 8:57 | | Dereck Lively II defensive rebound | ||
| 8:51 | | +3 | Luka Doncic makes three point stepback jump shot (Kyrie Irving assists) | 5-8 |
| 8:40 | | Jalen Green turnover (bad pass) (Kyrie Irving steals) | ||
| 8:36 | | Alperen Sengun blocks Kyrie Irving's two point running layup | ||
| 8:34 | | Fred VanVleet defensive rebound | ||
| 8:28 | | Jabari Smith Jr. misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 8:25 | | Grant Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 8:20 | | Luka Doncic misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 8:16 | | Dereck Lively II offensive rebound | ||
| 8:14 | | Jalen Green personal foul (Kyrie Irving draws the foul) | ||
| 8:04 | | Luka Doncic misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 8:02 | | Jalen Green defensive rebound | ||
| 7:59 | | +2 | Dillon Brooks makes two point running layup (Jalen Green assists) | 7-8 |
| 7:40 | | Grant Williams misses two point driving dunk | ||
| 7:38 | | Jabari Smith Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 7:19 | | Alperen Sengun misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 7:17 | | Luka Doncic defensive rebound | ||
| 7:02 | | Grant Williams misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:00 | | Mavericks offensive rebound | ||
| 6:48 | | +3 | Derrick Jones Jr. makes three point jump shot (Luka Doncic assists) | 7-11 |
| 6:28 | | Alperen Sengun misses two point driving dunk | ||
| 6:26 | | Luka Doncic defensive rebound | ||
| 6:19 | | +2 | Josh Green makes two point driving finger roll layup (Luka Doncic assists) | 7-13 |
| 6:09 | | +2 | Jabari Smith Jr. makes two point jump shot (Jalen Green assists) | 9-13 |
| 5:58 | | Jalen Green personal foul (Dereck Lively II draws the foul) | ||
| 5:58 | | Mavericks 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:45 | | Luka Doncic misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 5:45 | | Rockets defensive rebound | ||
| 5:31 | | Alperen Sengun misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:27 | | Josh Green defensive rebound | ||
| 5:17 | | +3 | Tim Hardaway Jr. makes three point jump shot (Dereck Lively II assists) | 9-16 |
| 5:03 | | Alperen Sengun turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 4:55 | | Jae'Sean Tate shooting foul (Luka Doncic draws the foul) | ||
| 4:55 | | +1 | Luka Doncic makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 9-17 |
| 4:55 | | +1 | Luka Doncic makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 9-18 |
| 4:52 | | Josh Green personal foul (Aaron Holiday draws the foul) | ||
| 4:34 | | +2 | Dillon Brooks makes two point driving layup (Fred VanVleet assists) | 11-18 |
| 4:27 | | +2 | Richaun Holmes makes two point cutting layup (Dante Exum assists) | 11-20 |
| 4:10 | | Alperen Sengun misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 4:07 | | Richaun Holmes defensive rebound | ||
| 4:04 | | Aaron Holiday shooting foul (Dante Exum draws the foul) | ||
| 4:04 | | Dante Exum misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 4:04 | | Mavericks offensive rebound | ||
| 4:04 | | +1 | Dante Exum makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 11-21 |
| 3:44 | | Tari Eason turnover (traveling) | ||
| 3:31 | | +2 | Dante Exum makes two point driving floating bank jump shot | 11-23 |
| 3:10 | | Aaron Holiday misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:09 | | Mavericks defensive rebound | ||
| 3:09 | | Tari Eason personal foul (Loose ball) (Dante Exum draws the foul) | ||
| 3:09 | | Dante Exum misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 3:09 | | Mavericks offensive rebound | ||
| 3:09 | | Dante Exum misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 3:06 | | Tari Eason defensive rebound | ||
| 2:54 | | Rockets 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:45 | | +2 | Jeff Green makes two point cutting layup (Jalen Green assists) | 13-23 |
| 2:25 | | Kyrie Irving misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 2:24 | | Mavericks offensive rebound | ||
| 2:13 | | Kyrie Irving misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 2:10 | | Tari Eason defensive rebound | ||
| 2:00 | | Jalen Green misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 1:58 | | Derrick Jones Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 1:51 | | Kyrie Irving misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:48 | | Tari Eason defensive rebound | ||
| 1:40 | | +2 | Tari Eason makes two point pullup jump shot (Jalen Green assists) | 15-23 |
| 1:28 | | Tim Hardaway Jr. misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:24 | | Tari Eason defensive rebound | ||
| 1:14 | | +2 | Jae'Sean Tate makes two point layup (Jeff Green assists) | 17-23 |
| 1:14 | | Kyrie Irving shooting foul (Jae'Sean Tate draws the foul) | ||
| 1:14 | | +1 | Jae'Sean Tate makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 18-23 |
| 1:04 | | +3 | Tim Hardaway Jr. makes three point jump shot (Dante Exum assists) | 18-26 |
| 0:52 | | +2 | Jeff Green makes two point driving dunk (Aaron Holiday assists) | 20-26 |
| 0:38 | | +3 | Tim Hardaway Jr. makes three point jump shot (Grant Williams assists) | 20-29 |
| 0:29 | | Jalen Green misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 0:25 | | Aaron Holiday offensive rebound | ||
| 0:14 | | +2 | Jalen Green makes two point driving layup (Jae'Sean Tate assists) | 22-29 |
| 0:00 | | Tari Eason blocks Dante Exum's three point jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Mavericks offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:37 | | Dillon Brooks turnover (traveling) | ||
| 11:14 | | Jaden Hardy misses two point driving dunk | ||
| 11:13 | | Rockets defensive rebound | ||
| 11:01 | | Fred VanVleet misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:58 | | Grant Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 10:54 | | Tim Hardaway Jr. misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:51 | | Fred VanVleet defensive rebound | ||
| 10:40 | | Jabari Smith Jr. offensive foul (Tim Hardaway Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 10:40 | | Jabari Smith Jr. turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 10:40 | | Mavericks 60 second timeout | ||
| 10:24 | | +2 | Luka Doncic makes two point pullup jump shot | 22-31 |
| 10:08 | | Dereck Lively II shooting foul (Jeff Green draws the foul) | ||
| 10:08 | | +1 | Jeff Green makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 23-31 |
| 10:08 | | +1 | Jeff Green makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 24-31 |
| 9:51 | | Luka Doncic misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 9:48 | | Dillon Brooks defensive rebound | ||
| 9:42 | | Dillon Brooks misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 9:40 | | Luka Doncic defensive rebound | ||
| 9:35 | | +2 | Dereck Lively II makes two point running alley-oop dunk (Luka Doncic assists) | 24-33 |
| 9:21 | | Dillon Brooks misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 9:20 | | Rockets offensive rebound | ||
| 9:09 | | +2 | Alperen Sengun makes two point driving layup (Fred VanVleet assists) | 26-33 |
| 8:48 | | Tim Hardaway Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:45 | | Rockets defensive rebound | ||
| 8:34 | | +2 | Fred VanVleet makes two point pullup jump shot (Jabari Smith Jr. assists) | 28-33 |
| 8:25 | | Fred VanVleet personal foul (Jaden Hardy draws the foul) | ||
| 8:16 | | Grant Williams offensive foul (Off the ball) (Dillon Brooks draws the foul) | ||
| 8:16 | | Grant Williams turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 7:52 | | Dillon Brooks misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:50 | | Alperen Sengun offensive rebound | ||
| 7:47 | | +2 | Dillon Brooks makes two point cutting layup (Alperen Sengun assists) | 30-33 |
| 7:28 | | Dillon Brooks shooting foul (Luka Doncic draws the foul) | ||
| 7:28 | | +1 | Luka Doncic makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 30-34 |
| 7:28 | | +1 | Luka Doncic makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 30-35 |
| 7:18 | | Luka Doncic personal foul (Jalen Green draws the foul) | ||
| 7:11 | | Jalen Green misses two point driving layup | ||
| 7:10 | | Grant Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 7:05 | | +3 | Josh Green makes three point running jump shot (Grant Williams assists) | 30-38 |
| 6:53 | | Josh Green shooting foul (Dillon Brooks draws the foul) | ||
| 6:53 | | Dillon Brooks misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 6:53 | | Rockets offensive rebound | ||
| 6:53 | | +1 | Dillon Brooks makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 31-38 |
| 6:40 | | Grant Williams offensive foul (Off the ball) (Dillon Brooks draws the foul) | ||
| 6:40 | | Grant Williams turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 6:26 | | Alperen Sengun turnover (traveling) | ||
| 6:08 | | +2 | Luka Doncic makes two point stepback jump shot | 31-40 |
| 5:56 | | Dillon Brooks misses two point driving layup | ||
| 5:54 | | Luka Doncic defensive rebound | ||
| 5:50 | | Dillon Brooks personal foul (Luka Doncic draws the foul) | ||
| 5:47 | | Tari Eason personal foul (Derrick Jones Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 5:38 | | +2 | Dante Exum makes two point alley-oop layup (Luka Doncic assists) | 31-42 |
| 5:25 | | Richaun Holmes personal foul (Alperen Sengun draws the foul) | ||
| 5:18 | | Tari Eason misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 5:15 | | Richaun Holmes defensive rebound | ||
| 5:02 | | +2 | Kyrie Irving makes two point pullup jump shot | 31-44 |
| 4:47 | | +2 | Jabari Smith Jr. makes two point turnaround jump shot (Alperen Sengun assists) | 33-44 |
| 4:34 | | +3 | Dante Exum makes three point jump shot (Kyrie Irving assists) | 33-47 |
| 4:21 | | +2 | Jalen Green makes two point stepback jump shot | 35-47 |
| 4:09 | | Dante Exum turnover (traveling) | ||
| 3:56 | | +2 | Alperen Sengun makes two point hook shot (Aaron Holiday assists) | 37-47 |
| 3:30 | | Kyrie Irving misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 3:28 | | Alperen Sengun defensive rebound | ||
| 3:25 | | Richaun Holmes personal foul (Alperen Sengun draws the foul) | ||
| 3:25 | | +1 | Alperen Sengun makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 38-47 |
| 3:25 | | +1 | Alperen Sengun makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 39-47 |
| 3:14 | | +3 | Luka Doncic makes three point stepback jump shot (Kyrie Irving assists) | 39-50 |
| 2:57 | | Dereck Lively II shooting foul (Tari Eason draws the foul) | ||
| 2:57 | | Rockets 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:57 | | +1 | Tari Eason makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 40-50 |
| 2:57 | | Tari Eason misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 2:55 | | Alperen Sengun offensive rebound | ||
| 2:55 | | Derrick Jones Jr. shooting foul (Alperen Sengun draws the foul) | ||
| 2:55 | | +1 | Alperen Sengun makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 41-50 |
| 2:55 | | +1 | Alperen Sengun makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 42-50 |
| 2:33 | | Kyrie Irving misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:29 | | Derrick Jones Jr. offensive rebound | ||
| 2:27 | |