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Mavericks Notes: Luka, Kyrie, Harrison, Kidd, More

April 11th, 2024 at 2:08pm CST by Rory Maher

During Wednesday’s matchup in Miami, which was a blowout win for Dallas, members of the Mavericks organization wore shirts saying “Pravi MVP,” which translates from Slovenian to English as real or true MVP, referencing the excellent season by Luka Doncic, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

Doncic, who has made the All-NBA First Team each of the past four seasons, is a top contender for the MVP award. However, it’s “generally expected” that Nuggets center Nikola Jokic will claim the trophy for the third time in the past four seasons, Reynolds notes.

While he may not win his first MVP in 2023/24, Doncic’s coaches and teammates certainly think he deserves it.

“He’s the real MVP. … I think his resume is better than anybody else’s resume,” forward P.J. Washington said. “I don’t feel like there’s a complete argument that anybody had a better season this year.”

Here’s more on the Mavs:

Eight-time All-Star Kyrie Irving earned a $1MM bonus on Wednesday for a combination of playing 50-plus games and the Mavs winning their 50th game, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The bonus was considered unlikely since Dallas only won 38 games last season. As Marks observes, Irving’s cap hit for 2023/24 will now be $38.04MM, and his ’24/25 figure will be adjusted up to $41MM. Irving has been instrumental in the team’s success this season, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link), who notes that Dallas is 39-19 when Irving plays, including 24-7 over his past 31 appearances.
In an interview with Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required), Mavs general manager Nico Harrison discussed a number of topics, including the job performance of head coach Jason Kidd and his staff. Harrison praised Kidd, who reportedly has one more year left on his contract and hopes to sign an extension with Dallas this offseason. “The coaches have done a great job,” Harrison told Townsend. “One, when you have two superstar players, first and foremost, getting those guys to play together at a high level and respect each other’s play and to play together, you always have to take a little bit off your game for the success of the team. To be able to do that is remarkable. Jason and his staff have done that at a high level. We’re not successful if that doesn’t happen.”
Regarding the trade-deadline acquisitions of Washington and center Daniel Gafford, Harrison said that while the two players were high on Dallas’ priority list, the front office was also working on multiple other deals at the time in case talks fell apart. He said he’s been pleased with how the two veterans have fit in thus far, according to Townsend. “I think if you go back to last year, the exit interview that we did, admittedly we didn’t do what we wanted to do,” Harrison said as part of a larger quote. “But we didn’t have the right players around those two guys (Doncic and Irving). We feel like we started that during the summer, getting longer, getting more athletic, getting better defensively. And then also in the draft with (Dereck) Lively. And then we just continue. The message hasn’t changed. The goal hasn’t changed. Now you do it with P.J., now you do it with Gafford. We’ve just continued with building it the same way that we talked about.”

Mavs Notes: Washington, Williams, Luka, First-Round Pick, Kyrie

April 10th, 2024 at 8:48am CST by Luke Adams

Two months after being traded from the Hornets to the Mavericks, P.J. Washington returned home on Tuesday night, relishing the opportunity to see his family and to play in front of the fans in Charlotte, according to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

“It was great, just being able to cheer for me one last time in this arena,” Washington said. “It meant the world to me. Being drafted here and obviously (having spent) my whole career here. So, it just meant a lot for sure.”

It has been a whirlwind couple months for Washington, who is still adjusting to playing for a new NBA team after spending the first four-and-a-half seasons of his career with the Hornets. But he has no complaints about getting the opportunity to play alongside stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving for a Mavericks team that clinched its spot in the playoffs with Tuesday’s blowout victory over Charlotte.

“It’s been great,” Washington said. “It’s two of the best to ever play the game, so it makes it a lot easier for me. They bring so much attention, which opens up the game for a lot of different people. So, they’ve made it a lot easier for me for sure.”

Head coach Jason Kidd appreciates what Washington has brought to the club: “(He has) the ability to play both sides — offense and defense. You could see when one of the guys are out — Luka, Ky — he’s stepped up for us. He’s given us an offensive spark. And then when you look at the defensive end, he’s been able to guard 1-5. He’s helped us here since March 7 be the No. 1 defensive team in the league. And he’s a pro. He comes to work every day, never complains, and he’s one of the few that when he runs out, comes out of the game, he gives you five. And that’s just a character thing that he has. He’s about the team and he just wants to win.”

Here’s more on the Mavs:

While there were some rumors that Hornets forward Grant Williams wore out his welcome in Dallas or rubbed Doncic the wrong way, Luka said he has no issues with his former teammate. “Grant is a great guy,” Doncic said. “We have a good relationship. Outside, some people say we don’t. But we have (one).”
Williams has been playing better in Charlotte than he did in Dallas, making the deadline deal a success so far for both the Mavericks and Hornets, writes Boone. “Yeah, I think when you look at the trade it is a win-win,” Kidd said. “Grant’s doing an incredible job here (in Charlotte), You look at playing the five or playing whatever position they’ve asked him to play. He’s shooting the ball, he’s making decisions, he’s posting up, he’s guarding the five on the other end. So, I think he’s done an incredible job since the trade.”
Having clinched a playoff spot, the Mavericks will send their 2024 first-round pick to the Knicks, closing the book on the blockbuster 2019 Kristaps Porzingis trade, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN (via Twitter). Dallas’ pick currently projects to be No. 25 overall — a year ago the Mavs tanked their final game of the season to ensure they’d avoid sending their top-10 protected first-rounder to New York.
After last season’s second-half collapse, there were some questions about how the backcourt pairing of Doncic and Irving would mesh going forward, but the duo has thrived in 2023/24. According to Doncic, having Irving in Dallas has been a “blessing,” per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). “Obviously on the court everybody knows what kind of player he is,” Doncic said. “Off the court he helps me a lot — not just me but the whole team. He knows how to win the championship. He’s a very humble guy. Great guy.”

Southwest Notes: Morant, JJJ, Bane, G. Williams, Mavs, Williamson

April 9th, 2024 at 10:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

A Tennessee judge ruled Monday that Grizzlies star Ja Morant properly raised self-defense in a lawsuit filed by a teenager he punched in July 2022, ESPN’s Baxter Holmes reports. The altercation occurred during a pickup game at Morant’s home.

The judge ruled the Grizzlies’ guard “enjoys a presumption of civil immunity” under Tennessee’s self-defense immunity statute and that the burden of proof shifts to his accuser, Joshua Holloway, whose legal team must prove that Morant didn’t act in self-defense. A trial had been scheduled for late April, Holmes writes, but is now expected to be pushed back to a later date.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said there’s a “good chance” Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane won’t play again this season, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal tweets. Jackson’s current injury is listed as right quad tendonitis, while Bane has a lumbar disc bulge. Both Jackson (22.5 points per game) and Bane (23.7) are averaging career highs in scoring.
Hornets forward Grant Williams says he has harbors no ill will toward the Mavericks for trading him after Dallas added him in a sign-and-trade last offseason, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News tweets. “No hard feelings on my end or, I think, their end,” he said. “We communicated well throughout the process. (Dallas GM) Nico (Harrison), I respect those guys a lot from an honesty perspective.”
Even Mavericks teammates marvel at the ability of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, according to The Athletic’s Tim Cato. “I never play NBA 2K, so I don’t know if there’s a self-created player who does stuff like they do,” Maxi Kleber said. “But it’s just incredible what they do.”
Pelicans forward Zion Williamson took note that teams were seeking him out defensively and he’s playing harder at that end of the floor, Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune said. “The other teams were trying to hunt me on defense,” Williamson said. “I was watching the film, and I didn’t like that.” Williamson had five blocks against Phoenix on Sunday.

Injury Updates: Mitchell, Okoro, Luka, Sengun, Pelicans

April 7th, 2024 at 2:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The struggling Cavaliers, who have lost seven of their past 10 games, will be without leading scorer Donovan Mitchell on Sunday vs. the Clippers, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who tweets that Mitchell is out due to injury management related to his knee.

On the plus side, Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro is on track to return after missing the past four games with a toe injury (Twitter link via Fedor).

At 46-32, the Cavs still hold the No. 3 spot in the East, but they’re only a half-game ahead of both Orlando and New York, so they’re in danger of losing home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

Here are a few more injury-related updates from around the NBA:

After missing Friday’s win over Golden State, Mavericks star Luka Doncic (right knee soreness) will be back in action on Sunday vs. Houston, the team confirmed (via Twitter). A strong finish in the season’s final week would ensure that the 47-30 Mavs secure a top-six seed in the West — they’re currently at No. 5.
Even with the Rockets slipping out of the play-in race, center Alperen Sengun hasn’t given up hope of returning to the court this season, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). Sengun, who injured his right ankle and knee on March 10, estimated that he’s about 60% recovered, per Feigen, and has begun “light mobility work,” according to head coach Ime Udoka. He hasn’t been ruled out for the season, but it would be a bit surprising if he returned to just play a game or two after Houston is officially eliminated from postseason contention. “Maybe he gets on the court, but it’s nothing we discussed yet,” Udoka said.
Pelicans wing Naji Marshall, who left Friday’s game with a left shoulder contusion, didn’t practice on Saturday and is considered questionable to play in Sunday’s game in Phoenix, tweets Erin Summers of Bally Sports. Zion Williamson (left finger contusion) and Jose Alvarado (right oblique strain) are also listed as questionable, but they both practiced on Saturday.

Injury Notes: Luka, Warriors, Zion, Ingram, Young, Turner

April 5th, 2024 at 7:21pm CST by Rory Maher

Mavericks guard Luka Doncic was ruled out for Friday’s matchup with Golden State due to right knee soreness, as first reported by Marc Stein (via Twitter). Sources tell Stein there’s optimism that Doncic will return on Sunday vs. Houston.

The injury “shouldn’t be long term,” head coach Jason Kidd said (Twitter link via ESPN’s Tim MacMahon).

It will be the 10th missed game this season for Doncic, which will hurt his chances of claiming his first MVP award — frontrunner Nikola Jokic has only missed three games. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the other primary candidate for the award, will miss his seventh game of 2023/24 on Sunday in Charlotte.

Mavs big man Maxi Kleber, who played 21 minutes in yesterday’s win over Atlanta, is also out Friday with back spasms, the team announced (via Twitter).

The Warriors will also be shorthanded for Friday’s matchup in Dallas, which is the second of a back-to-back for both clubs. Andrew Wiggins is out with left ankle soreness, while Jonathan Kuminga — who warmed up with the intent of playing — will miss his sixth straight game with knee tendinitis, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter links).

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, who is dealing with a left finger contusion, was considered a game-time decision for Friday’s contest vs. San Antonio. However, he was later ruled out (Twitter link via the Pels). Prior to Friday’s game, head coach Willie Green also provided an injury update on Brandon Ingram, who is currently sidelined with a left knee bone contusion. “He’s jogging on the treadmill,” Green said, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com (Twitter link). “He’s in the weight room. Other than that, we don’t have anything new to report.” Green confirmed a recent report that New Orleans is optimistic about Ingram returning before the regular season ends, Clark adds.
On his podcast (YouTube link), Hawks point guard Trae Young provided an update on his rehab from hand surgery, as Brad Rowland relays (via Twitter). “I got another call with the doctor next Monday,” Young said of when he could return. ” … Hopefully next week I can make a fist and I can get out of this cast. And then I can play. So hopefully next week.”
Pacers center Myles Turner suffered a dislocated right index finger in Monday’s victory over Brooklyn, which caused him to miss Wednesday’s rematch with the Nets, but he was back in the starting lineup on Friday against Oklahoma City, the team announced (Twitter link). Turner has dealt with several injuries over the course of his career but he has been relatively healthy in ’23/24, appearing in 73 of 78 games.

Southwest Notes: Zion, Luka, Kyrie, Clarke, Spurs

April 4th, 2024 at 4:13pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pelicans got some good news on Thursday. As Christian Clark of NOLA.com writes, Zion Williamson exited Wednesday’s loss to Orlando with a finger injury, but appears to have avoided a significant injury. Head coach Willie Green said the former No. 1 overall pick is considered day-to-day, with his status for Friday’s game up in the air.

“Z is good,” Green said at Thursday’s practice. “X-rays were negative. Everything structurally was fine. Just some soreness in his finger.”

New Orleans has dropped four of its past five games to fall to 45-31, the No. 7 seed in the West. Only two games separate the No. 5 Mavericks from the No. 9 Lakers in the hotly-contested conference, Clark notes.

Williamson, 23, recently became eligible for postseason awards after appearing in his 65th game this season.

Here’s more from the Southwest:

When asked whether the Mavericks would consider resting Luka Doncic and/or Kyrie Irving in the final few games before the postseason, head coach Jason Kidd said it would likely depend on the standings, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). “As we go forward, somewhere over the weekend, we could talk about where we stand,” Kidd said as part of a larger quote. “ … But right now it’s full go and those guys are playing.” With seven games remaining, Dallas is a half-game ahead of No. 7 New Orleans.
Grizzlies big man Brandon Clarke had an uncertain future after tearing his left Achilles tendon in March 2023. However, the 27-year-old forward/center has looked good in his first four games of 2023/24, according to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal, which is an encouraging sign for both the player and the team. Clarke, who is in the first season of a four-year, $50MM extension, is averaging 12.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 1.3 BPG while shooting 60.5% from the floor in 21.0 MPG.
The Spurs have one of the worst records in the league at 18-58, but they have gone 7-10 over their past 17 games and head coach Gregg Popovich said watching the team progress has been a “real joy,” writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. “They have gotten better and better as the year goes along,” Popovich said. “In the beginning, it was weird. Nobody knew what to do around Victor (Wembanyama). He didn’t know what to do around them. They had never played before and with someone of Victor’s size. So it took time, but they are much more comfortable now.“

And-Ones: West, MVP Race, All-NBA, Comanche

April 3rd, 2024 at 2:51pm CST by Luke Adams

NBA legend Jerry West is being inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for a third time, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Previously enshrined as a player (1979) and as a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic team (2010), the 85-year-old has now been elected as a Hall of Fame contributor.

The latest induction into the Hall of Fame recognizes West’s work as a team executive, including general manager stints with the Lakers and Grizzlies, as well as time spent as a consultant for the Warriors and Clippers. West won eight championships in those roles, per ESPN, and won Executive of the Year awards in 1995 and 2004.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is the runaway winner in the latest MVP straw poll conducted by Tim Bontemps of ESPN, earning 85 of 100 first-place votes from the media members who submitted mock ballots. If the real vote emulates Bontemps’ straw poll, the only drama may be whether presumed runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can hold off Luka Doncic for the No. 2 spot. Gilgeous-Alexander has been sidelined with a quad injury as of late while Doncic is coming off a second consecutive Player of the Month award.
Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander, Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo are all unanimous First Team picks in the tentative All-NBA teams compiled by Josh Robbins, Kelly Iko, and William Guillory of The Athletic. The trio of writers agreed on 12 All-NBA players in total, with Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Jaylen Brown, and Stephen Curry also showing up on all three 15-man lists. Domantas Sabonis, Tyrese Haliburton, Tyrese Maxey, and Zion Williamson made multiple ballots, but not all three, with LeBron James earning a spot on only Iko’s ballot.
A March 10, 2025 trial date has been set in Clark County, Nevada for Chance Comanche, the former Stockton Kings player who has been charged with murder, writes Anthony Olivieri of ESPN.com. Comanche and his former girlfriend, Sakari Harnden, face murder and kidnapping charges related to the death of Marayna Rodgers, as we previously detailed.

Mavericks Notes: Lively, Doncic, First Round Matchup

April 2nd, 2024 at 10:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Rookie center Dereck Lively II could miss the remainder of the regular season due to a right knee injury, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd told Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News and other media members.

“It could be two weeks where he could be out, but we’ll see how he feels,” the Mavs’ coach said. “We’ll take it day by day, but hopefully he’s back sooner than later.”

General manager Nico Harrison told Townsend that no diagnosis will be determined until the team returns on Wednesday to Dallas, when Lively will be examined. He’s averaging 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 55 games.

We have more on the Mavs:

Luka Doncic reached the 65-game criteria for postseason honors 0n Sunday, ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (Twitter link). The MVP candidate will reach the super-max criteria when he undoubtedly earns All-NBA honors. Doncic will be eligible during the 2025 offseason to sign a five-year, super-max extension with the Mavericks that would be worth a projected $346MM, per Marks, making it the most lucrative deal in NBA history.
Doncic believes the officials are allowing more contact since the All-Star break but that’s not such a bad thing, he told Sam Amick of The Athletic. “They changed the officiating for sure. It’s definitely harder,” he said. “They let much more contact go, but I like it because we can play defense.”
The Timberwolves would be the Mavs’ most favorable matchup in the first round of the playoffs, Tim Cato of The Athletic opines. That’s partially due to Karl-Anthony Towns’ knee injury but also because Dallas has optionality: The Mavs can match Minnesota’s size or can force Rudy Gobert out to the 3-point line with smaller lineups. Cato also addresses the potential postseason rotation in his mailbag column.

Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson Named Players Of The Month

April 2nd, 2024 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Mavericks guard Luka Doncic has been named the Western Conference’s Player of the Month, while one of his former teammates – Knicks guard Jalen Brunson – has earned the honor for the Eastern Conference, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).

It’s the second consecutive Player of the Month award for Doncic, who has strengthened his case for MVP consideration in recent weeks as the driving force of a streaking Mavs team that has moved into fifth place in the West. Doncic is the second player to earn Player of the Month honors twice this season, joining Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.

Doncic won the award for March by averaging a triple-double – 32.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 10.1 assists – through 14 games, with a .470/.381/.781 shooting line. The Mavericks lost the first three of those games but have won each of the last 11 contests in which Doncic has been active.

Brunson has earned Player of the Week honors three times in 2023/24, but this is his first Player of the Month award of the season. He helped the banged-up Knicks hang onto a top-four seed in the East in March by putting up 28.8 PPG and 5.8 APG in 13 games (30.9 MPG) on .481/.376/.813 shooting.

Those per-game averages include a March 3 contest in Cleveland that Brunson exited due to a knee injury after just 47 seconds. Not including that game, the Knicks’ point guard averaged over 31 points per contest for the month.

The other Player of the Month nominees in the Western Conference were Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Green, Nikola Jokic, and Domantas Sabonis, according to the NBA (Twitter link). Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown, Tatum, DeMar DeRozan, Dejounte Murray, and Pascal Siakam were also nominated in the East.

Luka Doncic, Dejounte Murray Named Players Of The Week

April 1st, 2024 at 2:34pm CST by Rory Maher

Mavericks guard Luka Doncic and Hawks guard Dejounte Murray have been named the NBA’s Players of the Week, the league announced on Monday (via Twitter).

MVP candidate Doncic, who won for the Western Conference, averaged 32.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 1.8 steals on .512/.442/.712 shooting in four games last week. He helped guide Dallas to a 4-0 record to end the month of March, and the Mavs have moved up to the No. 5 seed in the West with a 45-29 record.

Doncic, the West’s Player of the Month for February, won the weekly award two out of four times last month, making him a very strong contender to win the monthly award again for March, notes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). The perennial All-NBA member earned his fourth weekly award in 2023/24, which leads the NBA.

Murray, meanwhile, averaged 28.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 10.3 assists and 1.8 steals on .438/.326/.600 shooting in four appearances last week. Atlanta went 3-1 in those contests — including a pair of victories over the first-place Celtics — and is currently 34-40, the No. 10 seed in the East.

Jalen Green, LeBron James and Victor Wembanyama were the other nominees in the West, per the NBA (Twitter link), while Giannis Antetokounmpo, Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam and Cam Thomas were nominated in the East.