Luka Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr. Fuel Dallas Mavs' Blowout Win Over Washington Wizards with Kyrie Irving Out
The Dallas Mavericks got embarrassed in a blowout loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday, but they turned that embarrassment into motivation going into Wednesday's second night of a back-to-back against the Washington Wizards.
With Kyrie Irving sitting this one out due to a foot injury, Luka Doncic and Tim Hardaway Jr. poured in the points early and often in D.C., powering the Mavs to a 130-117 blowout win and pushing their record to 9-3 on the season. Dallas led by as many as 27 points.
"It's winning basketball," Hardaway said. "I think for the most part, what we did today was winning basketball. You get punched in the mouth the day before, and then you come back and you see what your true colors are, especially on a back-to-back, getting in late at night, and not making that an excuse. ... 130 points on the second night of a back-to-back, that's very impressive. It just shows how relentless and in shape we are, and how we come back."
Doncic, coming off his worst performance of the season, finished with 26 points, seven rebounds and 10 rebounds in just 32 minutes while shooting 7-18 overall. Hardaway, who is in the early running for Sixth Man of the Year, put up a team-high 31 points off the bench.
Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic throws a pass while being double-teamed by Washington Wizards' Kyle Kuzma and Daniel Gafford.
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Unfortunately for Dallas, Hardaway had to leave the game in the fourth quarter after appearing to endure a knee injury after Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma fell into him on a drive. After the game, though, Hardaway said his knee was "fine."
Dereck Lively II played a big role in Dallas getting back in the win column. The 19-year-old rookie big man locked up the Wizards on the defensive end of the floor and tortured them on the offensive end as well while running pick-and-rolls with Doncic to perfection. Lively finished with a career-high 17 points on 7-8 shooting to go with nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal in just 24 minutes. If he continues his current pace, Lively will be a lock for the NBA's All-Rookie First Team.
Through 11 games, Lively is averaging 9.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and is a +62 for the Mavs. He has quite literally been a godsend for a team that has desperately needed a true starting center for the last eight years.
Derrick Jones Jr. added in 20 points on 8-11 shooting, including a couple of ferocious dunks that got the attention of the away crowd. Seth Curry, who has had some uncharacteristic struggles shooting the ball so far this season, broke out of his funk by scoring 15 points off the bench on a perfect 6-6 shooting night.
The Wizards ended up with eight players scoring in double-figures on the night, including all five starters led by Kyle Kuzma with 22 points on 6-18 shooting. Kuzma, however, was a game-worst -24 on the night as the Mavs snapped a four-game losing streak to the Wizards that dated back to 2021.
The Mavs will now get a much-needed and deserved break in the action, as they're off until Saturday when they'll take on Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee Bucks to finish off their four-game road trip. After that, they'll head back home to Dallas to take on the Sacramento Kings at American Airlines Center on Sunday.
