The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Atlanta Hawks 129-119 on Monday night despite Luka Doncic and Klay Thompson’s absences. The game represented Doncic’s fourth absence of the season as he battles a right wrist sprain. Although Doncic is one of the best players in the NBA, the Mavs have surprisingly played to a better record in games he’s missed this season. Dallas is 3-1 without Doncic and 7-7 with him during the 2024-25 season, per StatMuse.
Overall, the Mavericks are now 10-8. So what does the Doncic statistic mean for the Mavs?
Kyrie Irving has played especially well in games that Doncic has missed. He is averaging 25.3 points, 6.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds in the four games without Luka. He’s still played well alongside Doncic, though, averaging 24.4 points, 5.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds in the other 14 games.
Irving has stepped up amid Doncic’s absence, however. Still, there is no question that it has been a team effort. Naji Marshall has been a pleasant surprise for the Mavs. Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II are one of the best center duos in the league. Jaden Hardy and Spencer Dinwiddie combined for 45 points on Monday.
The primary takeaways from the shocking Luka Doncic statistic are that Kyrie Irving is a tremendous leader and Dallas features enough depth to make serious noise in the Western Conference.
When will Luka Doncic return from injury?
Related Dallas Mavericks NewsArticle continues below
It was reported last week that Doncic would be re-evaluated this week. He will likely miss Wednesday’s game as well against the New York Knicks, although nothing is official as of this story’s writing.
Doncic does not have an injury timeline yet. Dallas would obviously love for Luka to return before the November 30th game against the Utah Jazz. However, the Mavs will certainly proceed with caution.
Dallas will feel comfortable taking it slow given the team’s performance without Doncic. In the end, the Mavericks will need Luka without question, but it is encouraging to see the team play so well despite Doncic’s absence. Dallas is playing as a complete unit and they will be a serious contender once again during the 2024-25 campaign.
Source link