CLEVELAND — No Luka Doncic?
No Spencer Dinwiddie? Almost no prob for the Mavericks on Saturday night.
Dallas lost to the Cavaliers for the second time in four nights, this time 100-99 in overtime in Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, after a furious short-handed burst through three and a half quarters wilted late.
With the Mavericks down five players crucial to the regular rotation, back-up point guard Kemba Walker shined as the offensive orchestrator in Doncic’s absence to rest a right quad strain on the second night of this back-to-back.
Walker tallied 32 points, including a layup with 3.5 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 96 and force overtime, and then he hit a 3-pointer on the Mavericks’ first possession of the extra period.
But Dallas didn’t score for the remaining four-plus minutes.
Walker appeared to take another game-saving shot with about 13 seconds left in overtime, but his mid-range fade from the high post wedged between the rim and the backboard.
After Dallas won the ensuing jump ball, center Christian Wood heaved an off-balance 3-pointer from the top of the arc, perhaps trying to draw contact. The 27-year-old center’s miss fell wide of the rim, a stinging finish to his second consecutive double-double (26 points and 14 rebounds) in his most extended playing time this season.
The final score compounded the losses Dallas experienced Saturday.
Doncic lost the adoration of his annual American pseudo-homecoming.
Cleveland is home to the largest Slovenian population outside of Doncic’s native country itself, and Doncic fans often show out in droves for the Mavericks’ one trip to this Eastern Conference city per season.
The team’s hotel in Cleveland is often surrounded with more Doncic fans before he boards the bus for games, and scores more fill the lower bowl to watch his pregame warm-ups and holler for autographs. Even without Doncic in the arena Saturday, the Cavaliers recognized a local Slovenian organization during halftime.
Dwight Powell lost his “iron man” streak, as Christian Wood referred to him Friday night. Powell hadn’t been inactive for a game with an injury since his January 2020 Achilles tear.
Powell played in all 100 of the team’s outings through the Western Conference finals last year and avoided ailments through the first two months of this season before he suffered a left thigh contusion early in the third quarter Friday night.
Kidd didn’t have an update on Powell’s outlook beyond Saturday’s absence before the game: “We’ll figure that out on Monday, being off tomorrow.”
And Spencer Dinwiddie also lost his own perfect attendance mark this season. He’d played through the Mavericks’ first five back-to-backs this season — and all of the first 29 games — a new development since January 2021 ACL surgery limited his load last season.
