DALLAS — Doom and gloom? Season swirling toward certain failure?
The way this turbulent season has gone, the split-personality Mavericks might well flash their hideous side many more times, but on Friday night in American Airlines Center they pummeled Portland, 130-110, behind the 1-2 punch of Luka Doncic and Christian Wood.
That’s right. The combo for which fans have clamored all season looked unstoppable, with Doncic scoring 33 points in three quarters and Wood pouring in 32, four more than his previous high as a Maverick.
For at least one night, fans could briefly forget about the long-term absence of Maxi Kleber and the Mavericks’ shortcomings and soak in the sight of Wood and Doncic not only combining for 65 points, but 18 rebounds, 12 of them by Wood.
Oh, and a game-punctuating Doncic dunk with 2:54 left in the third quarter, after which Doncic, eyes wide in mock, shock put his hands on his head as if to say “Did I just do that?”
After the game, though, Doncic deadpanned: “I’m used to it by now.” After the chuckles in the interview room died down, he added, “I probably have the most bounce on the team, too. You know, C-Wood, I’m always telling him he’s only long, but he’s got no bounce, so I had to show him.”
Thrust into a larger role in the absence of Kleber (hamstring tear), Wood scored 20 of his points in the first half. Wood’s importance to the Mavericks further increased just 1:34 into the second half, when starting center Dwight Powell went out with a thigh contusion.
Coach Jason Kidd said he didn’t know the severity of Powell’s injury, but that Powell probably will miss Saturday night’s game at Cleveland.
“Maxi and DP are like ironmen, you know?” said Wood, who along with JaVale McGee are the only two healthy centers left on the roster.
“I created a lot of mismatches, I think, in terms of my picking and popping and picking and rolling,” Wood said of playing center. “And slipping out when the defense switches for Luka. Just trying to mix it up.
“If you watch the film, we kept running the same play over and over because you know, frankly, they couldn’t stop it.”
The Blazers (16-13) took an early eight-point lead, but the Wood- and Frank Ntilikina-led Dallas bench outscored Portland’s 24-4 to start the game and Dallas took control with a 41-point second quarter.
“I thought C-Wood was great offensively and defensively,” Kidd said. “He did a great job. Being able to play through him was huge for us. The time he was on the floor, on both ends, he gave us a lift tonight.”
Kidd said it will be a group effort defensively in terms of trying to make up for the loss of Kleber. Dallas entered Friday night allowing 51.7% shooting in its last five games, last in the NBA, but limited Portland to 43.3%.
Kleber’s injury accelerated the pessimism that already was spreading through Mavericks fandom, but even in their diminished state the Mavericks have opportunity ahead.
Saturday night’s difficult challenge at Houston begins a stretch of four straight road games, and six road games among the nine games they’ll play through Jan. 2. That seems ominous for a team that is 3-9 on the road, right? Look closer.
After the Cleveland game, only one of Dallas’ next eight opponents is currently above .500 (New York at 16-13). The combined record of those eight opponents entering Friday’s games was 97-135.
But now Dallas not only will be without Kleber, but perhaps Powell.
“There’s no way you can replace what Maxi does as an individual,” Kidd said. “There’s no one out there on the street that’s going to come in and do the things that Maxi has done for us.”
For one night, though, the Mavericks looked like a team that still has a chance to make something of this season.
“We’ve got to figure out who we are,” Kidd said. “We’re built around Luka. For us to be able to knock down open shots, because he can create ‘em, that’s something that we’ve struggled here early in the season. And hopefully, as we get going, we can catch a hot wave.”
