DALLAS — For Rick Carlisle, reminders of his life of the past 13 years were constant after he arrived in Dallas late Friday night with his Indiana Pacers.
Sleeping in his own house. Having breakfast with his wife and daughter. Driving to American Airlines Center. Walking into the arena.
“So familiar,” he said.
Emotions, though, didn’t hit Carlisle full force until the pre-game introductions, when a two-minute video montage of highlights from his 13 seasons as Mavericks coach played on the JumboTron. Carlisle’s eyes welled. He gave a heartfelt wave as fans gave him a lengthy standing ovation.
And with that, it was back to current-day reality for Carlisle. His tired and short-handed Pacers fell to the Mavericks, 132-105, with Carlisle witnessing other reminders of his past life: Primarily a big performance from Luka Doncic (30 points, 12 assists, six rebounds) and a worrisome injury departure by Kristaps Porzingis.
Porzingis played only 11 minutes before departing with right knee soreness. It’s the same knee on which he had meniscus surgery in October of 2020.
The Mavericks (29-21) improved their record to 13-3 since New Year’s Eve and pulled within one game of fourth-place Utah in the Western Conference — but the prospect of more games without Porzingis, who’s already missed 17 this season, is disconcerting for the franchise.
Coach Jason Kidd said he didn’t have any information about Porzingis’ injury. “We’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”
This particular night mostly was about the Mavericks continuing their strong play while honoring Carlisle in his first game back in Dallas since he resigned as coach in June.
The fan ovation was richly deserved. The man coached the Mavericks to their only NBA championship and he’s the winningest coach (555 victories) in franchise history.
“A lot of blessings,” said Carlisle, who never really said a proper goodbye, but before Saturday’s game named a long list of Mavericks staff members and players, current and former, as well as the coach who preceded him, Avery Johnson.
Now, though, the Mavericks are led by Kidd, the point guard of Dallas’ 2010-11 title team and the man Carlisle publicly endorsed to replace him.
“This is now Jason’s time,” Carlisle said. “It’s their time as a staff. They’ve got an amazing opportunity with a young nucleus that could go on long run, for a long time.
“And so that’s exciting. That’s exciting for them. But being, being a small part of that foundation is meaningful to me and all the all the other coaches that have that have worked with me.”
Carlisle coached 10 of the 15 Mavericks who suited up Saturday night. He watched Dallas score 72 first-half points while committing only one turnover — three nights after Indiana allowed 158 points to Charlotte at home.
