Wednesday was not exactly a very good day at the office for the Mavericks.

With Patrick Mahomes – the Most Valuable Player of the most recent Super Bowl — and his wife sitting courtside, the Mavs put up a minimal amount of defensive pressure in getting sacked by the Toronto Raptors, 127-116, before an American Airlines Center sellout crowd of 20,063.

The loss dropped the Mavs to 6-2 on the season entering Friday’s home game against the Los Angeles Clippers, while the Raptors squared their record at 4-4.

Toronto took advantage of the absence of Mavs starting center Dereck Lively II, who missed the game with a non-COVID illness. With no Lively available to help protect the rim, the Raptors went into attack mode again and again and again and wound up outscoring the Mavs in the paint, by a huge 72-40 margin.

“We missed (Lively) a lot,” coach Jason Kidd said. “There was no one in the paint tonight, and that just shows how important he is to our team.

“But it’s the next man up mentality, and we just didn’t do a good job on the perimeter or in the paint of protecting the paint and the rim.”

With that assessment by Kidd — coupled with 12 missed free throws, 16 turnovers and a 12-point deficit in rebounds — the Mavs know they were their own worst enemy on Wednesday.

When asked if fatigue was a factor, Mavs guard Luka Doncic said: “I mean, it’s the third game in four days. But you know, it’s the NBA.

“Everybody gets those kinds of schedules. It shouldn’t be an excuse.”

Pascal Siakam took advantage of Lively’s absence by scoring 30 of his 31 points inside the paint. In other words, he just really had his way around the rim, considering no one put up much resistance.

“I mean we didn’t need this game to show that we depend on (Lively),” said Kyrie Irving, who finished with 22 points and five assists. “He knows how big of a presence he is in the middle of that paint, how much he covers up a lot of our mistakes and gives us second-chance opportunities.”

The Raptors started putting some distance between themselves and the Mavs in the third quarter when they outscored Dallas, 37-30, to take a 99-88 lead into the fourth quarter. Toronto stretched its lead to as high as 15 points (114-99) late in the fourth quarter when it kept working inside for easy opportunity baskets.

“It was all on us to really do the little things and continue to talk about that every time we come in here and we don’t perform the way we expect to,” Irving said. “Details.

“We’re giving up a lot of points, especially in that third quarter, and the second quarter, too. They were driving the ball today, and they made it difficult for us to double team them.”

Siakam and Anunoby tallied 16 points apiece in the first half, which ended with Toronto ahead, 62-58. At that juncture, Doncic had 16 points and five rebounds for the Mavs, Derrick Jones Jr. had 15 points, Hardaway contributed 11 points and Irving had 10 points and five assists.

The Mavs flew out of the gate at the start of the game, finishing plays with crisp passes. Primarily it was the Irving-to-Jones connection that got the Mavs going.

Jones scored four baskets in the first six minutes of the game – three of them on dunks, one of them a three-pointer, and all four baskets coming off assists from Irving – as the Mavs took a 20-13 lead. Doncic followed with a hoop which gave the Mavs their largest lead (22-13) of the game.

But all of that was short-lived as the Raptors started pounding the boards and getting out in transition and making life miserable for the Mavs.

“We had 11 turnovers in the first half,” Kidd said. “So, that put us in a bad way, because when we turned it over or we didn’t get the rebound offensively, they just ran on us and a lot of their points in the paint were in transition.

“If you don’t take care of the ball – as we talked about before the game — they’re going to get out and run, and they did that at a high level tonight.”

In the end, it became a tall task for the Mavs to try and stitch together consistent stops on the defensive end of the court while also trying to string together their share of points.

“We just can’t make excuses when we’re going technically small ball, or we have a different lineup out there,” Irving said. “The guys are playing different roles, different positions. We just can’t make excuses for ourselves. I think that was the point of emphasis tonight.

“We just got to be better when we’re out there. We are kind of on one side of the floor, and I’m out there and I’m guarding OG (Anunoby) or guarding Scotty (Barnes). It’s all about will, and we just got to be better in that aspect mentally.”

Doncic led the Mavs with 31 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and four steals, Tim Hardaway Jr. tallied 17 points, and Derrick Jones Jr. scored all 15 of his points in the first half and also collected five rebounds and three blocks.

In addition to Siakam, the Raptors got 26 points from Anunoby, Dennis Schroder contributed 18 points and five assists, Gary Trent Jr. scored 16 points, Barnes had 14 points and 14 rebounds, and Chris Boucher added 10 points.

“They did a good job of just finding their shooters, and you could feel their intensity tonight, and their physicality matched it,” Irving said. “You got to give credit to them.

“But we’re going to look at film tomorrow and definitely look at some of our plays that we took off — whether it was down the stretch or in the first three quarters. We just need to be better and continue to build that trust, especially on the defensive end.”

5. Dereck Lively II, Dallas Mavericks

Season stats: 9.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.1 apg Draft pick: No. 12

Lively is one of the keys to the Mavericks’ 6-1 start and, at 7-foot-1, arguably the biggest. He has developed on-court chemistry with Irving and Luka Doncic, has attacked the offensive glass and is the rim protector in Dallas’ enhanced defense. Former Mavs center Tyson Chandler, working with the team’s big men recently, had the highest praise for Lively: “He reminds me of myself.”

ORLANDO – If it’s clutch time, that means it’s winning time for the Mavericks.

Thus far in this young NBA season, the Mavs have found themselves mired in a clutch game on six different occasions. And in all six games, the Mavs somehow found a way to pull multiple rabbits out of their hats and come out victorious.

Clutch Win No. 6 came Monday night when the Mavs fell behind the Orlando Magic by 15 points in the first half, but rallied in time to get out of the Amway Center with a 117-102 victory. And Clutch Win No. 6 came one night after Clutch Win No. 5, which was the Mavs’ 124-118 triumph at home over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.

In the game against the Hornets, the Mavs trailed by 12 points at halftime before putting on their rally caps and emerging with a win. Against the Magic, the Mavs trailed by 13 points (66-53) at intermission before stepping on the gas and motoring their way to another win.

According to Elias, it’s the first time in Mavs’ franchise history that they’ve trailed by as many as 12 points in games on consecutive nights and rallied to win both of those games.

“We’re setting records,” coach Jason Kidd said.

The Mavs also are setting a standard that has put the rest of the NBA on notice. In essence, the Mavs have proven that they know how to successfully fight themselves out of a tight jam.

Dallas trailed Orlando, 63-48, late in the second quarter when absolutely nothing was going the Mavs’ way. But, as if the Mavs magically flipped a light switch and saw light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, Dallas stormed out of the halftime dressing room and put a choke hold on the Magic that had them gasping for air.

After Orlando shot a red-hot 59.1 percent from the field in mounting a 66-53 lead at intermission, the Mavs limited the Magic to just 7-of-24 shooting (29.2 percent) in a third quarter which saw Dallas outscore Orlando by a sizeable 33-17 margin.

“(We) just followed the game plan,” said Luka Doncic, who finished with 29 points, six assists and two steals. “Our defense was better, so that was it.”

Explaining what happened in depth, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said: “We didn’t come out with the same amount of pop in that third quarter — that second half. They put their foot on the gas and we allowed shot making or missing to impact our defense, which we know that’s not who we are.

“Whether we’re making or missing shots, our defense has to sit down and guard.”

Speaking of guarding, the Magic were unable to defend Kyrie Irving and Doncic when the outcome was still in doubt. Behind seven points from Doncic and another six from Irving, that dynamic duo tallied the Mavs’ final 13 points of the game on a variety of baskets.

During one quick sequence, Irving drained a three-pointer via a feed from Doncic. And on the ensuing trip up the floor, Doncic drilled a three-pointer off a pass from Irving, which put the Mavs ahead, 114-110, with 1:51 left and all but sealed this game.

Earlier, clutch time came as the Mavs led, 102-97, with under five minutes remaining in the game following a three-point play from Irving. Clutch time is when a game is within five points or less with under five minutes to go in the contest.

So far this season, that seems to be a signal for the Mavs to take off and do some damage, considering they have more clutch wins this season than any other team.

“When I signed back here (during free agency this past summer) I knew that my role was going to be different than it was on other teams, and even last year,” said Irving, who had 21 points, seven rebounds, 10 assists and three steals. “I knew one thing for certain, down the stretch I was going to have to maintain my poise and make sure that the guys knew they could look to me emotionally (and) mentally just for that reassurance that we’re OK.

“When you’re dealing with some type of adversity where the game’s not going your way, or the basketball’s not going in the rim, or guys are missing assignments, you’ve got to still be able to collect yourself. I think this year we’re really galvanizing each other and holding each other accountable during those tough situations, which helps our chemistry.”

Tim Hardaway Jr. came off the bench to pour in 21 points on 8-of-16 shots to help with the Mavs’ chemistry. And Grant Williams (13 points) and rookie Dereck Lively II (10 points, five boards) added some spice, with Lively shaking off early foul problems to record a pair of three-point plays in the third quarter.

“He’s going to get better as we go forward,” Kidd said. “But again, he’s got great hands and being able to finish with the fouls and knock down the free throws was big, because we’re down and we’re fighting, and I think it just helps with the perimeter when you have someone like D- Live that can catch and finish.

“Then, it just opens up everything. Again, he’s going to make some mistakes, but I thought he did a great job.”

Hardaway also did a great job.

“I think for the most part we just made sure we locked in on the game plan, and made sure that we made them just take more contested shots,” Hardaway said. “We collapsed the paint a little bit more. A lot of their shots were coming in the paint in the first half.

“We just tried to do a better job of just playing with more a little bit more energy and resistance.”

Because the Mavs played the second half with a little bit more energy and resistance, they’ll take a very impressive 6-1 record into Wednesday’s home game against the Toronto Raptors.

“Doncic and Irving) went out there and played at a high level, and I thought the rest of the team did the same,” Kidd said. “But we’re just taking it one game at a time. Everyone played (and) everyone participated — put us in a position to win.

“So, now we’ve got a day off to regroup. And we’ve got a home stand with Toronto and I think the (Los Angeles) Clippers (on Friday). So, we’re just going to take one game at a time.”

Article originally titled "Mavs edge Hornets"

To paraphrase a line from the great rock band The Who, the kids were all right on Sunday night.

The Mavericks needed a jolt and it came from youngsters Jaden Hardy and Dereck Lively II, who provided a spark late in the third quarter and early in the fourth as the Mavericks ran down the Charlotte Hornets for a 124-118 victory at American Airlines Center.

Oh, the old man, 24-year-old Luka Dončić wasn’t bad, either. And neither was the really old man, 31-year-old Kyrie Irving.

But this night was dedicated to Lively and Hardy, the two youngest Mavs at 21 and 19, respective. Both had a big role in getting the Mavericks off the mat after they trailed most of the way. Lively had a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds while Hardy had 14 points in 15 minutes off the bench.

They helped get the Mavericks running, too, as they had 74 points in the second half.

“I’m going to say and I’m going to continually say it for the rest of the season – Jaden, Lively and Josh Green, those three guys, are going to be huge for us,” said Grant Williams, who was pretty big himself with four three-pointers on five tries and 18 points. “They got to continue to keep taking strides every day, making the right read, continuing with the energy they play with.

“They inspire us. They do a phenomenal job being prepared no matter what role they receive. There’s games when Josh is going to play 30 minutes. There are games when Jaden may play five minutes but the next game may be asked to play 34. Their attitude, their approach is going to be the true mark of this team.”

And Williams speaks from experience.

“I always want to say thank you to those guys because I’ve been in that role and I know how difficult it can be,” he said. “And those guys come up with great energy every single day and they make sure their ultimate goal is winning and they’re going to really benefit from that down the line.”

The exuberance of Lively and Hardy helped energize everybody else. Luka finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. Irving had 18 points and 10 assists.

“In pregame, we talked about it, and I thought the message the guys heard before the game, they carried it out,” coach Jason Kidd said of the pace of the game, which improved as it went along. “We missed shots. It happens. The win, it was an ugly win, but it goes into (the win column).

“This group is growing in front of our eyes. Struggles offensively, but they didn’t give in. In the second half, they could have easily folded and started thinking about Orlando. Give the group in that locker room a lot of credit.”

The Mavericks hopped their plane to Orlando for Monday’s visit against the Magic, their first back-to-back set this season.

The Mavericks were the chasers pretty much all night against the Hornets until Tim Hardaway Jr.’s three pointer with 9:15 left put them in front 94-92.

Until then, they had been searching for sparks and the sizzle started with Hardy and Lively.

It was Lively that blocked JT Thor on a dunk try that triggered a break and set up Hardy’s two free throws, widening the lead to 96-92.

Before that, Hardy had buried a couple of key three-pointers and Lively was making plays at both ends.

“Whenever I hear my name, I’m ready to go,” Hardy said. “I’m just trying once I get out there to bring that energy and that spark to the team and get us going. I feel like that’s what I did tonight.”

Said Lively, who had his second double-double of the season: “Just doing the dirty work, cleaning up offensive rebounds, making sure I’m getting defensive rebounds, staying open and making sure I have my hands ready. I’m thankful for my teammates finding me.”

That would be on an assortment of lobs and slip passes in the paint that helped Lively make seven of nine shot attempts.

Meanwhile, LaMelo Ball was putting on a show. He mostly did it with his passing, but he canned three three-pointers in the fourth quarter to keep the Hornets within range. Ball finished with a triple-double: 30 points, 13 assists and 10 boards.

The Mavericks still were only up 112-109 with 2:45 to play, But Grant Williams, who had a handful of big buckets late, hit a corner three-pointer, which Ball answered.

Kyrie Irving missed a drive, but Lively was there to clean it up and make it 117-112, Mavericks and when Charlotte missed, the Mavericks iced it when Luka hit two free throws with 1:08 left.

At least, it looked like it was iced. But things got interesting again when LaMelo made a nifty reverse layup, Tim Hardaway Jr. missed a dunk try and Gordon Hayward got loose for a layup to make it 119-116.

The Mavericks were called for a shot-clock violation with 8.4 seconds left.

The Hornets set up a play with a chance to tie, but never got a chance to run it as they couldn’t get the ball inbounded in five seconds.

The Mavericks made their free throws to end it.

The Hornets were shorthanded after high-scoring guard Terry Rozier suffered a left groin strain Saturday at Indiana.

In that game, Charlotte pulled out a 125-124 victory after opening this three-game trip with a stinker in Houston. Their only visit to Dallas this season would decide whether this would be a winning or losing trip.

DENVER – It was the start of the NBA’s in-season tournament, but when you got past the eye-challenging court and all the talk about meaningful games before Christmas, one thing remained unchanged.

The Mavericks were not going to go 82-0.

That they made it to 4-0 was impressive, but the NBA’s list of unbeatens dropped to one (Boston) as the Mavericks dropped a 125-114 decision to the Denver Nuggets Friday night at Ball Arena.

It was a game in which the Mavericks simply never could gain any traction, trailing virtually the whole way and usually by double figures.

The Mavericks welcomed back Kyrie Irving after he missed two games with a left foot issue. And he had a solid return (22 points), giving the Mavericks some much-needed punch on a night when their battle was severely uphill.

Nikola Jokic was spectacular with 33 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists. So was Luka Dončić with 34 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. But he also had nine turnovers. That the Mavericks fell behind 40-24 after the first quarter didn’t help, either.

“We started slow, but there’s a lot of positive things to look at,” Dončić said. “What lost us the game is my turnovers and the defensive rebounds. I think if this was last year, we would have lost by 30.”

Asked about his turnovers, he said: “It was terrible. Just sloppiness with the ball. Trying to make passes. A lot of them (weren’t) good decisions. I got to get way better. I think I started the season very low on turnovers but kind of sloppy with the ball the last couple games.

The Mavericks got no closer than eight points down the stretch. They could not come up with enough stops or rebounds to make it more interesting.

They were outrebounded 51-34 after being very respectable on the glass through the first four games.

“It was a confluence of circumstances,” said Sean Sweeney, who was acting head coach while Jason Kidd remained in Dallas with a non-COVID-19 illness. “There’s a number of guys they have that crash. Their positioning puts guys around the rim a lot and they have a number of guys who chase their own misses.

“When teams take those tough intermediate paint shots, often times from the perimeter you have to make a real point to come in and help rebound instead of watching one of your teammates go one-on-one with a bigger guy down there.”

After falling behind 40-24 after the first quarter, it was a major uphill climb.

“The guys did a great job of trying to fight,” Sweeney said. “When you start down that much early on, we all know it’s tough to overcome that.”

And so, the Mavericks are 0-1 in their Group B pod with in-season tournament games left against Houston, New Orleans and the Los Angeles Clippers.

But seeing Irving back in the lineup after missing the past two games was one of the positives to take out of the game.

“A little rusty to begin the game,” Irving said. “We’re in Denver, a mile above sea level. I knew it was going to be interesting tonight just going against a well-oiled machine.

“It’s always tough to win in Denver so we knew it was going to be tough. They showed why they’re great. I think we can take this kind of butt-whipping in the first half and really learn some things. We had a good last three quarters. We can take some positives.”

The Mavericks had the misfortune of catching the Nuggets after they got sideswiped by Minnesota on Wednesday, dropping a 21-point decision.

The Nuggets didn’t win the NBA championship last season by piling up a bunch of losses.

“When you have the goals we have in mind, you challenge yourself to stop a losing streak at one,” coach Michael Malone said pregame. “You never want it to go to two or three or four.”

And the Nuggets played with a degree of urgency from the start. The Mavericks played better after the first quarter, but could not shave points off the Nuggets’ lead fast enough.

Through halftime, the battle of the superstars was tilted squarely in Denver’s favor. Jokic got pretty much whatever he wanted in the paint and finished the first half with a buzzer-beating three-pointer that provided the 15-point cushion.

Dončić had 12 points, five assists and four rebounds in the first half. But he also had six of the Mavericks’ 10 turnovers.

And they were getting hammered on the boards, which was something that never changes.

Following Slovenia's loss to Canada, Doncic admitted that it was challenging for him to sleep. He was still processing the outcome of the game after Thursday's loss to Lithuania. As a result, he felt his legs were heavy against Lithuania, but desires to play against Italy.

"It was difficult to sleep yesterday," Doncic said. "I haven't slept much, the sensations are still very strange. The legs were heavy. I hope we play better in the next game. But we have to see how my leg will be."

https://twitter.com/madridxtra/status/1696904950591168544

As expected, Doncic displayed his magic in his first outing in Okinawa and even flirted with a potential first World Cup triple-double, grabbing seven rebounds and providing six assists. Luka shot 11/18 from the field, with just one miss for two-pointers (9/10), and went 13/16 from the free-throw line.

https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/news/dallas-mavs-stretch-waive-cut-javale-mcgee-re-sign-markieff-morris-report

For the entire offseason, the Dallas Mavericks have been widely expected to either trade or waive JaVale McGee before training camp begins. According to multiple reports on Tuesday, the Mavs are expected to stretch-and-waive McGee before the Aug. 31 deadline.

The Mavericks, who have now put together a roster that may make some noise in the Western Conference, decided to gamble on the 26-year-old forward and offer him an opportunity to prove himself. Jones Jr., who has already built up a strong reputation as one of the premier dunkers in the game, should help improve the Mavericks' defense.