While three of its top players were out on Saturday night to comply with NBA medical protocols, the rest of the Mavericks appeared to be in good health.
They took care of business in the form of a 112-98 victory over the Orlando Magic at the American Airlines Center, their third consecutive victory, which pushed their record above 0.500 for the first time this season at 5-4.
The victory was not built on Luka Dončić’s shoulders, although he certainly did his part, but with the strength of sensational shooting nights by Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke.
Hardaway was back on the starting lineup because holders Dorian Finney-Smith and Josh Richardson were unable to play because of the league’s health and safety protocols. Also missing was key reserve Jalen Brunson.
So all Hardaway did was score 30 points – in the first three quarters – with 16 in the third period, when the Mavericks fell behind, and then recovered to go up 85-75 going into the fourth period. Hardaway finished with 36 points.
Burke? After losing the game in Denver on Thursday, he recovered by hitting seven of his eight strokes of 3 and finishing with 29 points.
It was by far the best shooting performance of the Mavericks of the season, as they were over 50 percent from the 3-point range practically in the opening game.
“Trey Burke was spectacular. Hardaway was spectacular, ”said coach Rick Carlisle. “Luka, you almost expect him to go for a triple-double night. And we had a lot of other guys doing a lot of good things. A very important victory coming out of the situation in Denver. “
The situation in Denver was what caused the Mavericks’ lack of manpower. But they had great performances by Hardaway and Burke.
Dončić was also not bad. He scored 27º triple-double of his career with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
It was a third quarter with a lot of dynamics that put the Mavericks in control. They had lost the lead and were losing 65-59 until Hardaway caught fire and lit the Mavericks with a 26-10 submission in the third quarter. They took care of that 85-75 lead to the finish line.
Carlisle gave Dončić great credit not for what he did on the pitch, but for what happened before the game. The Mavericks, because of the events in Denver, could not have a morning shooting session.
“We arrived here at 5 am and I was really impressed with our level of focus and concentration,” said Carlisle. “And it all started with Luka. He was really on. He understood exactly what the situation was. He knew that this was a game where we couldn’t have too many slides. And he set the tone. That’s the sign of a guy who is a great leader on a team. “
Dončić just shrugged.
“It has to be in every game,” he said. “We are trying to win every game, whether we have six players or 15. But I think we did a great job today, especially in defense.”
This makes everyone’s life easier when the shots are going on. And Hardaway and Burke took care of that. They were a total of 23 out of 33 on the field.
“They were good players throughout the game,” said Dončić. “You make a pass, you know you’re going to receive assistance. It was great.”
Carlisle de Burke said: “He is a dangerous gunner. One of the reasons I think he plays well with us is that he knows that we have a lot of confidence in him. And he’s a guy who just gets hot outside. “
Burke, who went through a COVID-19 quarantine before joining the Mavericks in the Orlando bubble last season, said he can definitely relate to what Brunson, Richardson and Finney-Smith are going through.
“There is a lot of time for you,” he said. “And this can be done in two ways. This will be my incentive for (those guys). It is a difficult time. But try to use this isolation time. Work on your soul and you will come back prepared.
“This is the nature of this league. You never know how things are going. All of this is new for all of us. But I will try to encourage these three guys not to get depressed and we look forward to them coming back. “
For one night, Burke and Hardaway took the rest, which completed a tough two stages in Texas for the Magic. After obtaining a 42-point wax in Houston on Friday, they were rudely expelled from the state on Saturday, although Magic showed considerably more life than the night before against the Rockets.
It is the Mavericks’ ninth consecutive victory over Magic in Dallas.
The victory was also the 799º of Rick Carlisle’s coaching career. One more and he will become the 16º member of the 800-win club in NBA history.
And it was a game that Hardaway could be very proud of. He now had games of more than 30 points as a starter and reserve in the last week.
“My job now is to be an energy giver, not an energy drain,” said Hardaway. “When I go there, I just try to compete all the time.”
And as for the coronavirus, Hardaway said: “Any team that finds out about everything faster will feel good in the postseason. Unfortunately, there are three guys in Denver, but he’s the next man. These guys encourage that. “
Twitter: @ESefko