The counter remains stuck at 0, obviously. Without Luka Doncic tonight, the Mavs lost to Oklahoma City (120-109) and the defeat was not even a surprise. Luka dependency is at its peak, a few weeks before the trade deadline.
Is it absolutely necessary to press on the Mavs, as soon as a defeat points the tip of his nose?
No not necessarily. And when things are going well, it should also be emphasized. Which was the case in recent weeks, Dallas recovering its place in the Top 4 of the Western Conference thanks to 8 successes in 9 games. Good vibes in this corner of Texas, with the tenure of Christian Wood, a good Tim Hardaway Jr and… Luka Doncic at an extraordinary level.
Yes, it helps when your best player is averaging 40 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
And credit to the Mavs, they were able to take advantage of this Olympic form to move up the rankings with sometimes serious victories (New Orleans) and sometimes less (New York, San Antonio), without being able to count on their best defenders.
Hence the desire to highlight this defeat to OKC tonight, because cementing this stat that sends shivers down the backs of Dallas fans.
The Mavs without Luka Doncic this season: 4 games, 0 wins.
The Mavs without Luka Doncic last season: 17 games, 8 wins (+ 2 wins in 3 games without him in the Playoffs).
— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) January 9, 2023
4 games without Luka Doncic this season, 4 defeats.
It makes you wonder when we experienced these victories against Utah in the Playoffs, at the Jazz, with convincing and united Mavs. The sudden urge to talk about Jalen Brunson? Yes, of course. But it’s not all about one man, which is pretty fun to write about given the angle of the paper. Many elements explain this difficulty for the Mavs to win without Luka, such as the blatant drop in level of Reggie Bullock, or the absences of Maxi Kleber or Josh Green to name a few.
The fact is that Dallas, thus constructed, is heading towards a fairly obvious end at the end of the season.
Ride on the back of genius Doncic, and hope he beats the competition. A plan that can work, because we don’t play Luka in 7 games so easily. But that memory of the conquering Mavs in Utah seems terribly distant, for a Dallas team struggling to hold on against Oklahoma City tonight and wouldn’t give us any more hope tonight or tomorrow.
It remains to be seen if Nico Harrison and the local management will do anything at the deadline, we know that last year it was activated with the Porzingis file.
Again, nothing alarming or urgent in Dallas, but a fact that cannot be denied or avoided.