The departure of Luka Doncic devastated the Dallas Mavericks. Less than 24 hours after the team announced the transfer of their star guard to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Mavs were so distraught that they allowed themselves to be trashed 144-101 by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
On Saturday night, without warning, the Mavericks’ management signed a massive deal with the Lakers to send Doncic to Los Angeles in exchange for Anthony Davis. There were three other players involved in the deal, but the star swap grabbed the headlines.
The move unleashed a wave of criticism against both teams, and it seems that the Mavericks’ roster was hit harder than expected. At halftime of their game against Cleveland, the team was losing by a scandalous 95-50 after finishing the first quarter 50-19.
The Dallas debacle
It’s true that the Cavs have been one of the best teams so far this season, but what they did against Dallas was historic. Those 50 points in the first period are a franchise record, surpassing the 49 points they scored against the Bulls last November and the 47 points they shot in 2023 against New York and in 2024 against Houston.
The Mavericks played practically with their second team. Besides Doncic, they were also missing Kyrie Irving, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, and Dwight Powell.
After losing the second quarter 41-27, head coach Jason Kidd got his team to fight back in the second half. They won the third quarter 29-28, and the last 26-25, but it was too late.
The final numbers
The first half sealed the game’s fate. Dallas lost by a crushing score of 144-101 in the end. No one can say whether things would have been different with Doncic on the court, but the score would surely have been more even.
Jaden Hardy was the Mavericks’ top scorer with 21 points, eight of 19 in field goals, three rebounds, and two assists. For the Cavaliers, Sam Merrill scored 27 points off the bench, Evan Mobley contributed 22, and Darius Garland 17, to give Cleveland its biggest win of the season.