Dallas did the job on the Pistons floor, putting up a serious match to win thanks to a strong second half which saw Luka Doncic seal a new triple-double, his sixth in a row.
Uncertain before the match, the Slovenian finally held his place, and his presence was not too much for the Mavs who had to wait until the second half to get rid of this valiant Pistons formation. Luka Doncic put his team on the right track (6-13) but also lost balls, also being blocked by James Wiseman. On the other side, the Pistons played hard, and even took the lead on a dunk from the same Wiseman (18-17).
It then took a great Kyrie Irving to respond to Simone Fontecchio's three 3-point baskets to keep Dallas in the lead after 12 minutes (33-35). Luka Doncic then tried to do what was necessary to create a real gap, multiplying the shots, with a 2+1 and three outside baskets in his turn to bring the score to 69-60 in favor of the Texans. But again, the Pistons refused to give up, this time thanks to Cade Cunningham's 7 points to end the first half (65-69).
The third quarter was finally good for Dallas, which finally passed an 11-2 fueled by Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and PJ Washington to move to +12 (71-83). In the process, Kyrie Irving's two 3-point arrows gave Luka Doncic's men a little more breathing space. However, we could count on Detroit to try to stay alive, until it was Tim Hardaway Jr.'s turn to punish the opposing defense with two 3-point baskets from the two corners (86-101). The winger hit the nail on the head a few moments later with another 3-point basket against Evan Fournier at the third quarter buzzer to increase the gap to +16 (88-104).
The Mavs then started the last act with a 7-0 with a 2+1 from Josh Green, a basket from Tim Hardaway Jr. and a counter followed by a dunk from Daniel Gafford, on a serve from THJ. This time, the mass was said (88-111), and Dallas was able to manage until the end without incident in order to win 142 to 124.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– A fifth triple-double in a row with more than 35 points for Luka Doncic. The presence of Luka Doncic in “garbage time” when the match was over was not the result of chance. The Slovenian leader was in fact chasing a new record, establishing a fifth triple-double in a row with at least 35 points scored, and the sixth in a row with more than 30 points. “Luka Magic” therefore released a new high-flying performance with 39 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds, validating his “TD” 3 minutes from the end on a last defensive rebound. He then left immediately to the congratulations of his teammates… Opposite, Cade Cunnigham only missed a rebound to also validate a triple-double (33 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists).
– Tim Hardaway Jr shines under his father’s eyes. While the Mavericks struggled to get rid of the Pistons, Tim Hardaway Jr put an end to the suspense with his three 3-point baskets at the end of the third quarter to offer a good option for victory for his team. He followed up by dishing out two assists and adding two points during the ensuing 7-0 run to start the fourth quarter. Author of 17 points in 18 minutes, he was a valuable “X factor” alongside Daniel Gafford (also 17 points, 7/7 shooting) to support the Doncic-Irving pair. All under the eyes of his father, Tim Hardaway Sr.
– Tempers heat up at the end of the match. We felt that the last minutes of the match were starting to slip after the elbow received in the back of the head by Tim Hardaway Jr. It was then a big foul by Jalen Duren on Daniel Gafford that everything almost degenerated, since Jalen Duren PJ Washington then came to the aid of his teammate by pushing Duren in passing, which caused the start of a scuffle leading to an ejection for Jalen Duren and a technical for PJ Washington.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
