Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks are out in the first round again. The urgency to get their young superstar enough help for some deep playoff runs will grow fast, although the Mavericks are about to buy themselves time in pursuit of the franchise's first postseason series victory since the 2011 NBA Finals. Doncic left little doubt Monday he would sign a five-year extension expected to be worth more than $200 million when free agency opens this summer. That contract would start in 2022-23. Meantime, the Mavericks have to decide if Kristaps Porzingis is good enough to make them title contenders as the No. 2 to Doncic after the 7-foot-3 Latvian with a maximum contract was barely a role player in a seven-game loss to the Clippers. While Doncic averaged an NBA-best 35.7 points per game in the first round, Porzingis' production wasn't even close to last season's first-round loss to LA. His per-game averages were down by nearly 12 points and more than three rebounds. Porzingis was a 2018 All-Star... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 20 of his 29 points while Dallas built a big first-half lead without much help from Luka Doncic, and the Mavericks returned from a weather-induced break with a 102-92 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night. Dallas was playing for the first time in eight days after two postponements because of a wintry weather blast in Texas. Kristaps Porzingis didn't play after showing up on the injury report the day of the game with back stiffness. “I guess those eight days really helped,” Hardaway said after going 7 of 11 from 3-point range. “We didn’t know when we were going to play leading up to this point. Everybody just made sure they stayed locked in, made sure they took care of their bodies.” Doncic scored 14 of his 21 points after halftime in his first game since the soon-to-be 22-year-old became the first Dallas player to be voted an All-Star starter in consecutive seasons. The Slovenian star's franchise record of 14 consecutive games with at least... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 20 of his 29 points while Dallas built a big first-half lead without much help from Luka Doncic, and the Mavericks returned from a weather-induced break with a 102-92 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night. Dallas was playing for the first time in eight days after two postponements because of a wintry weather blast in Texas. Kristaps Porzingis didn't play after showing up on the injury report the day of the game with back stiffness. Doncic scored 14 of his 21 points after halftime in his first game since the soon-to-be 22-year-old became the first Dallas player to be voted an All-Star starter in consecutive seasons. The Slovenian star's franchise record of 14 consecutive games with at least 25 points ended. Two nights after falling behind by 31 at halftime in a 31-point loss to Phoenix, the Grizzlies were down 23 in the second quarter after scoring a season low for any quarter and trailing 26-13 after the first. Ja Morant had 22 points and... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Luka Doncic would like to clear up a bit of a misconception: He has playoff experience.Then again, he also knows what awaits now is different.For the first time since 1990, the Dallas Mavericks are going to the playoffs without Dirk Nowitzki on the roster. The German great retired after last season, officially passing the torch as leader of the Mavs to Doncic — the Slovene who nearly averaged a 30-point triple-double in just his second NBA season.So, no, he hasn’t seen what the NBA playoffs are like.There’s also no reason to think Doncic isn’t ready for this stage.“Yes, it is the playoffs, but I have been in the playoffs before, just in Europe,” said the 21-year-old Doncic, who was still a teenager when he led Real Madrid to the EuroLeague title and was basically considered the best player in that league two years ago. “It is not the same level, but it is the same emotions. I am excited for sure.”He should be.Doncic finished the season averaging 28.8 points,... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, like his players, heard about the NBA's decision to suspend the season while in the third quarter of their game against the Denver Nuggets. That ended up being the last game completed in the league Wednesday night, and the Mavericks avoided their first three-game losing streak before the NBA season's suspension “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the coronavirus. “Very concerned, but it’s not necessarily about basketball. Obviously this is much bigger than basketball,” Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said.“This is because of just the league being concerned about the health of fans, players and arena personnel," Carlisle said. “There’s going to be more meetings and more talk tomorrow about what the next steps are. There’s no timetable.” Boban Marjanovic had 31 points and 17 rebounds, Luka Doncic scored 28 points and the Mavericks won 113-97, which was secondary considering the entire situation. Nuggets forward... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Boban Marjanovic had 31 points and 17 rebounds, Luka Doncic scored 28 points and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Denver Nuggets 113-97 on Wednesday night before the suspension of the NBA season because of the coronavirus. The Mavericks were in the second half of their game when the NBA announced plans to suspend the season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the coronavirus. Jamal Murray had 25 points to lead Denver, and Will Barton had 23.Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told national and regional television broadcasts that players were aware of the situation during the game, and were talking about it on the bench. “It's about the country and life in general ... This is bigger than just the NBA," Cuban told ESPN during an in-game interview. Cuban said he didn't anticipate the players being allowed to leave town, saying the only way to have any control and know about their health was to know where they are and who they are working with. Dallas avoided... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum sprained his left ankle in the first half at Dallas on Friday and was ruled out for the rest of the game.McCollum was injured in the second quarter when he drove to the basket and his foot landed on Dallas forward Maxi Kleber's foot as McCollum missed a layup.The loss of McCollum came after fellow guard Damian Lillard was cleared to play after being a game-time decision because of an illness. McCollum came in second to Lillard in scoring and assists for Portland at 21.9 points and 3.8 assists per game.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports