Luka Doncic made a triumphant return to the court Sunday night, scoring 36 points and dishing out 13 assists to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 137-131 victory against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Having missed five games due to a wrist injury, Doncic looked thrilled to be back.
Despite being shorthanded, the Mavericks continued their strong form, marking four wins in a row against the Trail Blazers.
Kyrie Irving, who scored 30 points in Dallas’ Saturday win over the Utah Jazz, sat out with a sore shoulder.
The team was also without Klay Thompson (left foot), Dereck Lively II (right knee), and Naji Marshall (illness).
Still, Doncic expressed pride in how the Mavericks performed during his absence.
“Obviously, I think their pace was great. They were playing amazing,” Doncic said.
He really is our humble king 👍@luka7doncic // #MFFL pic.twitter.com/uxZjIl2fds
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) December 2, 2024
“So, [I was] just trying to adapt to that. They beat some tough teams, and I was just happy to sit back, watch and enjoy.”
The game was tightly contested, with both teams exchanging leads throughout.
Portland opened strong, leading by as much as 10 points in the first quarter, but Dallas closed the gap to hold a three-point edge at halftime, thanks in part to Doncic’s late scoring burst, which included back-to-back 3-pointers and a mid-range jumper.
Portland’s Anfernee Simons scored 24 points in the third quarter, part of his 27-point night, keeping the Trail Blazers in the fight.
However, Dallas held a slim 100-97 lead heading into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter saw the Mavericks build a double-digit lead at 112-101 after a Spencer Dinwiddie 3-pointer.
But Portland clawed back, tying the game at 127 with just under two minutes to play after Deni Avdija completed a three-point play.
P.J. Washington came up clutch for Dallas, knocking down a baseline 3-pointer to reclaim the lead. Portland couldn’t recover as Dallas held on for the victory.
