Mavs Donuts: Dallas Clinches 50-Win Season; LeBron-Doncic Duo?

DallasBasketball.com lists 12 of the biggest NBA storylines, including relevant Dallas Mavericks news and analysis.

The Dallas Mavericks pulled off a 131-113 win at the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday to conclude the 41-game road schedule. The Mavs also remain within striking distance of the third seed in the Western Conference .

On today's Mavs Donuts, we touch on the Mavericks clinching 50 wins, Dirk Nowitzki's interview with 105.3 The Fan, LeBron James potentially teaming up with Luka Doncic and much, much more.

Donut 1: Mavericks Reach 50 Wins At Pistons

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The clash between the Mavericks and Pistons brought more excitement than anticipated, as Dallas managed to come away with a 131-113 at Little Caesars Arena. With the win, the Mavericks improved their record to 50-30 on the year, which marked their first 50-win season since 2015. 

Donut 2: Mavericks vs. Pistons: 3 Deciding Factors

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

With a combined 50 points from Luka Doncic (26) and Jalen Brunson (24), the Mavericks overcame a shaky start to win easily. Detroit led 34-32 at the end of the first quarter, but was outscored by 20 the rest of the way. There were three factors that decided the outcome.

Donut 3: Dirk On AP's All-Decade Team

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Glenn James/Getty Images

Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki has received no shortage of honors for his impact on the game of basketball. The latest being named one of the five players on the AP 2010s all-decade team.

Nowitzki was joined by Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, James Harden and LeBron James. 

Donut 4: Dirk Says Kobe Tried Recruiting Him

Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

On Wednesday, Nowitzki joined "Shan and RJ" on 105.3 The Fan to discuss a variety of different topics. He was asked about the recruiting efforts other superstars made to convince him to leave the Mavericks.

Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash were the only superstars Nowitzki singled out as trying to recruit him away from the Mavericks. Nowitzki instead opted to sign a four-year contract extension to remain in Dallas, though. 

Donut 5: Kidd Credits Lakers Assistant Job For Coaching Success

Having an opportunity to coach MVP candidate Luka Doncic is a significant reason for Kidd's success in Dallas. But also important are the lessons and growth Kidd experienced during his two-year stint as an assistant to Frank Vogel with the Los Angeles Lakers.

"You see things differently," Kidd said. "It's an opportunity to better your craft. Learning from Frank was great. He is always in a good mood, and he competes to win. He communicates with everyone. I've learned a lot over those two seasons."

Donut 6: NBA Commissioner Says Stars Must Play More

During a Wednesday news conference, NBA commissioner Adam Silver expressed concern about "a trend of star players not participating in a full complement of games." In the era of load management, Silver seems to think it's been taken too far by some.

Donut 7: All Eyes on Lakers vs. Warriors

The Golden State Warriors (50-29) currently hold a half-game lead over the Mavericks in the West standings for the third seed. If the Los Angeles Lakers were to beat Golden State on Thursday, the Mavericks would benefit from a tie-breaker and moved past the Warriors for third. 

The Warriors have a favorable schedule the rest of the way. They face the San Antonio Spurs potentially without Dejounte Murray on Saturday and follow the next night with the New Orleans Pelicans. Both the Spurs and Pels are in the play-in. 

Donut 8: Dirk Dishes on Doncic Mentorship

Luka Doncic has taken the league by storm since being taken No. 3 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft. Some have naturally compared Doncic to franchise legend Dirk Nowitzki, despite playing different positions and having different styles of play.

As noted above, Nowitzki was asked by "Shan and RJ" on 105.3 The Fan about giving advice to Doncic. Nowitzki shared a story about singing a song to himself to relax on the court.

Donut 9: Doncic's Streak Ends Just Short

Before facing the Pistons on Wednesday, Doncic had scored at least 30 points in five consecutive games. He needed one more such performance to tie Mark Aguirre for the longest streak of 30-point games in Mavericks history. Doncic finished with 26 points. 

Donut 9: LeBron Wants to Play With Steph

During a recent episode of HBO's "The Shop," LeBron James mentioned the one superstar he'd like to play with is Stephen Curry. 

“In today’s game? S***, there’s some motherf***ers in today’s game, but Steph Curry. Steph Curry is the one that I would want to play with, for sure, in today’s game … Right now it’s Steph.

“I love everything about that guy. Lethal. When he gets out of his car you’d better guard him right from the moment he pulls up to the arena. As soon as he gets out of his car, you better guard his ass. You might want to guard him when he gets out of bed. I swear to God.”

Donut 10: LeBron Could Team Up with Luka?

During an appearance on ESPN's "Get Up" on Thursday, Brian Windhorst offered his insight into which player to keep an eye on for James to team up with in the future potentially. Spoiler alert: It wasn't Curry.

Windhorst says to put James teaming up with Doncic "in your back pocket" due to the expressed respect for the Slovenian superstar. 

Donut 11: Nets Rally from 21 Points Down Against Knicks

The Brooklyn Nets displayed their potential Wednesday in their 110-98 win over the New York Knicks, rallying from as much as 21 points down. Kevin Durant used the post-game press conference to take a jab at his cross-town rivals. 

"We know how much Knicks fans don't like us, especially now this era of the Nets, with us not choosing the Knicks, me and Kyrie. So it definitely adds something to the rivalry," Durant said.

Donut 12: Matisse Thybulle Ineligible To Play In Toronto

With major implications on the line for the Eastern Conference playoff picture, the Philadelphia 76ers will be without Matisse Thybulle in Thursday's matchup against the Toronto Raptors. Thybulle does not satisfy Canada's vaccine restrictions. 

There's a possibility the 76ers and Raptors could face off in the playoffs. If so, Thybulle would be ineligible to play barring a change in vaccine status.