Mavs Handle Business vs. Struggling Pelicans; Luka Doncic Leaves Game with Injury

The Dallas Mavericks were able to win against the New Orleans Pelicans at home before heading on the road for five consecutive contests, but they lost Luka Doncic to a heel contusion in the third quarter.

Heading into Thursday's matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans, the Dallas Mavericks knew they had a big advantage given that the Pelicans' team plane didn't arrive in Dallas until around noon. Not only that, but the Pelicans, who are still without superstar Zion Williamson, had lost nine consecutive games coming into this one.

Despite building a lead as big as 31 points in the second quarter, things got too close for comfort down the stretch for the Mavs, as Luka Doncic left with a right heel contusion in the third quarter and never returned. However, Dallas was able to weather the storm and come out with a 111-106 win.

Although he had to leave the game after playing just 23 minutes, Doncic still finished with 31 points, eight rebonds and four assists and two steals while shooting 12-19 from the field. He was a +17 in limited action. Hopefully Doncic's injury isn't anything that will keep him out for an extended period of time. Stay tuned to DallasBasketball.com for updates on his status.

"We'll see how [Luka] feels tomorrow and have a better update to give you," said coach Jason Kidd.

Spencer Dinwiddie was the Mavs' second-leading scorer with 21 points despite shooting just 4-19 from the field. He was 11-12 from the free-throw line and dished out four assists in 36 minutes. With just 2.4 seconds remaining, Dinwiddie hit the game-clinching free throws.

Josh Green was the guy not named Doncic who provided the biggest spark for Dallas on Thursday, as he finished with 15 points in 30 minutes off the bench. He shot 7-10 from the field and also recorded four rebounds and two steals. Green had some acrobatic finishes around the rim that had the home crowd swooning.

Josh Green goes up and under 🤯

pic.twitter.com/ILxz13RsId

— Mavs Nation (@MavsNationCP) February 3, 2023

"Understanding Josh [Green]'s work ethic, spending time with Josh here during practice and giving him a little bit more responsibility of playmaking and having the ball in his hands. He has responded in a positive way. He's worked extremely hard, we talked about that this summer,” said Kidd.

The Mavs, who are currently in fourth-place in the Western Conference standings, improved to 28-25 and moved to within a half-game of the Los Angeles Clippers for the fourth seed. The Pelicans fell to 26-27 with what was their 10th consecutive loss.

Next up, the Mavs travel to San Fransisco to take on the Golden State Warriors to start off a tough five-game road trip. Dallas currently leads the season with Golden State 1-0 after a 116-113 win at American Airlines Center on Nov. 29.

“It’s unacceptable,” said Green of the Mavs nearly blowing a 31-point lead when Doncic left the game.

“But at the end of the day, we play the Warriors next game. The more we dwell about this – we definitely need to address it, but at the same time, it’s about preparing for the next game and making sure it doesn’t happen again. It’s not even who we’re playing or who we just played, it’s more of us making sure we never get put in that situation.“

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Dallas Mavericks? Click Here.

Follow DallasBasketball.com on Twitter and Facebook.