Dallas Basketball

Learned from Luka? Cowboys' Micah Parsons Breaks Stephen A. Smith's Ankles? - Tracker

Dallas Cowboys linebacker and Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic fan Micah Parsons is participating in the Celebrity Game at NBA All-Star Weekend ... and he might have broken ESPN's Stephen A. Smith's ankles during a practice.

Dalton Trigg

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FEB 16 - COWBOYS' MICAH PARSONS BREAKS STEPHEN A. SMITH'S ANKLES??? Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parson might have learned a thing or two from Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic when it comes to breaking ankles...

Parsons is participating in the Celebrity Game at NBA All-Star Weekend, and he might have broken his coach, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith's ankles during a practice on Thursday.

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“Yesterday, S.A. had to get up to Naptown early and they had a practice, so he started messing around with Micah Parsons of all people, one of the guys on his team,” Molly Qerim said on ESPN's First Take. “Micah crossed him over, and all I know is Stephen A. is at the hospital right now getting X-rays.”

Hopefully Smith is doing alright, but now, going forward, he might have to think twice before making fun of Parsons' Cowboys, as he does quite often.

FEB 11 MAJORITY OWNER PATRICK DUMONT TO ATTEND FIRST GAME There will be a new face in the audience for the Dallas Mavericks when they host the Washington Wizards. 

Patrick Dumont, the new majority owner and Governor of the Mavs, will be in attendance for his first game on Monday, according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. Dumont officially bought a majority stake alongside Miriam Adelson from Mark Cuban on Dec. 27. 

Outside of being the Governor of the Mavs, he is also the President and Chief Operating Officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp. 

Luka Doncic.
Luka Doncic :: Mavs PR/X.com

Dallas (30-23) faces the Wizards (9-43) on Monday at 7:30 CT.

FEB 8 GRANT REASON? The central reason for the Dallas Mavericks' deadline trade for P.J. Washington of the Charlotte Hornets before Thursday's deadline? Dallas needed to get bigger and better upfront.

But a sidebar part of the swap, which sends to the Hornets Grant Williams, Seth Curry, and a lightly protected first-round pick?

A source tells DallasBasketball.com that Williams, who was acquired in the offseason in a three-team sign-and-trade involving a 2030 first-round pick swap, over the short time he was here brought with him a vocal and colorful personality that ended up not fitting well into the locker room.

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DallasBasketball.com writes that "Williams' personality had worn on the Mavs' locker room in recent months.''

Williams averaged 15.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in his first eight games in 31.9 minutes, shooting 55.6 percent from the floor and 54.3 percent from beyond the arc. He appeared to provide precisely what the team sought. However, his production plummeted over his last 40 games, averaging 6.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in 25.2 minutes, shooting 37.8 percent overall and 32.9 percent from the perimeter.

In addition to the trade with the Hornets, the Mavs are also working to add via trade Daniel Gafford from the Washington Wizards. Stay tuned ...

FEB 4 JOEL OUT? Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid will undergo knee surgery this week, meaning the Monday night showdown at  that would've featured two MVP candidates won't unfold that way.

The 76ers have a three-game homestand this week that opens Monday against Dallas.

The 76ers are 4-10 without Embiid this season, as the NBA's leading scorer at 35.3 points per game has already has missed 13 games this season.

Luka Doncic Injures Ankle in Mavs’ Loss to Bucks: ‘I Felt a Pop’

Dallas' Doncic is also dealing with a relatively minor ankle issue.

DEC 18 TIM HARDAWAY JR. PASSES FATHER IN CAREER 3-POINTERS MADE — In the first half of Monday night's game against the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavs' guard Tim Hardaway Jr. surpassed his father, Tim Hardaway Sr., on the NBA's all-time 3-Point FGM list with 1,543 makes from downtown. 

Hardaway Jr., moving to No. 44 on the all-time list, jumped past his dad, a five-time All-Star and member of the Hall of Fame, did so in three less seasons and 188 less games than his father. 

Senior may have the career accolades over his son but at least THJ has some sort of bragging rights to bring to the table just in time for the holiday season. 

DEC 16 DIRK ATTENDS SHAWN MARION SUNS' JERSEY RETIREMENT — Before "The Matrix" left his mark in Dallas on the Mavs' 2011 championship team, Shawn Marion was a four-time All-Star in his nine seasons with the Phoenix Suns. 

On Friday, Marion was inducted into the Sun's Ring of Honor with his No. 31 jersey being hung in the rafters. 

In attendance for Marion's honor former coaches with the Suns such as Alvin Gentry and Mike D'Antoni along with former teammates like former Mav Steve Nash and none other than Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki. 

Marion played alongside Nowitzki for five seasons from 2009-14, helping The Big German hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy in 2011. 

Check out the special attendees being introduced at Marion's honor on Friday night below.

DEC 15 JALEN BRUNSON CAREER NIGHT — As much as the Dallas Mavericks try to forget about Jalen Brunson and what could’ve been, the sixth-year guard just keeps reminding them how special he is.

On Friday night, Brunson dropped a career-high 50 points in the New York Knicks’ 139-122 win over the Phoenix Suns. The former Mavs guard and Luka Doncic sidekick also added six rebounds, nine assists and five steals while shooting 17-23 overall, 9-9 from deep and 7-9 from the free-throw line.

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Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Although the Mavs front office will tell you there was nothing they could’ve done to prevent Brunson from joining his father with the Knicks during the 2022 offseason, one has to wonder what the team would look like right now had it ran back that Western Conference Finals team.

To Dallas’ credit, it seems to have rebounded well after having a rough gap year initially following Brunson’s departure. The Mavs are currently 15-9 and fourth in the West, and that’s with several key injuries — including star point guard Kyrie Irving with a heel contusion.

DEC 14 MARK CUBAN ON GIANNIS BALL DRAMA — There is seemingly never a boring day in the NBA, and Wednesday was a prime example of that.

Giannis Antetokounmpo put up a career-high 64 points in the Milwaukee Bucks’ win over the Indiana Pacers, but the main storyline after the game was the Greek Freak angrily running into the Pacers’ tunnel to receive the game ball that was supposedly taken for Indiana rookie Oscar Tshiebwe, who scored his first official NBA point.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban — who is set to be a 25 percent minority owner of the team when his majority stake sale goes through later this month — has officially given his take on the drama. Spoiler alert: He’s taking the side of his former head coach Rick Carlisle.

"Sixty-four is a big deal," Cuban told TMZ. "It rarely, rarely, rarely happens. And for Giannis it was a big deal, but if it's my home game, unless the rookie says it's OK, I'm giving the ball to the rookie."

DEC 13 NBA SUSPENDS DRAYMOND GREEN ... AGAIN – Stop us if you've heard this before, but the NBA is suspending Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green for a hostile act he committed on Tuesday night. This time, though, Green will be suspended indefinitely and will have to meet the league and the Warriors' criteria that includes receiving counseling before he can return to the court.

In the Warriors' loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, Green swung at and struck Jusuf Nurkic, resulting in an ejection from the game and today's suspension.

This news could potentially affect the Dallas Mavericks, as Luka Doncic and company will finish off this calendar year in San Francisco by taking on Steph Curry and the Warriors on Dec. 30. For years, Green has been a lynchpin for Golden State's defense, and with Dallas having the third-best offense in the league, the Warriors might be in for a long night later this month.

DEC 12 LUKA MAGIC APPEARS VS. LAKERS – During the fourth quarter of a tightly-contested, highly-entertaining game between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers, superstar Luka Doncic completed one of the craziest no-look, wrap-around passes we've seen from him.

After leading by as many as 15 points in the third quarter, the Mavs found themselves down to the Lakers in the fourth before making one more tough push. At the time of this post, the Mavs are up 113-108 with 5:37 remaining in the game. Tune back into DallasBasketball.com later tonight for more extensive coverage.

DEC 9 KYRIE SPEAKS ON FOOT INJURY – After hoping for the best but bracing for the worst, the Dallas Mavericks got some encouraging news on Saturday, as Kyrie Irving's foot injury from Friday night's win over the Portland Trail Blazers was determined as being a "heel contusion."

Irving will still likely miss at least a game or two, barring a change in his "significant pain" in the coming days, but the eight-time All-Star took to social media to assure fans that he will "be fine" going forward.

"To my Tribe and Family Members: I appreciate all of the prayers, well -wishes, and messages The unconditional Love shown from you all is truly appreciated. I am feeling better than I was yesterday and for now, that’s all I can ask for. I’ll be fine. Chief Hélà," Irving posted on X.

DEC 9 MAVS SUPERFAN DON KNOBLER PASSES AWAY – Following the Dallas Mavericks' 125-112 road win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, Dallas Morning News reporter Brad Townsend reported on Thursday morning that Mavs superfan Don Knobler has passed away.

Knobler was often seen sitting courtside at Mavs games, wearing some of the most crazy and colorful outfits you could imagine. Some Mavs fans might remember Knobler from his 2018 controversy with then-Los Angeles Clippers point guard Patrick Beverley. Beverley was fighting for the ball with then-Mavs point guard Dennis Smith Jr., resulting in DSJ chipping a tooth. Knobler and Beverley had things to say to each other after that as the Mavs ultimately went on to beat the Clippers, 114-110.

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Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

One thing is for sure – there will never be another Mavs courtside character quite like Don Knobler. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

DEC 6 LUKA UPSETS JAZZ ROLE PLAYER — When a team gets beat as badly as the Utah Jazz did on Wednesday night, there’s naturally going to be some hard feelings.

The Dallas Mavericks blew out the Jazz by 50 points, led by Luka Doncic’s 40-point, history-making triple-double — one that was already a 29-point triple-double before halftime started.

In the third quarter, Doncic swung a pass to the corner for a Derrick Jones 3-pointer, and Jazz role player Kris Dunn apparently took offense to that, as he got in Doncic’s face pointing his finger at him. Doncic walked away, but was still somehow hit with a technical foul due to double techs being called.

In leaked footage of the interactions, you can see and hear Doncic pleading his case, saying he didn’t do anything to deserve a tech and that Dunn was “just mad that I’m busting his a**!”

Never change, Luka… Never change.

DEC 3 DERECK LIVELY II POSTERIZES CHET HOLMGREN – Despite not being able to pull off a 24-point comeback against the OKC Thunder on Saturday night, the Dallas Mavericks are still leaving with something. With just a minute remaining in the second quarter, Mavs rookie big man Dereck Lively II put fellow rookie Chet Holmgren on a poster that got the American Airlines Center crowd on its feet.

Lively made some NBA history on Saturday, finishing with a career-high 20 points on 9-9 shooting to go with 16 rebounds and seven blocks. He became the first NBA player to achieve those stats as a teenager.

Holmgren finished with 11 points on 4-10 shooting to go with 11 rebounds and five blocks. Although Lively is now 1-1 against the Rookie of the Year frontrunners in Victor Wembanyama and Holmgren, he's outplayed both of them in their head-to-head games so far this season.

NOV 29 MORE CUBAN MAVS SALE TALK – If you didn't get enough from our extensive DallasBasketball.com or Mavs Step Back Podcast coverage of Mark Cuban selling a majority stake of the Dallas Mavericks, you can also listen to DBcom boss man Mike Fisher give his take on the news.

Fish joined 105.3 The Fan's "Shan and RJ" to talk about the sale, including the unique details that suggest Cuban will still have control of the team despite selling majority stake. Fish also dives into who the Adelson family is, and why this move could be strategic for Cuban's future Mavs area/casino plans. You can listen to the entire segment here:

NOV 28 CUBAN SELLING? Mark Cuban is selling a "significant stake'' in the Dallas Mavs, according to a report that notes that the arrangement would have the DFW-based billionaire "continue to retain operational control of the team.''

The report, via plugged-in NBA writer Marc Stein, says "The Adelson family is in the process'' of buying its way into part of the ownership group of the franchise, which has been owned by Cuban since 2000. 

Cuban has a vision for the team’s future arena that mirrors that of a Las Vegas-style casino and resort ... and it so happens that the Las Vegas Sands is owned by the Adelson family, with Miriam, widow of Sheldon, worth $32 billion.

Miriam recently sold $2 billion of her Sands stock with the intention of investing in a sports franchise.

NOV 24 LEBRON on LUKA The Mavs were clutch against the Lakers on Thanksgiving Eve in L.A., winning 104-101. ... all of which left LeBron James impressed - as usual - with Luka Doncic.

Luka led all scorers with 30 points in the win and also totaled 13 rebounds and eight assists. James, who led the Lakers with 26 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the loss, was asked about Doncic's future. Where can Luka go?

"Wherever he wants to,'' LeBron said. "It's up to him. It's without question: It's up to him.''

Luka did indeed do some magical things here, once even "nutmegging'' the great LeBron.

The Mavs moved to 10-5 on the season and dropped the Lakers to 9-7. to improve to 10-5.

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Dalton Trigg
DALTON TRIGG

Dalton Trigg is the Editor-In-Chief for Dallas Basketball, as well as the Executive Editor overseeing Inside The Rockets, Inside The Spurs, All Knicks, and The Magic Insider. He is the founder and host for the Mavs Step Back Podcast, which is a proud part of the Blue Wire podcast network. Trigg graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2016. After spending a few years with multiple Dallas Mavericks-related blogs, including SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball, Trigg joined DallasBasketball.com as a staff writer in 2018 and never looked back. At the start of 2022, he was promoted to the EIC title he holds now. Through the years, Trigg has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Mavs GM Nico Harrison, now-retired legend Dirk Nowitzki and many other current/former players and team staffers. Many of those interviews and other articles by Trigg have been aggregated by other well-known sports media websites, such as Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and others. You can find Trigg on all major social media channels, but his most prevalent platform is on Twitter. Whether it’s posting links to his DBcom work, live-tweeting Mavs games or merely giving his opinions on things going on with Dallas and the rest of the NBA, the daily content never stops rolling. For any inquiries, please email Dalton@MavsStepBack.com.

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