Dallas Mavs Reactions: Luka Doncic's 'Ho-Hum' Triple-Double & Dereck Lively's Electric Debut

On the latest episode of the Mavs Step Back Podcast, the guys recap the Dallas Mavericks' 126-119 season-opening win over the San Antonio Spurs.

After initially getting off to a slow start and giving up 43 first-quarter points, the Dallas Mavericks were able to figure things out and ultimately defeat their rival San Antonio Spurs in Wednesday night's season opener, 126-119.

On the latest episode of our Mavs Step Back Podcast, we discuss Luka Doncic's 'ho-hum' 30-point triple-double, rookie big man Dereck Lively II's electric NBA debut, where he arguably outshined No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama, Grant Williams' ability to do all the little things Dallas has sorely missed over the last year, and Kyrie Irving shaking off a bad shooting night to come up big when it mattered most in the fourth quarter.

“I thought Derek [Lively] was great tonight," Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said. "To come off the bench; and I've talked about him playing with the second group and what that would look like. We've shown him in the game and shown him starting in that last preseason game. So, he's been really good with both groups, and I thought being able to bring him off the bench tonight and then being able to start him in the second half was something that we talked about doing."

Luka Doncic and Dereck Lively II execute a pick-and-roll in the Dallas Mavericks' win over the San Antonio Spurs / Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

After starting Lively all four of the Mavs' preseason games, Kidd surprised the fan base by starting Maxi Kleber at center on opening night. The result wasn't great, as the Mavs started off the game in a 21-12 hole out of the gates and didn't take their first lead until halfway through the third quarter. Lively ended up playing 31 minutes to Kleber's 23, so who started and who didn't doesn't matter as much from that perspective. However, Lively was a team-high +20 to Kleber's team-worst -12, so even if Lively doesn't start going forward, Kidd might need to keep minutes adjustments.

"Again, [Lively] was great on both ends," Kidd said. "Being able to rebound the ball, being able to change shots, give us second or third opportunities. It's not easy playing with Luka [Doncic], because Luka is going to throw it, and he expects you to catch and finish and he had some great lobs tonight."

During this episode, we also discuss what we believe to be the Mavs' best starting five, some of the adjustments we saw with the team's pace, and how Dallas' defense tightened up when it mattered most in the last two minutes of the game.

You can watch and listen to our entire exclusive interview with Williams below. As always, thanks for tuning in, and be sure to hit that subscribe button on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere else you get your podcasts!