Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks works through pregame warm-ups before the Dallas Mavericks take on the Los Angeles Lakers at American Airlines Center on December 15, 2021 in Dallas, Texas. Tom Pennington/Getty Images/AFP
Marquese Chriss scored a season-high 15 off the bench to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 95-86 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road Sunday night.
The Mavericks got three key players back after stints in the league’s COVID-19 protocol, including star Luka Doncic.
B2B THREES!
GO OFF THEN, MARQUESE pic.twitter.com/NVKyxdMfRA
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) January 3, 2022
Doncic, playing for the first time since Dec. 10 after missing 10 games due to left ankle soreness and then the NBA’s health and safety protocols, had 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting with 10 assists and nine rebounds, falling just shy of what would’ve been his third triple-double of the season.
Tim Hardaway Jr., who had missed six games, had 15 points also while Maxi Kleber also returned after missing six games.
Go ahead @luka7doncic. Go ahead.
⭐️ 1 RT = 1 #NBAALLSTAR VOTE ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/EULDNbJ05C
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) January 3, 2022
📞 CALL 1-800-CLUTCH 📞 pic.twitter.com/aSxbX3f1Gm
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) January 3, 2022
While the Mavericks got some of their firepower back, the Thunder were without their two top scorers. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is in health and safety protocol while Luguentz Dort was out with left knee soreness.
Without Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort, the Thunder turned to rookie Josh Giddey for offensive production. He led Oklahoma City with 17 points, a season-high 14 assists and 13 rebounds to become the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double.
Giddey, 19, had flirted with triple-doubles several times this season, reaching double figures in two categories six times, but had yet to reach the mark in three until Sunday. Giddey also tied a season-high with four steals.
⛈️ 17 PTS, 13 REB, 14 AST, 4 STL ⛈️@joshgiddey becomes the the youngest player in NBA history to put up a triple-double! #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/cYZewoJ6ZA
— NBA (@NBA) January 3, 2022
The Mavericks led by as many as 15 before the Thunder trimmed the lead to three with less than four minutes remaining in the third quarter on Giddey’s 3-pointer.
But Dallas responded with seven quick points over just more than a minute to stretch the lead back to double digits.
The Thunder didn’t seriously threaten the lead again until cutting it to four in the final minute before Kleber answered with a 3-pointer to put the game away.
While he showed some rust, Doncic still made an impact early, draining the first shot he took — a stepback 3-pointer from the left wing.
But the Mavericks were uneven early, until they surged to the lead with a 14-2 run late in the first quarter. Hardaway Jr. scored six points during the stretch, and all of Dallas’ buckets in the run were assisted while the Thunder were just 1 of 8 with two turnovers.