Without the injured Maxi Kleber, the Dallas Mavericks won in an offensive spectacle against the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA and continued their strong start to the season, especially thanks to top star Luka Doncic.
The Slovenian scored 44 points at 144:126 in his own stadium and was the decisive man in the seventh win in the ninth game of the season.
While Kleber had to miss the game due to an injury to his toe, Doncic had a great day, hitting an outstanding 17 of 21 shots from the field.
For the Mavericks, who at times played like a frenzy during a 33:4 run in the first half, Kyrie Irving also scored 27 points. For the Clippers, it was the third defeat in the third game since the newly signed former MVP James Harden played.
With 7:2 victories, the Mavericks are the second best team in the Western Conference behind champion Denver Nuggets (8:1). The games on Friday were part of the new NBA In-Season Tournament. In the cup competition, which is integrated into the regular season and runs until December 9th, the Mavs celebrated their first victory in the second game.
Philadelphia and Boston in lockstep
The best team in the NBA East remains Harden’s former team, the Philadelphia 76ers, which is 7-1 after a 114-106 win over the Detroit Pistons. The pursuers Boston Celtics (6:2) also celebrated a confident victory in a 121:107 win against the Brooklyn Nets.
In a thrilling duel between two top West teams that had previously struggled with problems, the Los Angeles Lakers celebrated their first away win at the Phoenix Suns with 122:119 thanks to 32 points from LeBron James, which Kevin Durant couldn’t prevent with 38 points.
Both teams have a negative record with 4:5 wins – which can be attributed to major injury concerns, especially in Phoenix.