Doncic, Irving combine for 70 as Mavericks beat Booker, Suns

Between the updates on Donnie Nelson’s lawsuit against the Mavs and reports of ticket hikes under the new owners and Jalen Brunson’s take on everything that went wrong in Dallas, the return to play after the All-Star break couldn’t have come soon enough Thursday. Nothing like a little basketball to take your mind off current events.

Especially what looked like playoff basketball at American Airlines Center.

Behind Luka Doncic’s 41 points and near triple-double as well as Kyrie Irving’s 29 points, the Mavs beat the Suns, 123-113, pulling them into a sixth-place tie with Phoenix and giving them the tie-breaker for the season.

Not only was this a nice way to pick up what had been a six-game winning streak going into the break, it came under the courtside view of the new owners: Miriam Adelson, her son-in-law, Patrick Dumont, and what looked like most of the clan.

Related:New Mavericks majority owner Miriam Adelson attends first game since purchase of franchise

Might have felt that, at $3.9 billion, they got a steal.

Luka and Irving out-starred Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, who combined for 58 points, and the rest of the new-look Mavs picked it up from there. The supporting cast did such a good job, in fact, that Luka played only 38 minutes and Irving, 35.

“Luka wants to play 48,” Jason Kidd said, smiling, “but he can still get his numbers in 30 minutes or less.”

Nearly any combination on the floor is conceivable for the Mavs now with the new personnel and the effect it’s had on the defense overall. Big lineup or small, the linchpin remains Maxi Kleber, but the impact of Daniel Gafford, paired with rookie Dereck Lively II, and P.J. Washington is notable. Might even have left a mark on Booker.

Before the deals, the Mavs were among the league’s worst rebounding and defensive teams. Since the deal, they’ve ranked among the best.

Looks sustainable to Frank Vogel.

“They’re huge now, with him and Lively,” the Suns’ coach said of Gafford. “Having a big monster in there like that makes them bigger on the glass. And, you know, another lob catcher. Bigger defensively at the rim.

“So, yeah, he enhances what they do.”

This is what Gafford does: A devastating block of a Booker floater in the third period brought the crowd to its feet. Gafford repeated on Booker’s next drive, only to catch a little too much body on the effort.

As long as Gafford is manning the middle, Main Street is officially closed.

Kyle Kuzma provided a nice scouting report immediately after his old teammate went off for 16 points and 17 rebounds against the Wizards in 24 minutes. Because Luka draws so many double teams, life in the lane isn’t so cluttered.

“Gafford’s got the easiest job in sports now,” Kuzma said. “He’s just got to catch the ball in the middle of the key and he just has to make the right play.

“I’m happy for him.”

Related:Mavericks appear poised for strong season finish, unlike last year’s post-All-Star swoon

No one should be happier than Lively, who only last week was still a teenager with the weight of the Mavs’ world on his slender shoulders. Gafford proved to be a nice birthday present from management.

But don’t get any ideas that the additions of Gafford and Washington gave Kidd a locked-in lineup. Even at nearly full strength for the first time since October, he wants to tinker. A couple days off before Sunday’s game in Indianapolis, combined with the two practices during the break, has given him ideas about different combinations.

“We’ll continue to work on some of that new stuff defensively,” Kidd said, “but I thought it was a great effort from start to finish.”

While his defense Thursday was first-rate, Washington, who finished with 12 points, still needs a little work on offense. Might be why Luka was so pumped for a Washington 3 in the third quarter. You certainly can’t say a game as big as Thursday’s was too much for him, though.

Did this feel like a playoff game to you?

“I don’t know,” he said, laughing. “I ain’t never been to the playoffs.”

From the looks of things Thursday, chances are he’ll get a look soon enough. The Suns, who were on a pretty good roll themselves coming in, came at the Mavs in waves. Even without Bradley Beal, it’s a formidable lineup, if occasionally an ugly one.

Grayson Allen’s clothesline of Luka in the second half, for instance, would have made Night Train Lane proud.

Luka picked up another technical, but, overall, the Mavs did a nice job of holstering their tempers. Kidd said it shows their maturity. If nothing else, the freewheeling feel contributed to the playoff-like atmosphere. Frankly, it was so compelling, it nearly made you forget the walk-off of a former Mav getting a little MVP love. The good news is these Mavs appear to be moving on. About time.

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