<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-injury-return-2024-preseason');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks’ Luka Doncic takes step toward injury return');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Luka-Doncic-takes-step-toward-injury-return.jpg"></figure><h1>Mavericks’ Luka Doncic takes step toward injury return</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-12T14:29:08-07:00">October 12th, 2:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-12T14:29:08-07:00">October 12th, 2:29pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks held practice on Saturday ahead of their upcoming game in Los Angeles against the Clippers on Monday. Mavs head coach Jason Kidd provided injury updates on Luka Doncic and PJ Washington.</p><p>“PJ went through practice, he was good,” Kidd said. “And then Luka participated in non-contact today, so he was good.”</p><p>So will Doncic and Washington <a href="https://x.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1845155163750715652" rel="noopener">be ready for Monday’s game</a>?</p><p>“I would not say Monday,” Kidd said. “But we will see how everything is going when we come back from LA. We will probably have a better sense of what’s going to take place on Thursday.”</p><p>Doncic is dealing with a calf contusion while Washington is battling hip tightness. Neither injury is considered to be serious but the Mavs are still closely monitoring the concerns.</p><p>Kidd had provided an update on Washington Friday as well, stating that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-dallas-klay-thompson-pj-washington-injury-updates">Mavs forward got some work in during Friday’s practice</a>. The most recent update on Doncic before Saturday, however, came before Thursday’s preseason game against the Utah Jazz. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-jason-kidd-luka-doncic-playing-preseason-injury">Kidd said Doncic likely wouldn’t play Monday but did not rule out the final preseason game</a> against the Milwaukee Bucks, something that seemingly hasn’t changed.</p><p>However, Doncic participating in “non-contact” is a promising step. He still has work to do before playing in a game but Doncic appears to be headed in the right direction.</p><h2><b>Luka Doncic still dealing with injury</b></h2><p>The Mavericks would surely love for Doncic to play in a game alongside new teammate Klay Thompson before the regular season. With that being said, Dallas also will not rush Doncic back. There is no reason to risk further injury.</p><p>It remains to be seen if Doncic or Washington will play in the preseason. They have not played yet, and the Mavericks may not make a final decision until Thursday’s game against the Bucks.</p><p>We will continue to monitor and provide updates as they are made available.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks’ Luka Doncic takes step toward injury return

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-jason-kidd-luka-doncic-playing-preseason-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks’ Jason Kidd doesn’t rule out Luka Doncic playing in preseason');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Mavericks-news-Jason-Kidd-doesnt-rule-out-Luka-Doncic-playing-in-preseason.jpg"></figure><h1>Mavericks’ Jason Kidd doesn’t rule out Luka Doncic playing in preseason</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-10T17:28:57-07:00">October 10th, 5:28pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-10T17:55:16-07:00">October 10th, 5:55pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks are playing the Utah Jazz on Thursday night. Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving are making their 2024-25 preseason debuts, but Luka Doncic remains out with a calf injury. So will Doncic play during the preseason?</p><p>“Luka is feeling great,” Kidd <a href="https://x.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1844507205762253261" rel="noopener">told reporters before Thursday’s game</a>.  “We will see (if he will play in the preseason)… Running out of games. But we will see if he’s going to participate. He’s not going to participate tonight or on Monday. We will see what (next Thursday against the Milwaukee Bucks) looks like.”</p><p>Kidd said Thompson will not play Thursday against the Jazz or Monday against the Clippers in Los Angeles. However, the Mavs head coach did not rule out Doncic playing next Thursday against the Bucks in the team’s preseason finale.</p><p>Doncic is battling a left calf contusion. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-injury-update-jason-kidd-training-camp">Mavericks do not seem to be overly concerned about the injury</a>, but they are understandably proceeding with caution in the preseason.</p><h2><b>Mavericks’ Luka Doncic could play in preseason</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Luka-Doncic-dribbles-a-basketball-during-Mavericks-Media-Day.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-calf-injury-training-camp">Doncic suffered the calf injury before training camp</a>. The initial news had Mavs fans concerned, but fortunately this does not seem to be a serious issue. Still, the team is certainly monitoring the situation closely.</p><p>Doncic will not play in the preseason finale if any setback occurs. Even if a setback doesn’t occur, there are no guarantees that the star will take the floor to conclude the preseason. The Mavs’ primary focus is ensuring that Doncic is ready to go for October 24, as that date represents Dallas’ first game of the regular season.</p><p>For now, the Mavericks are trying to defeat the Jazz on Thursday night. Dallas is 0-1 so far in the preseason.</p><p>We will continue to monitor and provide updates on Luka Doncic’s injury status as they are made available.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks’ Jason Kidd doesn’t rule out Luka Doncic playing in preseason

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-kyrie-irving-championship-marcus-smart');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks’ Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving get championship truth bombs from Marcus Smart');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Luka-Doncic-Kyrie-Irving-get-truth-bombs-from-Marcus-Smart.jpg"></figure><h1>Mavericks’ Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving get championship truth bombs from Marcus Smart</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-09T06:59:12-07:00">October 9th, 6:59am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-09T07:04:28-07:00">October 9th, 7:04am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Exclusive</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>DALLAS — The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-dallas-nba-preseason-jaden-hardy-jazian-gortman">Dallas Mavericks were defeated 121-116 in their preseason opener</a> against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night. The morning before the game, however, Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart took some time to speak with ClutchPoints after Memphis’ shoot-around. Smart addressed a number of topics, including Kyrie Irving’s fit with the Mavs and Luka Doncic’s career progression.</p><h2><b>Marcus Smart explains “advantage” of having Kyrie Irving on the Mavericks roster</b></h2><p>Smart, who has played in the NBA since the 2014-15 season, is quite familiar with Irving’s game. He has seen the guard play with different teams and was impressed by Kyrie’s first full season with the Mavs.</p><p>“I thought it was great,” Smart told ClutchPoints of Irving’s first full season in Dallas. “I mean… Coming to Dallas nobody was expecting them to do what they did in the fashion that they did it. That shows a lot. Kai (Irving) came in and was a part of that process to get them there. Obviously you got Luka and those other guys, but to have Kai there is just a big advantage for them to help them get over that hump and get them to the next level. And that’s what they did… They didn’t win (a championship), but they got there. They figured out what it takes.”</p><p>Smart’s comments will increase the confidence of Mavericks fans. He clearly took notice of Dallas’ postseason run and believes the Mavs “figured out what it takes” to get the job done in the postseason.</p><h2><b>Luka Doncic’s career progression gets Marcus Smart admission</b></h2><p>Doncic has emerged as one of the best players in the NBA. He is a consistent MVP candidate. Although he has yet to win the award, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2024-25-nba-media-poll-mvp-luka-doncic-shai-gilgeous-alexander-dethrone-nikola-jokic">Doncic is the favorite heading into the 2024-25 season</a>.</p><p>Smart said Doncic has “demanded” the league. The Grizzlies guard also explained how he played against a “16-year-old” Doncic, so Smart has truly seen Luka’s progression over the years.</p><p>“Oh man, just the way he’s came and demanded the league,” Smart said. “I actually had the opportunity to play against Luka when he was 16. We went to Milan and he was on the Milan team. You know, at the time, you see him, he’s a 16-year-old kid. Doesn’t look how he looks now. You see him now, it’s like that’s not the same 16-year-old kid. But Luka is a great player, we all know that. We all know what he has been doing and can do in this league. His progression… He’s taking even bigger steps.”</p><h2><b>Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving looking to lead Mavericks to championship</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Luka-Doncic-and-Kyrie-Irving-celebrate-during-2024-NBA-playoffs.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Doncic and Irving are one of the best duos in the entire NBA. They have a legitimate argument to be referred to as the best duo in the entire league. Winning a championship would go a long way toward earning that title, though.</p><p>The Mavericks have high expectations for the upcoming 2024-25 campaign. Dallas added Klay Thompson and upgraded the roster depth around the stars. The Mavs are fresh off an NBA Finals appearance despite finishing as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference last year.</p><p>Dallas should be able to take a step forward and finish with a better record in the regular season. As a result, the Mavs could end up being a top three seed in the West, which would obviously benefit a potential NBA Finals run.</p><p>At the moment, Doncic, Irving and the Mavericks are focused on the NBA preseason and preparing for the new season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks’ Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving get championship truth bombs from Marcus Smart

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/2024-25-nba-media-poll-mvp-luka-doncic-shai-gilgeous-alexander-dethrone-nikola-jokic');   ga('set', 'title', '2024-25 NBA Media Poll: Will Luka Doncic or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dethrone Nikola Jokic for MVP?');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Will-Luka-Doncic-or-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-dethrone-Nikola-Jokic-for-MVP.jpg"></figure><h1>2024-25 NBA Media Poll: Will Luka Doncic or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dethrone Nikola Jokic for MVP?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-08T09:14:40-07:00">October 8th, 9:14am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-08T09:14:40-07:00">October 8th, 9:14am</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Nikola Jokic has claimed three of the last four NBA MVP awards. If it wasn’t for Joel Embiid during the 2022-23 season, Jokic would have four straight MVP awards. The Denver Nuggets superstar has undoubtedly been the <a href="https://www.nba.com/nuggets/news/the-statistics-of-nikola-jokics-mvp-caliber-season" rel="noopener">best player</a> in the league, but the 2023-24 season proved that there are other superstars on the verge of capturing their first MVP honors like Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and even Jalen Brunson.</p><p>Ahead of the 2024-25 season, the race for the MVP award is as wide open as it has been in quite some time. The main reason this is such a wide open race in the preseason is due to the fact that each candidate brings a unique angle to the table.</p><p>For Jokic, he is the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-reached-larry-bird-magic-johnson-status-bill-simmons">most dominant player in the world</a> and has earned the MVP award numerous times. However, Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder claimed the 1-seed in the Western Conference last year and have proven to be legitimate championship contenders. There is then Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, who are coming off a trip to the 2024 NBA Finals. Perhaps Brunson or another name will also emerge in the MVP race, similar to what happened with Gilgeous-Alexander last year.</p><p>There is so much talent across the NBA right now, making for excellent competition and award races. That is why it is extremely hard to predict who will win the 2024-25 NBA Most Valuable Player award.</p><p>Although nobody has the answer to who will receive the league’s highest honor in 2025, a total of 30 different media members across the NBA, some of whom are official NBA voters, participated in ClutchPoints’ preseason media poll. Along with being asked about their predictions for the 2025 NBA Finals and how the season as a whole will play out, these media members were asked the tough question of naming their early pick for MVP.</p><p>While the voting was close, the media chose a clear favorite for the 2024-25 MVP award.</p><h2><b>ClutchPoints’ 2024-25 NBA Most Valuable Player media poll results</b></h2><p><b>1. Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks) – 46.7%</b></p><p>2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder) – 33.3%</p><p>T3. Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets) – 6.7%</p><p>T3. Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks) – 6.7%</p><p><i>Others receiving votes: Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL), Ja Morant (MEM)</i></p><h2><b>Luka Doncic vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for MVP</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-defends-Luka-Doncic.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Both Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander received consideration for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-2023-24-nba-mvp">2023-24 NBA MVP award</a>. While Jokic won the award with 79 first-place votes, the Thunder guard made a name for himself by finishing second with 15 first-place votes. Doncic got only four first-place votes despite his near triple-double season.</p><p>No matter how you look at these two players, there is no argument against them being the favorites for the MVP award this upcoming season. With just two weeks until the 2024-25 regular season begins, NBA media members are projecting Doncic to beat out Gilgeous-Alexander and claim his first MVP award. In fact, Doncic received just under half of the total preseason votes that were cast.</p><p>The Mavs had a special season last year, as they made it all the way to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011. Of course, Doncic was the main reason for his team’s success, as the Slovenian star averaged 33.9 points, 9.8 assists, and 9.2 rebounds per game while shooting 48.7 percent from the floor and 38.2 percent from three-point range. Luka led the league in scoring for the first time in his career, and he registered 49 double-doubles in 70 total games, the most by a non-frontcourt player.</p><p>Now that Klay Thompson is in Dallas, Doncic’s job is only set to get easier, as the Mavericks have even more offensive firepower for the MVP frontrunner to play around with.</p><p>On the flip side of things, Gilgeous-Alexander is set to pick up right where he left off. Now, the young guard has a chip on his shoulder and is ready to take the next step after the Thunder lost to Doncic’s Mavs in the second round of the playoffs despite earning the 1-seed in the West. OKC has only gotten better by signing Isaiah Hartenstein and trading Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso.</p><p>In a total of 75 games last season, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 53.5 percent from the floor. He finished second behind Doncic in total points scored (2,254) and fourth in field goals made (796). It is worth noting that SGA was tied with De’Aaron Fox for the most steals (150) and steals per game (2.0) in the league.</p><p>The only difference between Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander is that while the Mavs star is an all-around offensive and triple-double threat, Gilgeous-Alexander is a two-way threat. Should these two be battling for MVP late in the season, the vote could realistically come down to which team finishes with a better record.</p><h2><b>Nikola Jokic, Jalen Brunson viewed as dark-horse MVP candidates</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Nuggets-center-Nikola-Jokic-15-reacts-after-a-play.jpg"><figcaption>Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>We can’t forget about the other superstar talents around the league who are vying for the MVP award ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season. Jokic is obviously going to be in the running for the award as long as he is healthy, and Brunson is once again going to play the role of the underdog in this race. However, a lot more attention is being given to Brunson and the New York Knicks right now after all of the major moves they made this offseason.</p><p>In addition to bringing back OG Anunoby on a big contract, the Knicks acquired both Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns in their hunt for a title. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/how-karl-anthony-towns-trade-helps-knicks-timberwolves-hornets">Knicks essentially look like a make-believe roster</a> on NBA 2K right now since their roster is filled with firepower and talent. Towns, Bridges, Anunoby, and Josh Hart are all the types of players who can thrive off the ball on offense next to Brunson, which is why the overwhelming belief about the Knicks entering the new season is that they have what it takes to possibly take down the Boston Celtics.</p><p>Outside of all the noise surrounding Towns and Bridges, many tend to overlook the numbers Brunson put up last year. Only missing five total games, Brunson averaged 28.7 points, 6.7 assists, and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 47.9 percent from the floor and 40.1 percent from three-point range. Brunson’s career high in scoring is a testament to his ability to thrive in isolation and pick-and-roll sets. It is not hard to say that Brunson is one of the best when it comes to utilizing screens to get to his spots in the mid-range area, where he can often times also draw fouls.</p><p>A 50-win season and possibly taking the top spot in the Eastern Conference over the Celtics would 100 percent result in Brunson taking home the MVP award.</p><p>The big question about the MVP race entering the 2024-25 season is whether or not Jokic can do the unthinkable and claim his fourth award in a five-year span. Only LeBron James and Bill Russell ever achieved such a feat.</p><p>At this point, there could absolutely be some voter fatigue that catches up with Jokic. That is what happened when Jokic didn’t receive as many votes as he probably should’ve for the award during the 2022-23 season.</p><p>What else could Jokic truly do in order to separate himself from the rest of the players in this award race? While Doncic, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Brunson continue to improve and help their team reach new heights, Jokic is simply continuing to be great. It will be very interesting to see how his constant MVP numbers stack up with the improvements of others.</p><p>No matter what, these are the four players who will be associated with the 2024-25 NBA MVP award race. Buckle up, because it should be a good one.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 NBA Media Poll: Will Luka Doncic or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dethrone Nikola Jokic for MVP?

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-kyrie-irving-klay-thompson-dallas-preseason');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson are out for Mavericks’ preseason opener');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Why-Luka-Doncic-Kyrie-Irving-Klay-Thompson-are-out-for-preseason-opener.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson are out for Mavericks’ preseason opener</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-07T11:05:30-07:00">October 7th, 11:05am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-07T11:05:30-07:00">October 7th, 11:05am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks will host the Memphis Grizzlies in their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grizzlies-news-memphis-not-going-vanilla-preseason-opener-mavericks">preseason opener on Monday night</a>. However, Dallas will be without a number of impactful players. Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson are <a href="https://x.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1843335877730414802" rel="noopener">among the players who will not see any action on Monday evening</a>. PJ Washington, Dante Exum, Maxi Kleber, Brandon Williams and Kessler Edwards also will not play in the game.</p><p>So why are these players not playing in the preseason opener?</p><h2><b>Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson out for rest</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Jason-Kidd.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Mavs announced that Irving and Thompson will not play due to “rest.” Many teams don’t place their stars in the lineup early in the preseason, and that seems to be the case here.</p><p>Mavericks fans are excited to see Thompson make his debut with the team. In fact, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-klay-thompson-dallas-naji-marshall">Thompson even received “we want Klay” chants</a> from fans during the Mavericks’ Fan Jam on Sunday.</p><p>However, fans will have to wait to see Thompson, as well as Irving, play in the preseason until at least Thursday.</p><h2><b>Luka Doncic among Mavericks dealing with injuries</b></h2><p>The Mavs also shared a number of injury updates on Monday. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-calf-injury-training-camp">Luka Doncic is battling a left calf contusion</a> so he won’t play on Monday. Doncic suffered the injury before training camp and he was not expected to play in the preseason opener.</p><p>PJ Washington is dealing with left hip tightness. Washington’s absence means that four starters will not play in the game.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-dante-exum-injury-nba-preseason">Dante Exum suffered a potentially serious wrist injury</a> during training camp. His injury timeline is uncertain the moment.</p><p>Maxi Kleber (left ankle sprain), Brandon Williams (right calf strain) and Kessler Edwards (left ankle sprain) are also dealing with injuries. The Mavericks injuries will be worth closely monitoring ahead of the regular season. Dallas will proceed with caution as the preseason continues.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson are out for Mavericks’ preseason opener

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-fans-frenzy-full-court-shot');   ga('set', 'title', 'Luka Doncic sends Mavericks fans into frenzy with casual full-court shot');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Mavericks-news-Luka-Doncic-sends-fans-into-frenzy-with-casual-full-court-shot.jpg"></figure><h1>Luka Doncic sends Mavericks fans into frenzy with casual full-court shot</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-06T12:37:16-07:00">October 6th, 12:37pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-06T12:37:16-07:00">October 6th, 12:37pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-jason-kidd-luka-doncic-roster-warning-nba">The Dallas Mavericks reshaped their roster</a> this offseason following their NBA Finals loss to the Boston Celtics. Although the team recently received a scare when superstar <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-calf-injury-training-camp">Luka Doncic suffered a calf injury</a> to open up training camp, the MVP candidate is expected to be ready for the season, one that will be filled with expectations for the new-look Mavericks.</p><p>Recently, Dallas hosted a practice at their home arena that was open for fans of the team to attend, and Doncic fittingly gave them all something to drop their jaws about when he casually <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1842994255603835204" rel="noopener">tossed in a shot</a> from nearly the full 94-feet length of the court.</p><p>https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1842994255603835204</p><p>Doncic shot the ball in “sky hook” fashion, modeling after legendary players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who usually attempted the shot from about 80 feet closer to the basket than Doncic did.</p><p>One person who couldn’t believe what he saw was Mavericks second year big man Dereck Lively II.</p><p>“Man the bs I see everyday is crazy,” wrote Lively on X, formerly Twitter, alongside some laughing emojis.</p><h2><b>Can the Mavericks make another deep run?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Doncic-at-media-day.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>There has perhaps never been more optimism for a Mavericks season than there is for the current upcoming 2024-25 campaign, at least since Dallas last won a championship vs LeBron James and the Miami Heat in 2011.</p><p>The Mavericks made a big move this summer by adding future Hall of Famer and sharpshooter Kaly Thompson from the Golden State Warriors in what was technically a sign and trade move but didn’t result in them parting with any significant assets.</p><p>The Thompson move was a clear reaction to Dallas’ shooting struggled in their Finals loss to the Boston Celtics, particularly after Boston made a concerted effort to minimize the corner three point attempts that largely carried the Mavericks to the Finals.</p><p>There are, however, some concerns about how seamlessly Thompson will be able to fit into a Mavericks team that already has defensive limitations with both Doncic and Kyrie Irving in the starting lineup. While Thompson was an elite defender in his heyday, back to back significant knee injuries in 2019 and 2020 have severely limited his impact on that end of the floor in the present day.</p><p>The team also lost arguably its best perimeter defender in Derrick Jones Jr. in free agency, as well as its third leading scorer during the regular season in Tim Hardaway Jr., although Hardaway didn’t have much of an impact during the team’s playoff run.</p><p>In any case, the Mavericks are now gearing up to begin their preseason schedule, before the regular season gets underway on October 23 with a home game vs the San Antonio Spurs.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Luka Doncic sends Mavericks fans into frenzy with casual full-court shot

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/celtics-news-jaylen-brown-luka-doncic-kyrie-irving-tough-guard');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jaylen Brown reveals what makes Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving so tough to guard');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Celtics-news-Jaylen-Brown-reveals-what-makes-Luka-Doncic-Kyrie-Irving-so-tough-to-guard.jpg"></figure><h1>Jaylen Brown reveals what makes Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving so tough to guard</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-04T20:26:00-07:00">October 4th, 8:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-04T20:26:00-07:00">October 4th, 8:26pm</time><address><a>Nathan Yasis</a>Nathan Yasis is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints, specializing in the NBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jaylen Brown claimed the Finals MVP award, largely due to his impressive defense on Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. His all-around performance played a key role in the Boston Celtics’ five-game dominance over the Dallas Mavericks.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-jaylen-brown-makes-bold-nba-predictions-under-fire-hot-ones">Brown appeared on the popular show Hot Ones</a> with Sean Evans, where <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHuWxAXD5Pk" rel="noopener">he offered an insightful comparison</a> about guarding the Mavericks’ dynamic duo of Doncic and Irving. He likened it to listening to music.</p><h2><b>Jaylen Brown likening defense to music</b></h2><p>“There’s a rhythm and a cadence to how people play. Certain guys play to a certain beat, a certain cadence, a certain style. if you know their style, you can time what they’re going to do next because you know their rhythm and the BPM they play at,” said the Celtics star.</p><p>Drawing from firsthand experience, Jaylen Brown led the Boston Celtics past <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-klay-thompson-missing-piece-luka-doncic-kyrie-irving">Doncic, Irving, and the Mavericks</a>. While Doncic still posted impressive numbers—averaging 29.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists on 47.2% shooting—his efforts fell short. The Mavericks managed to break 100 points in only one of the five Finals games.</p><p>“Luka (Doncic) has a unique rhythm. It’s almost so slow that it’s hard to time. Kyrie has a unique rhythm as well, very one-of-one. His moves and cadences are very hard to time. He’s got a lot of counters, he can pivot off both feet, he can shoot with both hands, and he can drive in both directions, which makes his rhythm a lot harder to track,” Brown continued.</p><p>It’s a unique approach to describing defense, but it highlights why Dallas’ offense is so difficult to contain. With players as distinct as Doncic and Irving, defending requires not just skill but also a great deal of patience and anticipation to keep them in check without committing fouls.</p><p>“Some guys only go right, some guys only go left, and some guys have two moves that they go to. So, I look at basketball as poetry in motion, which is music. Everybody is playing their own song. Everybody samples from different artists. If you want to stop them you gotta study their rhythm, you gotta learn when their beat is about to drop.”</p><h2><b>Brown and the Celtics stifling Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Mavericks-Luka-Doncic-and-Kyrie-Irving-on-the-floor-during-the-playoffs.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Brown was crucial in restricting Kyrie Irving’s impact, limiting him to 19.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists while shooting 41.4%. This marked a huge decline for Irving, who had been a potent scorer throughout both the regular season and Playoffs.</p><p>The Celtics overall effectively contained the Mavericks’ stars, particularly during the three games in Boston. They held Irving to just over 14 points per game while making Doncic earn every point, limiting his ability to execute his unusual passes to open shooters despite him still averaging 30 points per game.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-jaylen-brown-joe-mazzulla-killer-whale-offense-seals">Boston is known for their high-powered offense</a> that led the league in offensive rating and ranked second in team scoring, leaned on their stifling defense to hold the Mavericks to just 99.2 points per game, well below their regular season average of 117.9 PPG.</p><p>With Dallas’ dynamic duo unable to perform effectively together, Boston successfully neutralized the formidable Mavericks offense, winning the Larry O’Brien trophy. Jaylen Brown earned the 2024 NBA Finals MVP award, despite Jayson Tatum posting better statistics, as many believe Brown’s defensive contributions were the key difference.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jaylen Brown reveals what makes Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving so tough to guard

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-caitlin-clark-rookie-of-the-year-message');   ga('set', 'title', 'Luka Doncic sends Caitlin Clark heartwarming Rookie of the Year message');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Mavericks-news-Luka-Doncic-sends-Caitlin-Clark-heartwarming-Rookie-of-the-Year-message.jpg"></figure><h1>Luka Doncic sends Caitlin Clark heartwarming Rookie of the Year message</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-04T16:35:03-07:00">October 4th, 4:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-04T16:35:03-07:00">October 4th, 4:35pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic welcomed Caitlin Clark to the Rookie of the Year club with a <a href="https://x.com/dallasmavs/status/1842325450032615733" rel="noopener">heartfelt message on Friday</a>. Doncic won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award during the 2018-19 season with the Mavs. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/fever-news-caitlin-clark-receives-messages-pacers-stars-after-rookie-of-the-year-win">Clark, meanwhile, was recently announced as the 2024 recipient of the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award</a>.</p><p>Video via the Dallas Mavericks on X, formerly Twitter.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">From one ROTY to another… <a href="https://twitter.com/luka7doncic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@luka7doncic</a> has a message for ya, <a href="https://twitter.com/CaitlinClark22?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CaitlinClark22</a>! 💪<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MFFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MFFL</a> <a href="https://t.co/mJwUJBGmdZ">pic.twitter.com/mJwUJBGmdZ</a></p><p>— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) <a href="https://twitter.com/dallasmavs/status/1842325450032615733?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“Caitlin, congratulations on an amazing season,” Doncic said. “Rookie of the Year is a big honor. You deserve it. Congratulations.”</p><h2><b>Luka Doncic, Caitlin Clark’s rookie seasons</b></h2><p>Luka Doncic averaged 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per outing en route to winning the 2018-19 Rookie of the Year in the NBA. He surprisingly was not selected to the NBA All-Star team that season, however. Doncic has since made five consecutive All-Star teams, though.</p><p>Caitlin Clark was selected to the 2024 WNBA All-Star team after averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game. Clark, who is known for her limitless range from beyond the arc, shot 34.4 percent from deep while leading the Indiana Fever to the postseason.</p><p>The Rookie of the Year has been the highlight of some recipient’s careers in both the NBA and WNBA. Other winners of the award, however, go on to leave historic legacies. Luka is unquestionably on a legendary path, as he’s already led the Mavericks to two Western Conference Finals and one NBA Finals appearance at only 25 years old. Clark also has an incredibly high-ceiling as she’s fresh off one of the best rookie seasons in WNBA history.</p><p>Luka Doncic is arguably the best player in the NBA right now. He was snubbed of his first MVP last season, but perhaps he will take home the award for the 2024-25 campaign. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-calf-injury-training-camp">Doncic is currently battling an injury</a> but if he can stay healthy for most of the season he will be in the MVP conversation.</p><p>Caitlin Clark may end up winning an MVP of her own someday. In fact, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/fevers-caitlin-clark-aces-aja-wilson-favored-to-win-2025-wnba-mvp">Clark is among the early favorites for the 2025 award</a> after finishing fourth in MVP voting this season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Luka Doncic sends Caitlin Clark heartwarming Rookie of the Year message

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-jason-kidd-luka-doncic-roster-warning-nba');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks’ Jason Kidd fires Luka Doncic-led roster warning to league');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mavericks-news-Harsh-Luka-Doncic-criticsm-gets-fiery-Jason-Kidd-response.jpg"></figure><h1>Mavericks’ Jason Kidd fires Luka Doncic-led roster warning to league</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-03T11:28:02-07:00">October 3rd, 11:28am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-03T11:28:02-07:00">October 3rd, 11:28am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd recently joined NBA insider Marc Stein for an interview. A number of topics were discussed, including the Mavs’ roster construction around Luka Doncic. Kidd <a href="https://x.com/DLLS_Mavs/status/1841857028945244588" rel="noopener">believes the Mavericks’ 2024-25 team is the deepest</a> that Doncic has been apart of, via DLLS Mavs.</p><p>“This is the deepest team that he’s (Doncic) been apart of,” Kidd said. “He has a lot of different weapons. The other part of that is… we can lighten the load with him not having to do everything. And that’s going to be new for him, too, because he’s always felt that he had to do everything. Again, a lot of different weapons. But when you talk about our leader, Luka, it starts with him… He’s up for this challenge.”</p><p>Klay Thompson was the Mavericks’ standout offseason acquisition. However, Dallas added a number of potentially impactful players. Quentin Grimes, who was acquired during the offseason, recently <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-quentin-grimes-plan-luka-doncic">echoed a similar sentiment to Kidd’s comments</a>.</p><p>“So hopefully me and Klay (Thompson) come in, get the burden off of Luka (Doncic) so he doesn’t have to do too much out there,” Grimes said on Tuesday after the Mavericks’ training camp practice. “So just coming in and playing my role, really.”</p><p>It goes without saying, but Kyrie Irving certainly helped matters as well last season. These comments are not meant to overlook Irving’s impact. Rather, they are simply stating that the entire Mavericks roster features impactful depth which will prove to be crucial throughout the 2024-25 season.</p><h2><b>Mavericks’ Luka Doncic currently battling an injury</b></h2><p>The Mavs’ expectations are high for the upcoming season. However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-calf-injury-training-camp">Doncic is currently battling a calf injury</a>. Luka is going to be re-evaluated next week.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-injury-update-jason-kidd-training-camp">Mavericks don’t believe there is any long-term concern</a> in reference to the injury. Still, they will have a better understanding of his timeline once he is re-evaluated. The Mavs will provide updates as they are made available.</p><p>The Mavericks believe in their roster. As long as injuries don’t play too impactful of a role this year, the team will be in a great position to seriously compete once again.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks’ Jason Kidd fires Luka Doncic-led roster warning to league

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/timberwolves-news-anthony-edwards-picks-winner-luka-doncic-larry-bird');   ga('set', 'title', 'Anthony Edwards picks winner of fantasy Luka Doncic-Larry Bird duel');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Anthony-Edwards-picks-winner-of-fantasy-Luka-Doncic-Larry-Bird-duel.jpg"></figure><h1>Anthony Edwards picks winner of fantasy Luka Doncic-Larry Bird duel</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-02T19:04:01-07:00">October 2nd, 7:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-02T19:04:01-07:00">October 2nd, 7:04pm</time><address><a>Nathan Yasis</a>Nathan Yasis is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints, specializing in the NBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>At NBA media day, Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards weighed in on hypothetical one-on-one matchups between basketball legends, like Luka Doncic versus Larry Bird. Edwards quickly made some picks, while others took him more time to decide.</p><h2><b>Anthony Edwards picking the modern-day players over their predecessors</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Timberwolves-Anthony-Edwards-in-the-playoffs.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Edwards <a href="https://www.twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1841613696109359303" rel="noopener">shared his thoughts on</a> a series of hypothetical one-on-one matchups between basketball legends. When asked to choose between Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo in their prime, Edwards confidently picked Rondo. For a showdown between Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant, he leaned towards KD. In a more debated matchup, Edwards ultimately chose Luka Doncic over Larry Bird.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“Who would win 1-on-1 in their prime?… [Chris Paul or Rajon Rondo]?”  </p><p>Anthony Edwards: “Rondo.”  </p><p>“[Carmelo Anthony vs. Kevin Durant].”  </p><p>Edwards: “KD.”  </p><p>“[Luka Doncic vs. Larry Bird].”  </p><p>Edwards: "Luka.”  </p><p>Thoughts? 🤔</p><p> (via <a href="https://twitter.com/HoHighlights?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HoHighlights</a>)<a href="https://t.co/EL4U99mj5k">pic.twitter.com/EL4U99mj5k</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1841613696109359303?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>At just 23 years old, Anthony Edwards grew up watching basketball icons like LeBron James and Stephen Curry dominate the 2010s. However, his study of the game extends beyond his era. He has also analyzed the playstyles of legends like Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, incorporating some of their signature moves into his own repertoire.</p><p>In a one-on-one setting, making solid predictions is tricky, but Anthony Edwards understands the game deeply and recognizes what strategies succeed. Without teammates for support, players must depend entirely on their own intelligence and skill set to generate a clean shot and outmaneuver the defender in isolation.</p><p>The Luka Doncic vs. Larry Bird matchup is likely the most contentious of the hypothetical one-on-ones, but it’s no shock that Edwards leaned toward the more contemporary player. From his perspective, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-news-anthony-edwards-claims-michael-jordan-was-only-older-generation-player-with-skill">Edwards infamously said that Michael Jordan</a> was the only player with skill back in the day, while the rest, in his view, didn’t quite measure up to today’s standards.</p><h2><b>The Luka Doncic – Larry Bird debate by the numbers</b></h2><p>Statistically, both Larry Bird and Luka Doncic have demonstrated their ability to impact all facets of the game. Bird posted career averages of 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game, showcasing his all-around prowess. Similarly, Luka’s versatile numbers include 28.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game, proving his effectiveness across the board as well.</p><p>Luka Doncic’s unlimited shooting range and ability to slice through defenses, even at a slower pace compared to other NBA stars, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavs-news-hes-so-freaking-slow-luka-doncics-apparent-lack-of-speed-draws-larry-bird-level-praise-from-lakers-icon">have drawn frequent comparisons to Larry Bird</a>. Many fans and analysts have highlighted these similarities, noting how Doncic mirrors Bird’s unique style and effectiveness on the court.</p><p>The question appears simple, yet it carries numerous complexities. Larry Bird serves as a blueprint for players like Luka Doncic, who will likely be regarded as all-time greats in the league. Bird’s remarkable skills, despite lacking overt athleticism, distinguish him, and Doncic is reflecting those same traits.</p><p>The Slovenian superstar, is already a consistent All-Star and recently cracked the top-10 list for most triple-doubles in NBA history. This level of success often invites comparisons to Celtics legend Larry Bird. However, the bigger question is how Doncic will adapt as his career progresses, navigating the inevitable challenges that come with different stages of his journey.</p><p>Although these matchups will always be theoretical, it’s fascinating to see how Edwards perceives them. As he enters his fifth season, Edwards seeks to lead the Timberwolves towards the promised land.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Anthony Edwards picks winner of fantasy Luka Doncic-Larry Bird duel

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-quentin-grimes-plan-luka-doncic');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks newcomer reveals intriguing plan to help Luka Doncic');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Mavericks-newcomer-reveals-intriguing-plan-to-help-Luka-Doncic.jpg"></figure><h1>Mavericks newcomer reveals intriguing plan to help Luka Doncic</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-02T14:49:10-07:00">October 2nd, 2:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-02T14:49:58-07:00">October 2nd, 2:49pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LAS VEGAS — Quentin Grimes is already making an impact on his new team. Grimes, who was acquired by the Dallas Mavericks during the offseason, has received praise from his teammates and head coach Jason Kidd. He understands that he can play a big role for the team, <a href="https://x.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1841553308101837258" rel="noopener">something he realized while watching</a> the Mavs in the 2023-24 postseason.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Quentin Grimes on joining the Mavericks<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MFFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MFFL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OneforDallas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OneforDallas</a> <a href="https://t.co/o1rYGTxlSb">pic.twitter.com/o1rYGTxlSb</a></p><p>— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1841553308101837258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“The whole playoffs, really, the whole playoffs,” Grimes said of if he watched the Mavericks during last year’s playoffs. “Watching them have a great run. Just watching them in the Finals you could tell shooting was a little bit of a factor in the Finals. So hopefully me and Klay (Thompson) come in, get the burden off of Luka (Doncic) so he doesn’t have to do too much out there. So just coming in and playing my role, really.”</p><p>Grimes is hopeful that his shooting ability, along with the shooting prowess of another newcomer in Klay Thompson, will help take the pressure off Luka Doncic next season. Of course, it will help Kyrie Irving as well.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-calf-injury-training-camp">Doncic is currently battling an injury</a>. However, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-injury-update-jason-kidd-training-camp">Mavs are hopeful that it is not a long-term concern</a>. Doncic is one of the best passers in the game, so one has to imagine that adding shooters such as Thompson and Grimes will be a recipe for success as long as injuries don’t present an obstacle.</p><h2><b>Quentin Grimes’ initial reaction to joining Mavericks</b></h2><p>The Mavericks added a number of impactful players during the offseason. Grimes said he was “excited” to learn the news that he was heading to Dallas.</p><p>“I was super excited… I knew most of the guys already on the team,” Grimes said. “I knew Nico (Harrison) and (the Mavericks) had been trying to get me for a little while…. I was just super excited, really couldn’t wait to get down here.”</p><p>As aforementioned, the Mavs have been impressed with Grimes so far. Although it is early in training camp, Grimes is seemingly making a strong first impression. The same can be said for Klay Thompson and Naji Marshall.</p><p>“You talk about (Quentin) Grimes, he’s done great,” Jason Kidd said. “You talk about Klay, his energy… he’s doing all the reps, wants to do all the reps. He’s been great. Both of those guys can shoot the ball, but they can compete on the other end, too. So they’ve been great. Naji, he’s another newcomer. His toughness, he wants to do every rep.</p><p>“We got a lot of guys who want to not come off the floor which is great. But those three are playing well. Hopefully they’re picking up the system on both ends. But again, they bring a lot of depth. And then their talent level is high and so we’re really excited to have those three.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks newcomer reveals intriguing plan to help Luka Doncic

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-injury-update-jason-kidd-training-camp');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks star Luka Doncic’s injury gets crucial update from Jason Kidd');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Luka-Doncic-injury-gets-crucial-update-from-Jason-Kidd.jpg"></figure><h1>Mavericks star Luka Doncic’s injury gets crucial update from Jason Kidd</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-02T13:25:15-07:00">October 2nd, 1:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-02T13:25:15-07:00">October 2nd, 1:25pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LAS VEGAS — Dallas Mavericks’ training camp is underway. Tuesday was a promising day for the most part, with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-klay-thompson-looks-dangerous-in-first-training-camp-with-dallas">Klay Thompson making his Mavs training camp debut</a>. However, the news of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-calf-injury-training-camp">Luka Doncic’s calf injury was revealed on Wednesday</a>. Mavs head coach Jason Kidd <a href="https://x.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1841554922728522083" rel="noopener">provided an update on the situation</a> after training camp practice on Wednesday.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jason Kidd on Luka Doncic’s injury. Doesn’t think there’s any long-term concern but he will be re-evaluated. </p><p>Doncic won’t play in the first preseason game.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OneforDallas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OneforDallas</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MFFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MFFL</a> <a href="https://t.co/tJZCSiN7sQ">pic.twitter.com/tJZCSiN7sQ</a></p><p>— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1841554922728522083?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“He got hit in the calf, reported it tight yesterday,” Kidd said. “So he went and got an MRI and saw that it was a strain… We will re-evaluate him in a week and see where he stands. But there’s no concern at this point about his availability.”</p><p>Kidd later mentioned that Doncic will not play in the Mavericks’ preseason opener on Monday. Still, it appears that there isn’t concern about any long-term issues. Nevertheless, the Mavericks will closely monitor the situation and Doncic will be re-evaluated in a week.</p><h2><b>Day 2 of Mavericks’ training camp</b></h2><p>The news of Luka Doncic’s injury was obviously unfortunate. Still, Kidd said the Mavs had a good practice.</p><p>“Day two was good,” Kidd said. “Non-contact practice. A lot of running, conditioning, shooting… The energy was really, really good.”</p><p>The Mavericks new players are also seemingly adjusting well to their new team.</p><p>“You talk about (Quentin) Grimes, he’s done great,” the Mavericks head coach said. “You talk about Klay (Thompson), his energy… he’s doing all the reps, wants to do all the reps. He’s been great. Both of those guys can shoot the ball, but they can compete on the other end, too. So they’ve been great. Naji (Marshall), he’s another newcomer. His toughness, he wants to do every rep.</p><p>“We got a lot of guys who want to not come off the floor which is great. But those three are playing well. Hopefully they’re picking up the system on both ends. But again, they bring a lot of depth. And then their talent level is high and so we’re really excited to have those three.”</p><p>The energy remains high among this Mavericks team. Dallas is unquestionably hopeful that Doncic’s injury will prove to not be serious after he is re-evaluated, though.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks star Luka Doncic’s injury gets crucial update from Jason Kidd

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-calf-injury-training-camp');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks’ Luka Doncic suffers calf injury as training camp begins');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Graphic-Luka-Doncic-with-injury-symbol.jpg"></figure><h1>Mavericks’ Luka Doncic suffers calf injury as training camp begins</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-02T11:22:59-07:00">October 2nd, 11:22am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-02T13:04:47-07:00">October 2nd, 1:04pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LAS VEGAS — The Dallas Mavericks announced that Luka Doncic <a href="https://x.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1841543692802523291" rel="noopener">suffered a calf contusion</a> during workouts. Doncic will be re-evaluated in one week as the Mavs continue their training camp in Las Vegas until Friday. NBA insider Marc Stein <a href="https://x.com/TheSteinLine/status/1841544156847771730" rel="noopener">revealed that sources said</a> the injury occurred in workouts before the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-dallas-2024-25-training-camp-roster-announcement">team arrived in Las Vegas for training camp</a>.</p><p>The Mavs are focused on competing for a championship during the upcoming 2024-25 season. A Doncic injury is obviously far from ideal. However, Doncic is expected to miss one week at the moment. As far as his official injury timeline is concerned, more information will be revealed next week.</p><p>The hope, of course, is that Luka Doncic avoided a significant injury. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-klay-thompson-dallas-training-camp-jason-kidd">Luka is excited for the new campaign</a> and hopes to be on the floor with his teammates. The Mavs will closely monitor the situation moving forward.</p><p>The primary storyline during Tuesday’s first day of training camp was Klay Thompson. Thompson made his training camp debut with his new team. He was the prized offseason acquisition and is expected to play a pivotal role as Dallas looks to make a championship run.</p><p>Thompson is a four-time champion who has plenty of experience in big games. The Mavericks understand this, and believe he can impact the team moving forward.</p><p>The Thompson addition gives the Mavericks three future Hall of Famers on the roster, as the former Golden State Warriors star joins Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. If injuries don’t play too big of a role this year, the Mavs will have an opportunity to compete for the top spot in the Western Conference.</p><p>For now, the team will continue to keep a close eye on Doncic’s injury situation. We will continue to monitor and provide updates on Luka Doncic’s injury as they are made available moving forward.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks’ Luka Doncic suffers calf injury as training camp begins

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-klay-thompson-dallas-training-camp-jason-kidd');   ga('set', 'title', 'Luka Doncic, Klay Thompson’s Mavericks training camp starts get Jason Kidd assessment');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Mavericks-news-Luka-Doncic-Klay-Thompsons-training-camp-starts-get-Jason-Kidd-assessment.jpg"></figure><h1>Luka Doncic, Klay Thompson’s Mavericks training camp starts get Jason Kidd assessment</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-01T15:53:13-07:00">October 1st, 3:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-01T15:57:38-07:00">October 1st, 3:57pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LAS VEGAS — The Dallas Mavericks had their first day of training camp for the 2024-25 season on Tuesday in Las Vegas. Klay Thompson was the talk of the first day as he had his first training camp practice with the team. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-klay-thompson-admission-dallas-move">Thompson said he isn’t worried about the challenges of making the adjustment</a> to a new team. Head coach Jason Kidd seems to agree that Thompson <a href="https://x.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1841198415231008991" rel="noopener">won’t have too much trouble with the adjustment</a>.</p><p>“I think he’s done an incredible job,” Kidd said. “You would have to ask him how he feels but I think he fits right in. He understands what it takes to win. His work ethic is like no other so he’s going to help the younger guys but also he’s going to help everyone when he’s on the floor.”</p><p>The Mavericks understand that having Thompson on the roster is important. Not only is he one of the best three-point shooters the NBA has ever seen, but he’s also a four-time NBA champion who offers crucial veteran prowess.</p><p>“It’s big,” Kidd said of having Thompson on the roster. “A lot of times we take for granted guys who have been there, he’s been there. He’s won, he’s lost, he understands what it takes to get there. So for us, we have another resource to be able to lean on… Also, we all know he can shoot, but just his leadership, another leader in that locker room.”</p><h2><b>Jason Kidd says Luka Doncic is “excited” about the Mavericks’ roster</b></h2><p>Jason Kidd also addressed Luka Doncic’s first day of training camp.</p><p>“Yeah, he was ready to go,” Kidd said. “He’s excited about this season, he’s excited about the team… He understands what we’re trying to do, he’s ready to go.”</p><p>The Mavs have championship aspirations. Doncic is excited that Dallas is continuing to display a willingness to pursue a championship, something that was evidenced by the team’s offseason moves. They lost a few important players, but added crucial depth in addition to Thompson such as Quentin Grimes, Naji Marshall and Spencer Dinwiddie.</p><p>The Mavericks have enough talent to make no shortage of noise in the Western Conference. However, the West features plenty of talent. Clinching another NBA Finals appearance will prove to be difficult without question, but the Mavs have confidence. They will be one of the most exciting teams to follow throughout the upcoming 2024-25 NBA season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Luka Doncic, Klay Thompson’s Mavericks training camp starts get Jason Kidd assessment

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/clippers-news-james-harden-uses-luka-doncic-call-out-haters');   ga('set', 'title', 'Clippers’ James Harden uses Luka Doncic to call out haters');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Clippers-news-James-Harden-uses-Luka-Doncic-to-call-out-haters.jpg"></figure><h1>Clippers’ James Harden uses Luka Doncic to call out haters</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-01T08:17:05-07:00">October 1st, 8:17am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-01T08:24:33-07:00">October 1st, 8:24am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/76ers-news-paul-george-credits-philly-rapper-convincing-him-join-76ers">Clippers will look a bit different this season with the departure of Paul George</a>, but they still have star-level talent in James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. During Clippers’ Media Day, Harden was asked what the team’s play style would look like this season, and he <a href="https://x.com/BenGolliver/status/1840809044828930309?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1840809044828930309%7Ctwgr%5Eac7ebf6803549830150bc4843a6e6f1ebf59a0e1%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fuproxx.com%2Fdimemag%2Fnorman-powell-paul-george-leaving-clippers-addition-subtraction%2F" rel="noopener">related it to a player</a> who recently made the NBA Finals.</p><p>“It’s definitely going to involve a lot of me. There was talk when I was in Houston… ‘You can’t win like that.’ You just saw a guy [Luka Doncic] last season make the Finals playing the same exact way I played,” Harden said.</p><p>When Harden was with the Rockets, many people believed that he wouldn’t be able to win a championship with how he plays. One of those people was the late Kobe Bryant, who said it <a href="https://x.com/sportscenter/status/1092543503819857920?s=46&amp;t=lfeBn-xb5VzgaV3FRop2lA" rel="noopener">during an interview</a> alongside Tracy McGrady.</p><p>“I’m not a fan of it in terms of winning championships,” Bryant said. “I don’t think that style’s ever gonna win championships. But at the same time, you have to keep your team’s head above water to win games. You have to do what you have to do to win games. And he’s doing that.”</p><p>Harden has been known as being a ball-dominant player, but he also knows how to get his teammates involved as well. Luka Doncic plays in a very similar way, but last season he didn’t need to have the ball all the time because of Kyrie Irving. Hopefully, Leonard is able to stay healthy so he can be that other option that Harden can defer to.</p><h2>James Harden will have a different role this year with Clippers</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/James-Harden.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>With one less person who will have to demand the ball for the Clippers this season, Harden is already expecting his role to change. When asked what his role will look like, Harden used one specific word.</p><p>“Aggressive,” Harden said. “Last year, we tried to figure it out, with guys and their roles … It was pretty difficult. This year for me, I’ve got a clear space in what I need to be doing.”</p><p>This season, the Clippers will have two main options in Harden and Kawhi Leonard, with several solid role players surrounding them who can shoot the ball and defend. That should work well for a player like Harden, who has always been known as a playmaker but can also get off his own shot as well. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-kawhi-leonard-breaks-silence-on-knee-injury">biggest area for concern for the Clippers will be staying healthy</a>, something they’ve had a hard time doing for the past few years.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2023-24 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
33.9	9.2	9.8	0.5	1.4

2023-24 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
33.9	9.2	9.8	0.5	1.4

Luka Dončić news

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