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No Luka, Lots of Problems: Doncic-Less Mavs Stink It Up in Loss to Rockets; NBA Roundup

The Dallas Mavericks would've loved to add a ninth win to their record on Wednesday night when they faced the Houston Rockets with Luka Doncic getting the night off. However, the game went exactly how one would've expected it to go based on how Dallas has looked without Doncic on the floor this season.

There’s never a good time to rest the NBA’s top scorer, but if the Dallas Mavericks were going to squeeze in a night off for Luka Doncic, doing it against the worst team in the league on the second night of a back-to-back was the best option available.

The Mavs showed why Doncic can’t afford time off, though, as they fell to the Houston Rockets 101-92 at American Airlines Center on Wednesday night in disappointing fashion.

Dallas built a 51-42 lead with four minutes left in the second quarter, but then gave up a 15-0 Houston run and trailed 57-51 at halftime. After making the game close in the fourth quarter, the Luka-less Mavs were outplayed and out-coached by the Rockets down the stretch. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Christian Wood combined for 54 points on the night, but they did it on a combined 48 shot attempts.

On this episode of “Morning Coffee” with Mavs Step Back, we recap Dallas’ disappointing loss, as well as take a look at everything else that happened during the NBA’s Wednesday-night slate. As bad as Mavs have looked so far in their six losses, their start to the season still isn’t nearly as disappointing as the defending-champion Golden State Warriors.

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