Dallas, TX
3 observations following a gutsy Dallas Mavericks win over the Phoenix Suns, 98-89

The Dallas Mavericks maintained their stranglehold on the fourth seed in the Western Conference by defeating the Phoenix Suns on the road Friday night, 98-89. Kyrie Irving led a balanced scoring effort for Dallas, scoring 20. Kevin Durant poured in 35 in defeat for the Suns.
With Dallas missing not only Luka Doncic but Dereck Lively, one might’ve expected a lackluster start from the Mavericks. Instead, the threes reigned early, led by three straight from Kyrie Irving, to give Dallas a 14-4 early advantage. Following a Suns timeout, the Mavericks lost focus and allowed Phoenix to get right back in the game. It remained a back-and-forth affair the rest of the quarter, with Kevin Durant sinking tough shots and Dallas finding ways to score. After one quarter, Dallas led 28-25.
The bench unit from Dallas managed to defend well and hit shots in the second quarter and slowly grew the lead back to double digits. Elite role player production from Maxi Kleber (who dunked!), Naji Marshall, and even some work from Dwight Powell kept the pressure on Phoenix. Irving picked up his third foul on a kickout, but head coach Jason Kidd elected to keep him in the contest. Dallas played lockdown defense in the frame and walked into halftime with a 55-39 lead.
Dallas kept the pressure on in the third, holding the double-digit lead. The intense defense got under the skin of Jusif Nurkic, who committed an offensive foul which drew the ire of Naji Marshall. The ensuing kerfuffle escalated to the point where Nurkic, Marshall, and PJ Washington got kicked out. The Mavericks struggled offensively in the quarter, making only four field goals. The Suns weren’t much better and Dallas maintained the large lead until the final minutes when Durant free throws brought the lead back to single digits. Dallas took a 72-64 lead into the final frame.
Klay Thompson got the party started for Dallas in the fourth hitting a pair of distance shots (one was later ruled to be a two pointer) that pulled the momentum back to the Mavericks. The squads exchanged baskets only for the Mavericks to hit more threes than twos and inch back to a 15 point lead. The Suns wouldn’t go quietly, culling the lead back to eight only for a Daniel Gafford dunk via Maxi Kleber to give Dallas enough of a cushion to ride out the game. Dallas took one in Phoenix, 98-89.
Now, some thoughts.
Welcome back, Maxi Kleber
Look guys, Maxi scored 33 points this season prior to his 15-point outburst against the Suns. And with Luka and Lively out and Marshall and Washington ejected, Kleber remembering that he is, in fact, a professional basketball player capable of doing more than some help defense really helped the Mavericks in this game.
Do we expect this kind of game out of Maxi again? He had five double-digit scoring efforts last season in 43 games and this was his first since May, so I think it’s possible he helps out more during the upcoming stretch for the Mavericks. Really, what we should hope for is for Kleber to look confident and play as such. He’s been a shell at times the last two years, his body having suffered some weird injuries. But he’s still a useful player! Here’s hoping it continues.
Find a way to get Kyrie some more rest, please
Kyrie started an incredible 4-of-4 from three. He proceeded to shoot 2 for his next 17, including a ridiculous 1-of-11 from two-point range. The man just couldn’t buy a basket. Of course, it’s fair to think Irving was tired. He gutted out 37 minutes against the Wolves in a loss just two days ago, then Kidd played him for most of the second half (Irving finished with 40 minutes tonight) in large part because he had no one left.
Still, though, if Dallas is to survive (and maybe thrive?) without Doncic these next however many games, it’s important that the other Dallas start doesn’t burn out.
Thoughts on a fight
Just kidding, I’m not that stupid. Well, maybe I am. Marshall sticking up for Gafford was pleasing to see. Marshall punching Nurkic’s clown face was even more pleasing. PJ Washington issuing the shove of Nurk, which ended the fight and might have saved us from actual fisticuffs, was delightful. Love to see players compete and for things to spill over sometimes.
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Dallas, TX
Towns, Hart notch triple-doubles as Knicks top Mavericks 128-113

Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his first triple-double in more than three years, helping the New York Knicks defeat the Dallas Mavericks 128-113 on Tuesday night.
OG Anunoby had 35 points, and Josh Hart added 16 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his ninth triple-double of the season. New York (45-26) shot 59.6% and won its second straight.
Naji Marshall had a career-high 38 points, and Brandon Williams chipped in 22 points. The Mavericks (35-38) fell for the 10th time in 13 games.
Takeaways
Dallas: A night after shooting 56.3% from the field in their win Monday in Brooklyn, the Mavericks again started hot by making 28 of 43 field goals in the first half. But Dallas was worn down by New York’s depth, getting outscored 60-45 in the second half.
New York: With Mavericks center Anthony Davis (adductor strain) out, Towns went to work, scoring 24 first-half points. The center, who is third in the NBA in double-doubles, posted his first triple-double since Jan. 30, 2022, and helped New York record 40 assists on 59 field goals.
Key moment
Marshall made 13 of 15 first-half field goals and helped Dallas shoot 65.1% and remain even at 68 at halftime.
But the Knicks turned up the defensive intensity in the third quarter, opening with a 7-0 run. The Mavericks made just 4 of 18 field goals, and New York outscored Dallas 30-16 in the third.
Dallas, TX
Therme plans $800M Dallas spa resort, its first US location

European sauna culture is taking off in Dallas.
Romanian spa company Therme Group is opening its first U.S. location here, the Dallas Morning News reported. The firm is buying 24 acres near 1500 South Riverfront Boulevard, just outside of downtown, with plans to build an $800 million resort. The seller was Lewisville-based development firm Matthews Southwest.
Therme expects to spend $500 million on construction and $300 million on design fees and interest.
It still has to get planning and zoning approval from the city; it also plans to apply for incentives. The resort could generate $1.8 billion in tax revenues over the next 30 years and would create more than 1,000 permanent jobs, Therme US’s John Alschuler told the outlet.
The Dallas location could open as early as 2030.
It will include a 450,000-square-foot facility with baths, saunas, a waterpark and restaurants. Georgetown Company owns a 25 percent stake in Therme US and plans to build a hotel on the site, too.
Alschuler said day passes at the facility would cost about $60.
Cedars neighborhood association president Kirk Jordan visited Therme’s Bucharest facility and has voiced support for the project, which he said would be “transformative” for the area.
Therme recently announced plans for a similar resort in Washington, D.C. It already operates two facilities, in Romania and Germany.
The land buy comes less than a year after the opening of WorldSprings, a 10-acre outdoor resort with 46 mineral pools. The $32 million facility is located in the Colony.
North Texas has become a hotspot for experiential developments, with the $520 million PGA Omni Frisco leading the charge. Peppa Pig Theme Park recently opened in North Richland Hills. Universal Kids Resort is on deck to open next year in Frisco. Wisconsin-based Kalahari Resorts & Conventions announced plans for an Allen waterpark resort earlier this year.
Read more
Golf course opens at $520M Frisco resort

Irving approves Dallas Mavericks owners’ resort, sans casino

Kalahari Resorts advances $950M plans for Allen development
Dallas, TX
Mavs' Anthony Davis returns against Nets after 6-week injury absence

Anthony Davis could not help but grin.
A moment earlier, the 10-time All-Star cut baseline and accepted a pass from P.J. Washington before throwing down a two-handed dunk for the first points in what would be a 120-101 win for his Dallas Mavericks over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.
Not a bad way to come back after missing six weeks with a groin injury.
“I feel good,” Davis said after scoring 12 points and grabbing six rebounds. “I feel like I had a great rhythm, to be honest. I wasn’t trying to force anything.”
Davis shot 6-for-9 from the field and added three assists, a steal and a blocked shot in his first game since injuring his groin in his Dallas debut on Feb. 8. That was about a week after the seismic trade that sent Luka Doncic to Los Angeles and enraged many Mavericks fans.
He had been listed as out until the Mavs changed Davis’ injury designation for the first time Sunday when they listed him as doubtful. The designation changed again Monday when Dallas said he was questionable.
During his pregame availability, coach Jason Kidd said Davis would be on a minutes restriction. He was in Dallas’ starting lineup at power forward and played 26:32.
“I stressed to (Mavericks management) that once I’m 100%, whatever that time was and we had games left, I’m going to play,” Davis said. “We all huddled up and got on the same page and like I (said), went through the rehab process and was able to play tonight.
“(There) was never a moment in my mind — unless we ran out of games (or) I wasn’t 100% — I wasn’t going to play.”
The defending Western Conference champions are in a tight race with Phoenix for 10th place in the West, the final spot in the play-in tournament.
Dallas will be without Kyrie Irving for the rest of the season. The star guard tore the ACL in his left knee in a 122-98 loss to Sacramento on March 3.
While the injury to Irving could have been a reason for the Mavericks to consider shutting down Davis, he has continued to work toward a return, going on road trips and staying engaged with his teammates.
Davis had an abdominal injury before the trade, missing his last two games with the Lakers and the first two he could have played for Dallas. When asked if the groin and abdominal injuries were related, Davis said he was unsure.
“You have to commend him for working to get back because it is his job,” Kidd said before the game. “He feels responsible to get back to work. Just understanding that first part is who he is and I think the second part is, yeah, we can always talk about the future and that’s the balance that we have to look at.”
When he did return in a 116-105 victory at home against Houston, Davis had 24 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and all three of his blocks in the first half before pulling up late in the third quarter with a groin injury. He finished with 26 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists.
Seven of Dallas’ remaining 11 games are on the road. The Mavericks are at the New York Knicks on Tuesday, at Orlando on Thursday and at Chicago on Saturday.
“Working to get back with 12 games left just shows how much he cares about what he wants to do, and that’s to help his team win,” Kidd said.
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