On Tuesday evening, the Dallas Mavericks beat the New Orleans Pelicans (at home) by a score of 132-91.

Luka Doncic returned to the starting lineup after missing Sunday’s 121-119 victory over the OKC Thunder due to an injury.

Before Tuesday’s game, head coach Jason Kidd was asked about Doncic’s slower start than usual to the season when met with the media (h/t Noah Weber of The Smoking Cuban).

Kidd: “He has shown that he’s human, I think some of us have forgot that he’s human. So the way that he’s playing, he’s 28 and 8 and 8, you sign up for that all day long. He’s missed some shots, it happens… He’s one of the best players in the world and we’re lucky to have him.”

Doncic finished Tuesday’s victory over New Orleans with 26 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block while shooting 10/16 from the field and 3/8 from the three-point range.

He is averaging 28.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.6 steals per contest while shooting 43.5% from the field and 32.4% from the three-point range in 14 games.

Kidd has been the coach of the Mavs since the 2021-22 season.

They have reached the Western Conference finals (2022) and NBA Finals (2024).

Following the Pelicans, the Mavs will play their next game on Friday against the Nuggets in Denver.

Doncic is in his seventh NBA season (all with the Mavs).

He has made five NBA All-Star Games in his first six years.

Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas star guard Luka Doncic returned to the lineup on Tuesday night in an NBA Cup game against the New Orleans Pelicans after missing the Mavericks’ previous game because of a right knee contusion.

The Mavericks go in on a two-game winning streak following a four-game losing streak. Their most recent win came at Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City on Sunday night, 121-119, the first game that Doncic has missed this season.

In his previous outing last Saturday, Doncic played a season-low 28 minutes in a 110-93 home win over San Antonio and scored 16 points — one more than his season low. He sat out the final eight minutes with the Mavericks comfortably ahead.

Doncic won last season’s NBA scoring title, averaging 33.9 points per game, to go with 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists. He’s averaging 28.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.8 assists this season.

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, when asked before Tuesday’s game about Doncic’s lower averages, said, “He has shown that he’s human. (Averages of) 28, eight and eight – you sign up for that all day long.”

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba