NBA All-Star weekend: Look back at performances from Mavs’ Luka Doncic, Dereck Lively II
‘2 for 1 .. analytics’: Best moments from Mavs star Luka Doncic at 2024 NBA All-Star Game
INDIANAPOLIS — With 1:22 left in the first half, a Western Conference 3-point shot attempt missed and Luka Doncic, rather accidently, was there to grab the offensive rebound on the bounce.
The Mavericks superstar’s ensuing slow-motion layup gave him his first points of the night, typifying the ho-hum nature of another easygoing Doncic All-Star performance during the East’s 211-186 victory over the West on Sunday night in the 73rd NBA All-Star Game in Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Anyone who hoped Doncic might use the NBA’s biggest non-playoff stage to inject his name more prominently into the end-of-season Most Valuable Player conversation could immediately see that he had no intention of being offensively assertive – as now has been in case in all five of his All-Star appearances.
“People come in here and play 40 minutes, they don’t want to get injured,” Doncic said. “Everybody just gets out of the way. I don’t know how to fix that. I just follow the lead.”
Here’s my takeaway from Doncic’s comments: If no one is going to try to play defense in All-Star games, why should he play hard on offense?
Honestly have never thought of it that way and, you know, he has a point. https://t.co/NDGEvVhs82
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) February 19, 2024
The “highlight” of Doncic’s 7-point, 7-assist, 7-rebound night was his uncontested third-quarter dunk that gave himself four points and cut the East’s lead to 127-105. Hey, no hating: Doncic only has one dunk as a Maverick this season.
Shortly after his dunk, Doncic missed an attempt at the rim, later sheepishly telling TNT during a timeout: “I was feeling myself too much. I don’t dunk, guys.”
After the game, Doncic laughed and said: “On the second one, I was tired.”
Considering that Doncic has averaged a career-high 37.4 minutes while averaging an NBA-best 34.2 points per game and largely carrying an injury-ravaged Mavericks team much of the season, perhaps it was common sense to essentially rest even during his 23 minutes of court time Sunday.
In five All-Star appearances, Doncic has yet to score in double-figures and has totaled 35 points – in other words, one more point than his current season average.
Appearances to the contrary, Doncic says: “Every year I’m excited to be here. All the people you see. The players you share the locker room with. It’s an unbelievable feeling.”
Fortunately for the Mavericks organization and fans, rookie center Dereck Lively II had more than enough fun for both Dallas representatives together while playing in Friday’s Panini Rising Stars games and attending as many weekend festivities as he could.
In fact, Doncic seemed to get more of a kick out of seeing Lively than anything he personally did this weekend.
“Just a great kid,” Doncic said. “He listens to everybody, never complains. And on the court he looks like he’s played 10 years already in this league, so I’m really happy that he’s on our team.”
Doncic, who turns 25 in nine days, no doubt is one of the brightest stars in the NBA constellation, but when it comes to All-Star games he’s more than content to let everyone else shine.
Naturally this weekend’s center of attention was Lakers superstar LeBron James, at age 39 making his record-breaking 20th All-Star appearance.
James was asked before Sunday’s game whether he sees his potential replacement as the face of the NBA, a mantle he accepted a few years after Michael Jordan’s retirement.
“We have a great home a group of guys in our league right now that playing spectacular basketball and also are being great off the floor, as well,” he said. “But I don’t think you just just say ‘OK, this guy is the next person to be the face’ of anything.
“You have to just let it happen organically and see what happens. But we have some great, great players in this league that can carry anything if they put their minds when they want it.”
As was the case after his previous four All-Star game appearances, Doncic will try to disappear from public view and rest as much as possible before the Mavericks’ season resumes Thursday with a home game against Phoenix.
Dallas has the same record, 32-23, as it did after 65 games in 2020-2021, when it finished 52-30 and made a run to the Western Conference finals.
This Mavericks team has won six straight games and is 3-0 since the acquisitions of Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington. It remains to be seen whether this team can gel as seamlessly during the final 27 regular-season games as the ‘21-’22 team after the additions of Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans.
Conversely last year’s team, despite the February acquisition of Kyrie Irving, finished 38-44 and missed the playoffs. Does that put more onus on this season’s stretch run?
“Every year is big,” Doncic said. “Every year I want to win the championship. So every year it’s the same goal. I think our team is really good, so we’ve just got to get through the last part of the season with good motivation.”
Perhaps it was rookie optimism, or maybe it was the excitement of his first All-Star weekend, but Lively said he believes the Mavericks have the attention of Western Conference contenders.
“I feel like we’re the darkhorse that everybody doesn’t want to look at,” he said, “but we’re in the back of their minds.”
Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
We have heard a lot about the Dallas Cowboys meeting with edge rushers, linebackers and cornerbacks over the course of the pre-draft process, but offensive linemen meetings have been at a minimum.
In fact, according to our most recent Cowboys visits tracker, Dallas had only met with one offensive lineman, James Brockermeyer out of Miami, before Tuesday.
But we can now add another offensive lineman visit to the mix, as NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that the Cowboys are one of about six teams to host Iowa guard Beau Stephens on a visit. He goes on to add that Beau could be a Day 2 pick.
“Iowa G Beau Stephens had visits with the Cowboys, Seahawks and Falcons, and among a tour of a half dozen teams ahead of next week’s NFL Draft. A potential Day 2 pick, Stephens was a first-team AP All-America selection this past season,” Garafolo reported on Tuesday.
This pick would be unexpected for a few reasons.
For starters, the Cowboys have a slew of needs on defense and very little Day 2 draft capital. In fact, the Cowboys have just one pick, which falls late in the third round.
Another reason this pick would be unexpected is because the Cowboys figure to have their guard situation locked in with Tyler Booker and Tyler Smith. Sure, it’s possible Smith moves to left tackle, but he made it quite clear he doesn’t want to.
“I mean, bro, like, I’m an All-Pro guard,” Smith said. “You feel me? That’s the simple truth, just looking at stuff purely off of facts. So we’ll see what happens. We’ll have those conversations and kind of see where everybody is at.”
If anything, the Cowboys should be exploring their options at left tackle, where Tyler Guyton has struggled over two seasons. That said, we’d expect Guyton to get another year to figure things out.
Now, if the Cowboys go against Smith’s wishes and put him on the left side, anyway, then exploring options at guard make more sense, as T.J. Bass would be in line to replace Smith.
Stephens graded out as an elite pass-blocking and run-blocking guard last season. According to Pro Football Focus, Stephens posted an 85.1 as a run-blocker and 92.5 in pass protection, ranking fifth and first in those categories, respectively.
The concerns over Stephens have to do with his short arms, which are lacking even for a guard, and his lack of athleticism. Next Gen Stats ranked him 19th in Athleticism Score among guards at the combine.
For Stephens, finding the right fit will be everything at the next level. When it comes to the Cowboys, he’s a good fit because Dallas utilizes inside/outside zone, where Stephens excels.
— Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter for more free coverage from Dallas Cowboys on SI —
Follow
If you have been paying attention to the Dallas Cowboys rumors leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft, there is a growing belief that the team is strongly looking into a potential trade up into the top 10.
Every analyst appears to have heard the growing buzz that Dallas is one of the most likely teams to trade up in next week’s draft,
Now, Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones is only adding fuel to the fire.
Jones appeared on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday afternoon and discussed the possibility of a potential trade. He also commented on this year’s draft class, which indicates the Cowboys’ list of first-round targets is not as wide a net as in recent years.
According to Jones, the Cowboys typically enter a draft with 16 to 22 first-round grades on prospects. However, Jones noted, “I’m not sure we will get there this year.”
The Cowboys are no strangers to picking up the phones and engaging in trade talks, and Jerry Jones is always looking to make headlines. So when the draft rolls around, don’t be surprised to see the chatter about a potential Cowboys move increase.
Jones noted that trade talks generally begin the week of the draft, but he’s a “big believer most of these trades happen when you are on the board.”If that’s the case, Dallas will actively be monitoring any potential slides in the top 10 and could be looking to move out of the No. 20 pick.
“Next week, people finalize their boards and have their strategy sessions. I’m a big believer that most of these trades happen as you’re on the board. Players fall off that you wanted, and then you’re willing to come out. Players are staying on the board that you thought might not be there, and then you’re attempting to move up a little bit,” Jones said. “You might not be willing to give up what it costs to move way up in the draft. But if a player starts to fall, then you get a little thought that maybe we could move up and it wouldn’t cost as much and we would still get the guy that we think is the best player for us at a particular position for where we’re going to pick.”
Because of Jones’ comments that the team may not get to 22 prospects with first-round grades, a trade up seems like the most likely scenario.
Should a player like Arvell Reese, Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles, or Rueben Bain begin to fall in the draft, it would be a perfect opportunity for the Cowboys front office to get active and make the splash that it has teased all offseason.
Jerry Jones has promised to “bust the budget” in an effort to rebuild the roster, and while the team may not have done so with any high-profile signings in free agency, draft day could provide the perfect opportunity for Dallas to come through on its promise, so get your popcorn ready.
The 2026 NFL Draft will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from Thursday, April 23, through Saturday, April 25.
— Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter for more free coverage from Dallas Cowboys on SI —
Follow
The Texas Department of Transportation Dallas District is preparing for in-personal and virtual public hearings on the proposed widening of FM 740/Fm 548.
TxDOT Dallas posted a reminder about the meetings to its social media page on Thursday afternoon.
The purpose of the hearings are to gather public input and provide more information about the proposed reconstruction and widening of FM 740/FM 548 from I-20 to FM 1641 in Mesquite and Forney within Kaufman County.
According to TxDOT, the proposal includes reconstruction of FM740/Fm 548 from a two-lane rural roadway to a four-lane divided urban roadway with raised medians, curb and gutter, a bridge widening at the Mustang Creek crossing, and a 10-foot-wide shared-use path on both sides of the road for approximately four miles.
The roadway passes through the cities of Mesquite and Forney. The existing right-of-way width ranges from 60 feet (along FM 740) to 150 feet (along FM 548). Where proposed right-of-way is needed, the width is generally 130 feet wide.
That means the proposed project would potentially displace three residential and one non-residential structures. Relocation assistance is available for displaced persons and businesses.
The in-person meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 16 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Forney High School (1800 College Ave.).
The virtual hearing will start at 5:30 p.m. and will consist of a prerecorded video presentation. It will remain online for at least the next 15 days and materials can be viewed at any time during that period.
Anyone without internet access may call 214-320-4431 between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. to ask questions and access project materials during the project development project.
View the project materials online here. The materials will also be available in hard copy form for review at the in-person session.
‘Little Rascals’ star Bug Hall arrested in Ohio
Georgia House Special Runoff Election 2026 Live Results
Arkansas TV meteorologist Melinda Mayo retires after nearly four decades on air
Parents charged after toddler injured by wolf at Pennsylvania zoo
Potawatomi Casino Hotel evacuated after fire breaks out in rooftop HVAC system
ABC Kite Fest Returns to Austin for Annual Celebration – Austin Today
Can You Name These Novels Based on Their Characters?
Primanti Bros. closes Monroeville and North Versailles locations