Here's another healthy dose of The Morning Dunk to quench your thirst for NBA news and highlights, because The Morning Dunk every day keeps the doctor away.
Mavericks Squander Opportunity Vs. Cavaliers
No Darius Garland. No Donovan Mitchell. No Evan Mobley. No problem, apparently.
The Cleveland Cavaliers missed several key players on Wednesday night against the Dallas Mavericks, yet still managed to overcome a 20-point deficit to pull off the narrow 113-110 victory at the American Airlines Center.
The Mavericks, who were without the services of Kyrie Irving and Maxi Kleber, had an opportunity to tie the game at the buzzer, but Seth Curry failed to connect on a contested 3-pointer.
Luka Doncic was UPSET after Seth Curry missed the game-tying three-point attempt 😬
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) December 28, 2023
pic.twitter.com/CF82YwE0ZE
Bettors were surely upset following this outcome as Dallas was the 6.5-point favorites ahead of the opening tip when factoring in Cleveland's depleted core. The Mavericks fall to 18-13 SU while the Cavaliers improve to 18-13 SU.
Durant Dishes Dimes With triple-double
Kevin Durant channeled his inner Steve Nash on Wednesday night.
The Phoenix Suns superstar matched his career-high of 16 assists to go along with 27 points and 10 rebounds in a convincing 129-113 road win over the Houston Rockets, therefore ending Phoenix's three-game losing skid.
It was the 18th triple-double of Durant's career, which is tied for 32nd all-time in league history.
What a night for Kevin Durant 🔥
— NBA TV (@NBATV) December 28, 2023
▪️ 27 PTS
▪️ 10 REB
▪️ 16 AST (ties career-high) pic.twitter.com/5PtX44MMOO
It was the Suns' first win ATS in their last seven games and second in their last nine games against Western Conference opposition.
Lineup Change Pays Dividends For Raptors
Enough was enough and it was time for a change.
Following an outcry from fans and media alike to tinker his starting lineup, Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic finally fulled the trigger and replaced Dennis Schroder with Gary Trent Jr. ahead of Wednesday's meeting with the Washington Wizards.
So far, so good. Toronto fell one assist shy of a franchise record, finishing with 43 en route to a massive 132-102 win.
Schroder finished with a near double-double off the bench of nine points and 10 assists, which is the most dimes by a second-unit player since Kyle Lowry in 2013.
The @Raptors get the road WIN as they top Washington 132-102!
— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) December 28, 2023
OG Anunoby: 26 PTS, 3 3PT, 6 REB
Pascal Siakam: 22 PTS, 11 AST, 6 REB
Scottie Barnes: 20 PTS, 12 REB, 8 AST
Gary Trent Jr: 12 PTS, 3 3PT, 4 AST
Jakob Poeltl: 10 PTS, 8 REB, 2 AST
Dennis Schroder: 9 PTS, 10 AST, 4 REB pic.twitter.com/WC5VCKqCmJ
Toronto is now 2-9 both ATS and SU in its last nine games, while the Wizards' 5-25 record SU is only stronger than the Detroit Pistons' 2-28 mark in the Eastern Conference.
