ULSA, Oklahoma — Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic both sat out the 119-104 loss to Oklahoma City in Tulsa Tuesday night.
“We’ll have Luka and Kristaps playing, which will change things for us,” Coach Rick Carlisle said. “It’s scheduling – a hard practice (Monday), relatively light today, a game Wednesday, an off day Thursday. It’s a spacing thing based on the schedule. It was talked about long ago, so we just got to stick to that plan. It has nothing to do with any disrespect to Oklahoma. It’s a math equation more than anything.”
Boban Marjanovic matched up with one of the most aggressive centers in the Western Conference, Thunder’s Steven Adams.
“I like to play against Steven because the guy is strong and he doesn’t complain about anything,” Marjanovic said. “It’s a lot of fun because it’s physical and he’s an amazing basketball player, but he’s a great guy off the court.” he said.
Marjanovic played just nine first-half minutes. He finished with seven points, three rebounds and two assists.
“He’s a factor,” Carlisle said. “His length is a big factor around the basket. It’s one game, nine minutes for him. And tomorrow, we’ll approach it a little differently in terms of the rotation. But I like all our guys.”
Justin Jackson also had 14 points, hitting six of eight shots, including two of four from beyond the 3-point line.
The Mavericks are hoping to be more physical as they head to Detroit to take on the Pistons.
