DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic had 33 points with 11 assists while coming up three rebounds shy of his third consecutive triple-double, Jalen Bruson scored 21 points and the Dallas Mavericks overwhelmed the Detroit Pistons 116-86 on Tuesday night.
The Mavericks won their third game in a row, never trailing after Reggie Bullock’s 3-pointer snapped a 21-21 tie with 3 1/2 minutes left in the first quarter. That started a 15-5 run over the rest of the quarter, with Doncic scoring the next six points for Dallas before Trey Burke hit consecutive 3-pointers.
Hamidou Diallo had 18 points to lead the Pistons, who have lost five in a row and nine of 10. Jeramie Grant had 15 points, and Isaiah Stewart had 14 points and 15 rebounds.
The Pistons played their fourth game in a row without standout rookie Cade Cunningham, their leading scorer who missed the chance to play before family and friends because of a hip injury. The No. 1 overall pick in last summer’s NBA draft was born in nearby Arlington, Texas.
First-year Mavericks coach Jason Kidd shared an embrace at the end of the game with Pistons head coach Dwane Casey. When the Mavericks won their only NBA title in 2011, Kidd was the point guard and Casey was in his third and final season as a top assistant for Rick Carlisle.
Burke added 18 points with four of the 18 made 3-pointers by Dallas, which played the fourth of its season-long stretch of six consecutive home games. The Mavs have won 11 of their last 13 games played at the American Airlines Center.
Doncic was coming off a foul-plagued effort two days earlier, when he had 18 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds when limited to less than 28 minutes. He got his fifth foul early in the third quarter against the Atlanta Hawks before sitting for a significant period of time.
The Mavericks had a 35-point lead and Doncic only three fouls when he departed for the final time against Detroit with nine minutes remaining in the game. He was 9 for 18 shooting, including five made 3s, while playing nearly 33 minutes. The 22-year-old, third-time All-Star had 15 points and five assists by the end of the first quarter.
TIP-INS
Pistons: Casey described Cunningham as being disappointed at not being able to play. “He has got a lot of people coming to the game to see him on the side in his suit clothes,” Casey said before the game. ”I told him to wear something nice.” ... Detroit was down 10 points before scoring the first seven points of the second quarter, and got within three when Frank Jackson made a 13-foot jumper and then followed a Mavs turnover with a 3-pointer only 22 seconds later. The Pistons never got closer.
Mavericks: Maxi Kleber was back after missing two games with a left knee issue. He played nearly 13 minutes before his first shot, and made a 3-pointer with 3:26 left in the third quarter for an 88-65 lead. He also made his only other shot, and finished with five points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes. ... Bullock finished with 12 points on four 3s, ending his career-best streak of consecutive 20-point games at three.
UP NEXT
Pistons: Home on Thursday to host the Grizzlies, who beat them by 30 in Memphis on Jan. 6.
Mavericks: Play the first of two home games in three days against the Clippers on Thursday night. They split a pair of back-to-back games in Los Angeles in November.
