Mavericks are in grave danger of ghost of Christmas past haunting them again

Christmas and the NBA are a perfect duo. Playing on Christmas can be a huge honor for some of the top teams and players in the NBA. Unfortunately, the Dallas Mavericks haven't fared that great playing on Christmas.

In one of their most important games of the season on Christmas Day yesterday, the Mavericks fell 105-99 to the Minnesota Timberwolves to fall to 19-11 on the season. The loss put the Mavericks 4-4 all-time in Christmas games.

Even with the loss, the Mavericks were able to rally in the fourth quarter and cut their deficit to two, but couldn't win in the end. The loss against the Timberwolves brought back irony from another Mavericks loss on Christmas 13 years ago, which also came inside American Airlines Center.

Mavericks' bad Christmas luck from 2011 returned again

Thirteen years ago on Christmas, the Mavericks opened up their 2011 title defense against the Miami Heat, the team they had beaten to win the NBA Finals. The Mavericks lost by 11 in the game but trailed by 32 after three quarters.

Yesterday on Christmas, the Mavericks fell to the Timberwolves, the team they had beaten in the 2024 Western Conference Finals. The largest lead the Timberwolves had in the game was 28. The Mavericks did erase the deficit to two late in the fourth quarter, but couldn't close it out.

In the loss yesterday to the Timberwolves, Klay Thompson passed NBA Hall of Famer Reggie Miller for the fifth most 3-pointers in NBA history. Kyrie Irving sparkled with scoring 39 points on 14-27 shooting from the field. However, the ghosts of Christmas past were out for the Mavericks' most important player Luka Doncic.

In the first half, Doncic sustained a left calf strain. Doncic would be unable to play for the entire second half. Irving's performance helped the Mavericks draw closer, but Irving couldn't do it all by himself. Even without playing the whole second half, Doncic had the second most points on the Mavericks with 14 points.

Even in defeat, the Mavericks still showed fight and didn't quit, but couldn't find a way to win. For the loss to come at home against the Timberwolves, who came into the game 14-14, it does feel like Christmas ghosts from 2011 are around the Mavericks.

When the Mavericks fell to the Heat in 2011, the Mavericks would finish the season as the seventh seed in the Western Conference and then would be swept in the first round by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

With Doncic now dealing with a calf strain, it raises concern about the Mavericks. However, the Mavericks have a 6-2 record this season when Doncic is out. Although the Mavericks have a winning record without Doncic in the lineup, having Doncic on the court makes the Mavericks a much stronger team.

The Mavericks now have a huge four-game road trip with now suffering the Christmas loss. The Mavericks will start their road trip tomorrow night against the Phoenix Suns at 8 p.m. CT. For all the latest on Doncic and the Mavericks, stay tuned.