Mavericks news: Lauri Markkanen on young Luka Doncic, Lowe’s tip for Mavs, more

The Dallas Mavericks are stuck in a rut. They have lost five of their last six games and six of eight to fall to 10-11 on the season. Superstar Luka Doncic is leading the league in scoring and producing MVP numbers, but the team is struggling behind him. There have been a number of inexcusable losses, including Thursday’s in Detroit to a now six-win Pistons squad.

ESPN’s Zach Lowe offered a bit of advice in his Ten Things column (subscription required) this week. The scribe would love to see the Mavericks push the ball a bit more, especially off steals and rebounds. Dallas plays at the slowest pace and they have the third-fewest transition possessions. Getting a few easy baskets could be the difference in the close games they are currently losing.

The Dallas Mavericks have to change something to break out of their rut. Fans thought it happened with Tuesday’s impressive win over Golden State, but they are just 1-8 on the road and lost to the Pistons without Cade Cunningham.

More Mavericks news

Lauri Markkanen was a guest on former Maverick J.J. Redick’s podcast, The Old Man and the Three, where he was asked about playing against Luka Doncic in Europe. See what he had to say about recognizing his greatness as a teenager.

"I knew he was going to be great, but I didn’t know he was going to be this good. He was definitely killing it as a teenager over there already."

Luka helped Slovenia win EuroBasket 2017, including a victory over Markkanen’s Finland. Fans can hear the entire talk about Doncic below.

NBA news

The big news in the NBA is Khris Middleton plans to make his season debut on Friday against the Lakers. The three-time All-Star had offseason wrist surgery that forced him to miss the first 22 games of the season.

The Bucks have barely missed a beat. They have 18 wins and the best record in the league entering play on Dec. 2. Giannis Antetokounmpo will be ecstatic to have his running mate back in action, and no team is looking forward to facing Milwaukee when they are healthy.

Reminder, the Dallas Mavericks face Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, so clear your schedule for the early tipoff. Fans can bet Luka Doncic will be locked in against his friend and the European audience will be watching. Do not miss it.