3 Studs, 2 duds in Mavericks' big win over Trail Blazers to begin homestand

The Dallas Mavericks dominated the Portland Trail Blazers in all facets of the game last night. The Mavericks ended up defeating the young Blazers squad by a score of 126-97.

Dallas started hot, racing out to a quick 9-0 lead. Four of the five Dallas starters had already recorded field goals in just the first two minutes.

Despite the quick start, the Mavericks only led the Blazers by 10 points after the first quarter. However, the lead ballooned by halftime. At the half, Portland trailed Dallas by 31 points. The Mavericks led 78-47, their largest halftime lead all season long.

3 Studs, 2 duds in Mavericks' big win over Trail Blazers to begin homestand

In the second half, Dallas only totaled 48 points. But the first-half deficit remained similar, as the Trail Blazers only managed 50 second-half points.

The Dallas star duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving lit up the Trail Blazers. Doncic and Irving combined for 70 points on 58 percent shooting from the field and 53 percent from deep. The dynamic pairing will surely make the stud list. Find out the other stud and the two duds below.

5. Stud - Tim Hardaway Jr.

Dallas Sixth Man of the Year candidate Tim Hardaway Jr. contributed 14 points and three rebounds last night. He knocked down five of his 10 field goal attempts and 2-of-5 3-pointers.

And with his second 3-pointer, Hardaway Jr. moved into fourth place in Mavericks history in 3-pointers made. The Dallas wing surpassed longtime Maverick Michael Finley after he knocked down his 871st three.

Now fourth on the leaderboard, Hardaway Jr. trails Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, and current teammate, Luka Doncic. This season, Hardaway Jr. is on pace to set a career-high in 3-pointers made. He connecting on a career-high 3.2 3-pointers per contest.

Although the Dallas guard didn't have an extraordinary game, he played his role well as the third shotmaker. The Michigan product recorded a plus/minus of plus-eight, the second-highest total on the Dallas bench, trailing only Seth Curry.

4. Dud - Derrick Jones Jr.

Sorry Derrick Jones Jr., there weren't many dud candidates to choose from in a near-30-point drubbing. Dallas rookie Dereck Lively II sustained an injury, which is unfortunate, but he played well before his untimely exit. Lively II stuffed the stat sheet in limited time. He recorded four rebounds, four assists, two steals, and three blocks in only 19 minutes.

Jaden Hardy checked in and went 1-of-6 from downtown, but the game was already over when he hit the court. And the rest of the roster played well. Not to say Jones Jr. played poorly, but he could have contributed more, especially on offense.

Jones Jr. failed to attempt a 3-pointer and only shot the ball a total of three times. He went 2-of-3 from the floor, scoring five points on the night.

Wednesday night was Jones Jr.'s first game without a 3-point attempt and his second game without a rebound all season long. The high-flying wing's presence was hardly felt on the offensive end of this blowout.

Despite a modest offensive performance, he played well on the defensive end. While this is the "dud" section, it's worth pointing out Jones Jr. swatted two shots, recorded two steals, and deflected four passes on the night.

It's been a mediocre past few games for Jones Jr., as he's failed to record double digits since December 28. But between the 23rd and 28th, the Dallas forward averaged 15.3 points per game.

He's had stretches of several strong offensive showings. Yet he's still prone to quiet stretches on the offensive end time and time again.

3. Stud - Kyrie Irving

After almost all of December, Kyrie Irving returned against the Utah Jazz on New Year's Day. However, Dallas and Irving failed to take advantage of a poor Jazz squad, losing by 37 points.

However, the Mavericks bounced back to handily defeat the Trail Blazers. And in that contest, Irving looked unstoppable. The former Blue Devil got his spots whenever he wanted.

Irving scored 29 points, making 10-of-19 field goal attempts. He also made four of his eight 3-pointers and only missed one free throw, going 5-of-6 on the night.

Besides the scoring output, Irving contributed nine rebounds, five assists, and two steals. He displayed excellent confidence and an exemplary all-around game against Portland.

The Duke product played well on and off the ball. The Doncic-Irving partnership had been heavily discussed all offseason long. Games like this prove Irving is capable of multiple roles.

He looked great as a cutter, pick-and-roll ball handler, and isolation scorer. Irving has demonstrated a willingness to spot-up and take on a secondary scoring role next Doncic.

But whenever the Mavs' MVP candidate is off the court or having an off night, Irving can take over in a sinch. Whenever Irving plays with this combination of efficiency and aggressiveness, he's extremely difficult to contain.

2. Dud - Grant Williams

One of two players who went down with an ankle injury, Grant Williams' inclusion as a dud has as much to do with an unfortunate injury as it does with his poor performance.

Although the injury was described as mild, by head coach Jason Kidd, it's another spell of bad luck for Dallas. The Mavericks are still without Maxi Kleber, and two other contributors had just returned. Dallas guards Kyrie Irving and Josh Green missed 12 games apiece before returning to the court within the past week.

Before Williams' injury, he had failed to contribute much against the Blazers. The former Celtic scored two points, making just one of two shot attempts. He failed to attempt a 3-pointer for the first time all season.

In just 15 minutes of game time, Williams recorded two fouls and three turnovers, the second-highest mark on the Mavs.

Wednesday night marked Williams' fourth time coming off the bench this season. In a relegated role with the second unit, Williams has only averaged 5.3 points in 22.4 minutes per game.

Williams began the season on a hot streak. He averaged 12.3 points and shot 45 percent after the first three contests. Since then, his play has steadily declined.

Although Williams is still a fantastic leader, stout defender, and capable spot-up shooter, it's likely he won't regain his spot in the starting lineup anytime soon. And the ankle injury certainly doesn't help.

1. Stud - Luka Doncic

What a game for Luka Doncic. Although this can be said time and time again, watching Doncic demolish the competition is always a sight to behold.

In only 31 minutes of action, he scored 41 points, hauled in six rebounds, and dished out five assists. The Dallas star was able to pick his spots all night long. The Trail Blazers were unable to continue Doncic off the dribble. He got to the line seven times, knocking down 11-of-14 attempts.

After his 41-point performance, Doncic now leads the league in 40-point games with seven this season. If not for such a lopsided affair, Doncic may had even scored more points.

By halftime, the Mavericks star had already totaled 30 points. Along with Irving's first-half contributions, the star duo outscored the entire Trail Blazers team, 52-47.

Against Portland, Doncic scored in just about every way imaginable. He performed normal Doncic-like moves. Such as euro-steps, step-back 3-pointers, and methodical drives. But Doncic also threw down a monstrous slam and knocked down a rare corner three.

Surprisingly enough, Doncic hadn't recorded a dunk all season long before last night. And perhaps even more of a surprise, Doncic knocked down just his third corner 3-pointer of the season.

While it's somewhat of a rarity to witness Doncic dunk or knock down a three from the corner. One would expect with over 1000 points on the season, Doncic would have converted more jams or corner threes. Nevertheless, when the potential MVP hits the floor, anything is possible.