Advertisement

Mavericks suffer third-straight preseason loss to Real Madrid

Noah Weber
Noah Weber

The Smoking Cuban

Real Madrid Vs Dallas Mavericks - Exhibition Match / Borja B. Hojas/GettyImages

The Dallas Mavericks opened up the preseason on October 5 and 7 with two matchups against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Abu Dhabi.

Both of those games resulted in losses for Dallas, and they looked to get back on track on Tuesday in Madrid.

This was a matchup that Luka Doncic held close to his heart, as Real Madrid is the team that he grew up playing for, but due to a calf injury, he only got to play for five minutes.

Mavericks suffer third-straight preseason loss to Real Madrid

Doncic was firing all cylinders while in the game and put on a show for the fans that were in attendance. He finished with nine points (all 3-pointers) and one assist.

Kyrie Irving was also out with a groin injury. Despite strong showings from Dante Exum, Dereck Lively II, and Tim Hardaway Jr., the Mavs couldn't hold on. Exum continued to display his craftiness and facilitating, but it wasn't enough to hold off Real Madrid.

The Mavs entered the fourth quarter with a nine-point lead, but Real Madrid came roaring back and won 127-124. Former Mavericks point guard Facundo Campazzo hit the dagger for Real Madrid, giving them a seven-point lead with ten seconds remaining.

Some fans may consider this loss as embarrassing, as Real Madrid isn't an NBA team, but Dallas was trying all sorts of lineups in this game, and Irving sat while Doncic barely played. This isn't an excuse for the loss, but there were some encouraging takeaways from this game.

Lively II continues to show that he should be this team's starting center, Hardaway Jr. scored great in the first half, and Grant Williams had a solid all-around game. This game is nothing to be discouraged about, as Dallas ended the game with all bench players.

We'll have you covered with all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks this season, so stay tuned.

Noah Weber

Noah Weber

Noah Weber is the Site Expert for The Smoking Cuban, covering the Dallas Mavericks as a credentialed media member since the 2022-23 season. With a Bachelor of Science in Sports Media from Oklahoma State University, Noah has worked in sports journalism since 2019. While he's covered the Dallas Cowboys and Oklahoma State Cowboys, he has now established himself as a go-to voice for Mavericks coverage. Noah's expertise includes in-depth game analysis, social media content creation, and offering unique perspectives through his reporting. His work has been featured on major platforms such as ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Overtime. During his time at Oklahoma State, Noah won first place in the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association Awards for a show he co-produced. Outside of covering the Mavs, Noah enjoys working out, playing basketball and Spikeball, and spending quality time with friends and family.