Kristaps Porzingis and Rick Carlisle gave credit to the Mavs' depth without superstar Luka Doncic following their 117-98 road win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.
Porzingis finished the game with 22 points and a career-high 18 rebounds. The Mavs are trying to stay afloat in the rugged Western Conference without Doncic and their deep roster is coming through in the clutch:
“One of our biggest strengths is our depth,” Porzingis said, via ESPN. “We have so many different weapons and so many different guys that can come in. I almost feel bad because we have so many guys that can come in, and sometimes they don't get the opportunity. But I would say we have a very professional team where everybody stays ready.”
“We're deep,” Carlisle said. “This has been a good thing for us, just from the standpoint of having other guys put in the situation to have to step up. It's forced us as coaches to make certain adjustments that we have to make. You never want to be without a guy like Luka Doncic. He's a great all-around player, and we need him back as soon as possible. But as long as he's out, we have a plan and the guys are executing well.”
The Mavs are 19-9 on the season. They are in fourth place in the West.
It's unknown when Doncic will be back from his ankle injury. While he's out, Porzingis will continue to be the No. 1 option on offense. He's averaging 17.6 points and 9.5 rebounds on the season.
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