Dante Exum played a valuable role as the Dallas Mavericks overcame the absence of Luka Doncic and earned a key 108-106 victory over Golden State in the countdown to the NBA playoffs.
Doncic, an MVP candidate and the league's leading scorer, averaged 33.8 points, 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds this season before being sidelined by knee pain.
Australian Exum started for the Mavericks and scored 11 points on 5-of-8 field goal shooting and also had seven assists in front of his home fans on Friday night (Saturday AEDT). did.
P.J. Washington stepped up with 32 points with a tie-breaking layup with 4.5 seconds left, and Kyrie Irving was active with 26 points and seven assists.
Dallas (74-30) won for the 13th time in its last 15 games and is in fifth place in the Western Conference, two games behind seventh place, aiming for one of six guaranteed playoff berths. solidified his position.
Golden State missed out on a chance to qualify for the postseason, but Stephen Curry scored 28 points, including a game-tying jumper with 13 seconds left.
In Indianapolis, Australian Josh Guidi was one rebound shy of a triple-double, but his team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, lost leading scorers Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (quad) and Jaylen Williams (ankle). He was unable to overcome his injury absence.
After a strong start, the Thunder (52-25) lost 126-112 to the Pacers, who had a strong record, resulting in their first three losses of the season and their quest for the top seed in the Western Conference fell to the ground. .
Guidi took on the primary playmaking role in Gilgeous-Alexander's absence, finishing with 14 points on 6-of-17 shooting, 12 assists and nine rebounds in 35 minutes on the court.
Lou Dort led Oklahoma City with 22 points, center Chet Holgren had 15 points and Kendrich Williams added 18 points off the bench.
For the Pacers, Pascal Siakam had 21 points and Aaron Nesmith had 17 points. All-Star Tyrese Haliburton was held to eight points but had 11 assists.
“These injuries basically dictate your schedule depending on how you react to your recovery and that whole process,” Thunder manager Mark Daigneault said.
“(Gilgeous-Alexander) has a quadriceps strain. Jalen has a sprained ankle. Let's get on with the schedule.”
In Boston, Peyton Pritchard scored 21 points, including five 3-pointers, and the league-leading Boston Celtics held off a late onslaught to defeat the Sacramento Kings 101-100.
Kristaps Porzingis added 20 points and 11 rebounds, and the Celtics secured home court advantage throughout the playoffs, winning 12 straight home games.
In Milwaukee, the Bucks, playing without injured Giannis Antetokounmpo (hamstring), lost 117-111 at home to the Toronto Raptors, falling to 15-16 since Doc Rivers took over as coach.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 31 points and the Raptors ended their losing streak at 15.
Milwaukee remains in second place in the Eastern Conference, with a one-game lead over Cleveland and a two-game lead over Orlando and New York with five games left for each team.
