There’s just something about this team that steps up when their MVP is out.

And that’s exactly what the Mavericks did tonight in Indiana without Luka Doncic, defeating the Pacers 112-103 behind Kristaps Porzingis’ 38 points and 12 rebounds.

This certainly felt like KP’s best game in a Mavericks uniform. 38 points surpassed his season-high of 35 and fell just two short of tying his career-high. Out the gate, he shot the ball with upmost confidence, netting 11 points in the first quarter.

Season-high 38 points.
12 boards.
+18.

BIG W.@kporzee | #MFFL pic.twitter.com/JHm5Mr2a2U

— x – Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) February 4, 2020

38 points on 50% from the field and 6/13 from deep is pretty damn efficient if you ask me, which also included 12/12 from the charity stripe.

Will KP duplicate these numbers when Luka returns to the lineup? No, and that’s okay. But, these games with Luka out and Kristaps being the focal point on offense is a blessing in disguise for Dallas as KP’s confidence and overall feel for his role and spots on offense increase.

Along with KP, his fellow Knick teammate had himself an impressive night as well. Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with 25 points, four rebounds, and five assists on 9/17 shooting. Tim didn’t just create shots for himself but was able to play make for others, which is an underrated part of Tim’s game.

Dorian Finney-Smith, Jalen Brunson, and Delon Wright did exactly what you can expect them to do; they were stars in their role.

Doe-Doe finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Jalen and Delon were the Swiss-army knives that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing. Brunson had nine points, four rebounds and three assists while Wright finished with eight points, five rebounds, and four assists, which included two consecutive offensive rebounds on the same possession, ending in Wright finding THJ for three.

Delon works overtime before finding Timmy for 3! 🔥@delonwright | @T_HardJR

📺: https://t.co/xBvOnhc0uK pic.twitter.com/bxMTctjcEh

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) February 4, 2020

Tonight’s win adds to an already impressive list of wins on the road without Luka, which include Milwaukee and Philadelphia.

Domantas Sabonis did all he could tonight get the Pacers fell short. The first time All-Star finished the game with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists.

The Mavericks travel back home to take on the Grizzlies on Wednesday night at the AAC.