Luka Doncic missed tonight’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies due to personal reasons. The Mavericks star announced the birth of his daughter Gabriela on Instagram earlier today. While Luka was busy celebrating a special moment, the Dallas Mavericks got decimated by the shorthanded Grizzlies squad. Memphis beat Dallas 108-94 in a dominant win. Dallas’ second superstar, Kyrie Irving, crumbled in his co-star’s absence and played one of his worst games this season.

Here are 3 key takeaways as the Memphis Grizzlies deliver a shocking upset to the Dallas Mavericks in the absence of Luka Doncic.

1. Kyrie Irving cannot win alone

Kyrie Irving has had a great season so far. He is averaging 24.6 points and 5.5 assists this season and has been a great co-star for Luka Doncic. But Uncle Drew could not get the job done in Luka’s absence. He crumbled under pressure and scored only 10 points tonight. That is his worst scoring performance of this season. Tonight is not the first time Kyrie’s inability to win alone has been exposed. He has failed to find any significant success as the sole superstar on a team throughout his career. Kyrie did not win much in Cleveland before LeBron joined him, and he has not reached the same level of success since leaving King James’ shadow in 2017. Kyrie needs a second superstar like LeBron or Luka to support him and help him win games.

2. Dallas Mavericks need more defense

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving have been one of the most dominant offensive duos this season. They have led the Mavs to an 11-7 record and taken them to the 5th spot in the Western Conference standings. Dallas is among the Top 10 teams in offensive rating with 117.9. But their defense has failed them time and again this season.

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The Mavs are among the worst defensive teams in the NBA, with a rating of 117.6. And it is fairly easy for the opponents to score on them. Anytime Luka and Kyrie are unable to score on offense, they get humiliated on the other end, as they did tonight. Dallas might need to make some moves to improve their defense to become a legitimate threat in the West.

3. Memphis is going nowhere without Ja Morant

Even though Memphis pulled off a huge upset tonight, they have been one of the worst teams in the league this season. They are 14th in the West with a 5-13 record and desperately need Ja Morant back in the lineup. Morant is still serving his 25-game suspension and is scheduled to return on December 19 against the New Orleans Pelicans. Their defensive anchor, Marcus Smart, has also been out for two weeks due to an ankle injury. The Memphis Grizzlies have not found any success without their star players, and they are hoping for Ja Morant and Marcus Smart to return before it’s too late.

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