Doncic, who had dragged an otherwise unremarkable Mavericks team through the Western Conference, became the face of their failure. Dallas coach Jason Kidd was forced to come out and defend his maligned star, even though without Doncic, the Mavericks were a faded Kyrie Irving and a bunch of role players.

The Houston Rockets will conclude their five-game road trip Saturday afternoon at the Dallas Mavericks. Luka Dončić won't take the floor for Dallas after the weekend's blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Lakers.