The Mavericks were like a jet airliner missing its two engines on Friday night.
They had to find some auxiliary power.
They got some in the form of a couple of players who haven’t seen a lot of court time this season, but it wasn’t enough to overtake the front-running Detroit Pistons, who scored a 107-89 victory over the Mavericks at American Airlines Center.
Luka Donu010diu0107 and Kyrie Irving were grounded with nagging injuries after the Mavericks had clinched their playoff fate with wins earlier in the week at Miami and Charlotte.