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Dwight Powell keeps getting hit in the face, but Luka Doncic and Mavs don’t want his game to change

The 30-year-old center has sacrificed teeth — emphasis on the plural — to help Dallas’ playoff push with his career-best shooting.

HOUSTON — Dwight Powell didn’t hesitate to show off his middle right incisor.

When asked about fans’ increasing recognition of how often opponents hit him in the face, Powell thought back to the times — emphasis on plural — that he’s lost this tooth.

With apologies to their 6-10 center’s dentistry, the Mavericks hope nothing changes about the way Powell has been playing of late.

While dropping a career-high-tying 26 points and adding 12 rebounds, three assists and two blocks to beat Houston on Friday, Powell showcased what makes the Mavericks appreciate him most: his efficiency in pick-and-roll situations with Luka Doncic and his willingness to hustle and take contact without the nightly limelight.

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After pairing that stat line with an elbow to the face in the first half and a flagrant foul in the second, the 30-year-old also left many wondering, once again: Does Dwight Powell lead the NBA in blows to the face?

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Powell said.

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“It’s more than once per game,” Doncic said. “It’s crazy.”

“He finally got a call today,” coach Jason Kidd said.

“I see it a lot,” Trey Burke said.

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Powell has drawn 80 shooting fouls in 67 appearances this season, second on the team to Doncic’s 170. That means Powell is on track to receive almost as many whistles this year as he did in 98 games over the past two years combined (102).

He’s willing to sacrifice shots to the face if he continues to rank high in offensive shots, too.

Powell finished 9 of 11 from the floor and 8 of 9 from the foul line against the Rockets, including a pair of free throws on the Mavericks’ first possession and dunks off Doncic feeds on the next two.

With a physical presence in the paint against the Rockets’ undersized lineup, Powell also logged six offensive rebounds. The Mavericks scored a combined 10 points on five of the extended possessions.

The production offered a particularly important boost as Maxi Kleber picked up three fouls in his first four minutes of the first quarter. After the game turned into a blowout, Kidd decided to rest Kleber — who’s played as the Mavericks’ second center in Marquese Chriss’ long-term injury absence — for the rest of the night.

“He sets screens for us. He runs. He plays defense,” Doncic said. “Sometimes you’re not going to see him in statistics, but he always gives his maximum.”

Since Kristaps Porzingis suffered the right knee bone bruise Jan. 29 that prompted him to miss his last six games as a Maverick before the Feb. 10 trade, Powell has started all 17 games, averaging 10.5 points in 24.9 minutes while shooting 70.5% from the field.

He’s the only Maverick to play all 67 games entering Sunday afternoon’s national TV showcase against the Celtics, who drafted Powell in the 2014 second round and traded him — and Rajon Rondo — to Dallas later that season.

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So far, Powell is shooting a career-high 65.5% from the floor — which ranks sixth-best among all players who’ve appeared in at least 52 games this season. Those above him include All-Stars Rudy Gobert (71.2%) and Jarrett Allen (67.7%).

“He’s one of our most physical players, and he’s the one down there boxing out a lot of the bruisers,” Burke said. “He’s in the weight room probably more than anybody in the league, I would say. I see him spending a lot of time in there, so I’m sure he can take it.”

Powell’s stretch-run rise mirrors his late regular-season rise last year, about one year removed from January 2020 Achilles surgery.

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In Dallas’ last 16 games before the playoffs last season, Powell made 11 starts and averaged 9.2 points on 77.5% shooting.

Can Powell draw any conclusions about why he appears to again be finding a starting groove just in time for the final postseason push?

He jokingly knocked on his head before he said: “I have no idea. Just trying to play hard every night and take advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves.”

At least he didn’t knock on his teeth, too.

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