12-09-2021, 12:45 AM
MAVS COME FROM BEHIND IN ROAD WIN
The Mavericks entered the FedEx Forum hoping for a reset from their 2-8 performance in their last ten games. They came up with a decisive victory, in a very spirited contest featuring 9 lead changes, 7 technical fouls, and an ejection. Great win, and hopefully the dawning of a beautiful new day.
GAME NOTES
The Mavs were on the second night of a back-to-back. The Grizz were on a 5-game winning streak. Willie (personal reasons) and Sterling (foot) were out. Luka had been listed as questionable, but was ruled available at game time. Ja was out for Memphis. Kidd went with the current starting lineup, Luka-Bullock-DFS-KP-Powell.
FIRST QUARTER
KP gets the Mavs on the board with an and-one over Jaren Jackson. KP and Powell double-team Steven Adams on a drive and still have to foul him. DFS gets an easy basket off an inbounds pass from Reggie. Dillon Brooks has to leave with his second foul, drawn by KP. KP turns the ball over, and it results in a Memphis three. Luka commits a foul in the backcourt. Adams backs down Powell, but is stripped by Bullock. KP put back! Then Porzee gets called for his second foul. Maxi comes in for him, along with Brunson (not Hardaway) for Reggie. Mavs 4-12. 9-10 6:55
DFS misses a corner three, and then the Mavs allow Bane an open lane to the basket. Moses Brown comes on. Well, that’s a new one, with Willie out and KP in foul trouble. Brunson hits two freebies. Moses runs the floor, but his shot is disrupted. Maxi scores at the rim, giving Dallas a lead. Moses secures an OR and draws a second foul on De’Anthony Melton. Moses hits one of two. Grizz force a turnover, trapping Luka on the endline. Luka stripped again, and Memphis gets a basket. Luka hits from downtown! Tillman responds in kind, off an OR. Luka back-to-back treys. Bane again at the rim. Moses Brown with a second-chance opportunity, draws a foul. 20-19 1:29
Moses two for two. Moses blocks a Jackson three, but Memphis scores off an offensive rebound. Moses forces a jump ball, wins the tip, results in a Bullock three. Tim stripped, Moses commits fifth team foul of the quarter. Tillman one of two. Brunson bumped on a drive, but the buzzer sounds. Review on the foul call. Foul occurred before the buzzer. One of two. Grizz trail at the end of a quarter, for the first time in their six-game streak.
26-25 after one
Mavs leading, courtesy of 7 completed free throws, out of 9 attempts. Luka leads Dallas with 8 points, Bane has 6 for Memphis. Mavs have 6 offensive rebounds.
SECOND QUARTER
Bad airball from Timmy. Adams scores right over KP. He’s a big problem. Maxi basket disallowed for a travel. Brooks end-of-clock fadeaway over Reggie. Hardaway pull-up is good. Wow, Jaren Jackson jumper off a screen, foul called on Maxi. Review — was the foul on the floor? Yes, it was, no free throws for Jaren. Jackson to the basket. Jackson at the basket again — draws a Dallas timeout. 28-33 8:59
THJ floater ATO. Green on the floor. DFS loses the ball, Adams goes after it and takes KP out. KP blocked at the rim. Adams to the basket, throwing Brunson down in the process. KP teed up. Luka returns to the court. KP to the basket for a slam. Scrum under the basket, called out of bounds off Memphis, but call reversed. Luka to Josh Green on a cut! Brooks layup. Three-second violation on Memphis. KP hits the free throw. Brooks drives right up to the basket again. Now a Bane full-court drive and layup. Yikes. Green with a short pull-up J! OMG, Mavs give up another dunk. Oh, no, another score by Brooks at the basket. Grizz on a 13-5 run. Timeout Dallas. 37-49 2:59
DFS-Powell! Memphis drive results in free throws. Jackson hits one of two. Luka from the low block. Brunson steal and run to the rim! Jackson back to the line, Powell’s third foul. Jackson is two for two. Brunson to Bullock for a corner three! Brunson from the elbow! Mavs end the quarter on a 9-2 run.
48-52 HT
Mavs lose the second quarter 22-27, but close well. Overall, Memphis dominating inside — PIP 30-18, second-chance points 15-7, FB points 9-4. Dallas 4-16 from three, have lost 12 points on 8 turnovers. Luka leading the Mavs with 10 points. Jackson and Brooks combine for 21 for the Grizz.
Luka has apparently been assessed a T for a what-are-you-gonna-do gesture on the way to the locker room after a no-call. Really?
THIRD QUARTER
KP three from Luka. Brooks knocks Luka down, Luka goes one for two. Luka for a three. Luka with another pull-up! Desmond Bane fouled by Bullock, two for two. KP gets the shooter’s bounce on a three, but then misses a transition dunk. Bane steps out of bounds, turnover. Good ball movement results in a Bullock three from Powell. Mavs take the lead back. 63-60 7:54
Luka turnaround J in the post over Brooks. Powell called for his fourth on an away from the play foul. I don’t know about that one. Adams intercepts a long pass and Melton makes the transition three over KP. Moses comes in again, has an uncontested dunk from Luka! Melton OR over Moses. Tyus Jones intercepts a cross-court pass from Luka, but the Grizz can’t capitalize. DFS runs the floor, Brunson finds him! Moses strips Adams under the basket, but can’t finish on the other end. Moses tussles with Adams, who goes one for two. Adams called for a foul as Moses falls down under the basket, Moses hits his free throws. Moses fights for an OR on the other end, draws a foul. Lots of energy from the youngster! Hits ‘em both. He’s 9 and 6 in 9 minutes! Moses! 73-71 2:03
Moses swats a Memphis attempt out of bounds! Brunson fouls at half-court to stop a transition basket. Review for a clear path foul. Common foul. Moses rebounds the missed second free throw, hands off to Brunson. Brunson to Timmy for a corner three. T on Moses for defensive three seconds. Hardaway blocks Memphis’ shot at the buzzer.
76-75 after three
Luka leads all scorers with 18 points, Jackson has 17 for Memphis. I like the intensity Moses has brought to the game. Mavs’ shooting has picked up.
FOURTH QUARTER
Hardaway with a rack attack for the jam! Defensive three seconds on Memphis, KP hits the technical free throw. Maxi fights Bane for an offensive rebound, jump ball called. Memphis wins the tip, but Jackson called for a moving screen on the other end. Maxi draws a charge from Tillman. Adams comes in. Jaren fouled by KP on a drive, that’s five on KP. Powell checks in. Green called for a foul on Jackson, trying to go after a rebound. Mavs argue, but to no avail. Jackson ties the game with a left hook. Bullock to DFS for a layup! Luka overthrows DFS with a downcourt pass, which is intercepted. Luka scoops to the hoop. Luka three off a screen from Powell! Mavs on a 7-0 run. 86-79 6:56.
Powell looking for Moses on a back cut, they turn it over. Adams called for a travel, grumps his way back down the court. Teed up. Luka three from San Diego! Tillie responds. Brunson pull-up! Luka-Brunson-Bullock-DFS-KP on the floor. Grizz have to take Adams out, he can’t make free throws. Brooks drives, scores over KP, who has five fouls and has to let him go. Bullock three from Brunson! Brooks teed up. 95-86 3:50
KP hits the free throw on the T. Jaren with an offensive foul, that’s his fifth and a turnover. Luka-Bullock connection! KP called for a foul on Jackson in the corner, his sixth. Kidd challenges. Successful! Jump ball. Memphis wins the tip, but KP steals and scores! DFS for a slam! Memphis head coach teed up! KP thumbs his nose at the commotion with the calm technical FT. Brunson tied up by Jackson, another jump ball. Luka and KP leave the floor, Kidd lets Moses and Green come in for the last few seconds. Brooks gets ejected, second technical foul, Memphis coach covering Brooks’ mouth, lol.
104-96 FT
Yay!!
ANALYSIS
The Grizz got up 13 more shots than the Mavs, courtesy of Dallas’ 19 turnovers, but the Mavs outshot their opponent (48/36/78 v 40/29/60). Mavs’ point differentials were -4 on points from twos, +9 on points from threes, and +3 in made free throws.
Memphis had a 50-36 advantage in PIP, a 21-7 margin in second-chance points, and 20 points off the Mavs’ turnovers.The Mavs were aided by Memphis’ poor performance at the line (15-25), and loss of composure in the final frame (5 technical fouls and an ejection in the last twelve).
For a while in the second quarter, it looked like the Mavs might be getting their goose cooked, but they made a run at the end of the half, and had a one-point edge after three. They made their best stand in the fourth quarter, and went up for good at 8:35.
PLAYER NOTES
DONCIC (36 min). Luka was 26-8-7 on 10-19 shooting, including five threes. Although he had 9 turnovers, he still had the team’s highest +/-, at +18, despite fighting through several injuries (thumb, ankle, knee). Harp congratulated the 22-year-old on being a stabilizing influence on the offensive end in the fourth, and Skin agreed that he provided great leadership on the floor. Devin allowed that we’ll probably hear a lot of chatter about Luka’s conditioning and weight, but we should never mistake him for anything but one of the game’s most spectacular players.
BRUNSON (34). Jalen had 10 points and 7 assists off the bench, and he was included in the closing unit. He was 3-8 from the floor and drew 7 FTA. Although his line wasn’t splashy, he provided a solid performance as leader of the second unit.
DFS (32). Dorian had 8 points and six rebounds. Just his usual understated, dependable performance as a team defensive anchor.
BULLOCK (30). Finally! A good game from Reggie! The former Knick had a season-high 15 points, including four threes, and also recorded 4 assists. He got the post-game interview, and acknowledged that his ability to hit his shots felt like it had been a long time coming, crediting his teammates for continuing to look for him. Devin agreed that everyone has been waiting for him to live up to his reputation as a shooter, and hoped that maybe this game will be what gets him going. If he can be consistent, he can help this team.
Kidd complimented Reggie’s basketball intelligence, citing his baseline cut to get a layup, his understanding how to create space and when and how to move off the ball, his shooting, and for trying to shoulder some of the offensive load, rather than standing around waiting for Luka to make something happen, which Kidd noted was not an uncommon issue for his team.
PORZINGIS (23). KP had 19 points and was 5-5 from the line. He was aggressive, and scored in all sorts of ways. The Bally crew credited his varied contributions, commending him for lots of dunks, rebounding well, and setting a tone defensively. His minutes were cut a little short, as he was in foul trouble for much of the game, but he was still quite impactful.
MOSES (12). A delightful surprise off the bench, Moses had 9 points and 7 rebounds, and drew a team-high 8 FTA, completing 7. Four of his rebounds were offensive, and he also recorded two blocks and a steal. He played with a huge amount of intensity, fighting on each possession like there was no tomorrow. Kidd commented that Moses comes in early and prepares for every game as if he is going to play, even though he knows he probably isn’t. The coaching staff had discussed trying to get him some minutes in this match, and he did a great job with them. The Bally guys acknowledged that he is still pretty raw, but loved his energy, sense of purpose, and “reckless abandon,” predicting that he will a factor in the NBA in time.
MENTIONS. HARDAWAY (23) had 9 points and 4 rebounds on 4-10 shooting (1-6 from three) in his role as a reserve. POWELL (21) and MAXI (18) each had two points and five rebounds. Maxi’s minutes seem to have been reduced a little lately, which is probably not a bad thing, considering his health issues. GREEN (10) had a couple of stretches, and he even completed two baskets! Kidd cited him for giving the team a spark.
BOBAN, BURKE, and FRANK had DNP-CDs. No word on the return of WILLIE or STERLING.
GRIZZLIES. Jaren Jackson, Jr. was the Mavs’ leading tormentor, posted 26 points and 7 rebounds, and drew 8 FTA. Very fine young player. Dillon Brooks was Memphis’ second-leading scorer with 15 points. He was a passionate player, eventually being ejected with two technicals. The Mavs did a good job of getting under his skin, lol. Desmond Bane, who heckled the Mavs after the last game for drafting Josh Green instead of him, had 14 points. De’Anthony Melton put up 13 off the bench. Steven Adams, a major thorn in the Mavs’ side in the last match, had more limited impact in this game, with six points and 9 rebounds. He bullied Powell some, but ended up with 6 turnovers and had to be subbed off at the end due to his ineptitude at free throws.
OBSERVATIONS
Bally. The crew explained that Kidd is doing things like putting Reggie in the starting lineup and introducing Moses and Green in a effort to shake things up in an effort to try to stop his team’s bleeding. They don’t have any idea how long those changes will last, but they seemed to help tonight. Harp allowed that the Mavs didn’t really need any extra motivation, as they knew they let the Nets game get away from them, and were anxious to redeem themselves and get out of this cycle of disappointment.
The game got off to a bit of a slow start, especially in the interior defense area, but the Mavs sped up the pace and mixed up their attack in the second half, and every player on the court had a positive impact.
Kidd was happy that this group was so “into the game.” He was particularly proud to have held Memphis to under 100 points — they just need a few players to score, but they need everyone to play defense. He thought keeping their cool in the fourth was a factor. He revealed that at halftime, instead of talking X’s and O’s, they talked about the importance of keeping their composure, and he thinks they did well in the second half. Perhaps not coincidentally, this was right after Luka had been teed up for getting into it with the refs.
He thinks that his team defended very well in this game and the last, and that they are going in the right direction on offense, not having to rely so much on threes. Tonight, they took 33 3PTA, around 42% of their total FGA.
So. With this victory, the Mavs ended their three-game skid, and avenged their previous loss against one of the league’s hottest teams. I liked the attention to defense, and was glad to see the shotmaking turn in a more positive direction. I thought Moses really brought the energy level up and served as a great irritant to the home team. The victory seemed reasonably convincing, but I have to admit I was glad Ja wasn’t out there.
NEXT. The Mavs face the Pacers in Indiana on Friday. One of the reporters asked Kidd what he anticipated feeling on facing his former coach. Kidd gently reminded her that it wouldn’t be his first time coaching against Carlisle, and predicted that if the game is particularly emotional, that will be more on the part of his players than himself, lol. Nevertheless, he opined that it is always an honor to coach against one of the league’s best.
The Pacers seem to be in a transitional state, as I believe they have declared an intention to rebuild. Hopefully, the Mavs can get a win. I will expect nothing less.
The Mavericks entered the FedEx Forum hoping for a reset from their 2-8 performance in their last ten games. They came up with a decisive victory, in a very spirited contest featuring 9 lead changes, 7 technical fouls, and an ejection. Great win, and hopefully the dawning of a beautiful new day.
GAME NOTES
The Mavs were on the second night of a back-to-back. The Grizz were on a 5-game winning streak. Willie (personal reasons) and Sterling (foot) were out. Luka had been listed as questionable, but was ruled available at game time. Ja was out for Memphis. Kidd went with the current starting lineup, Luka-Bullock-DFS-KP-Powell.
FIRST QUARTER
KP gets the Mavs on the board with an and-one over Jaren Jackson. KP and Powell double-team Steven Adams on a drive and still have to foul him. DFS gets an easy basket off an inbounds pass from Reggie. Dillon Brooks has to leave with his second foul, drawn by KP. KP turns the ball over, and it results in a Memphis three. Luka commits a foul in the backcourt. Adams backs down Powell, but is stripped by Bullock. KP put back! Then Porzee gets called for his second foul. Maxi comes in for him, along with Brunson (not Hardaway) for Reggie. Mavs 4-12. 9-10 6:55
DFS misses a corner three, and then the Mavs allow Bane an open lane to the basket. Moses Brown comes on. Well, that’s a new one, with Willie out and KP in foul trouble. Brunson hits two freebies. Moses runs the floor, but his shot is disrupted. Maxi scores at the rim, giving Dallas a lead. Moses secures an OR and draws a second foul on De’Anthony Melton. Moses hits one of two. Grizz force a turnover, trapping Luka on the endline. Luka stripped again, and Memphis gets a basket. Luka hits from downtown! Tillman responds in kind, off an OR. Luka back-to-back treys. Bane again at the rim. Moses Brown with a second-chance opportunity, draws a foul. 20-19 1:29
Moses two for two. Moses blocks a Jackson three, but Memphis scores off an offensive rebound. Moses forces a jump ball, wins the tip, results in a Bullock three. Tim stripped, Moses commits fifth team foul of the quarter. Tillman one of two. Brunson bumped on a drive, but the buzzer sounds. Review on the foul call. Foul occurred before the buzzer. One of two. Grizz trail at the end of a quarter, for the first time in their six-game streak.
26-25 after one
Mavs leading, courtesy of 7 completed free throws, out of 9 attempts. Luka leads Dallas with 8 points, Bane has 6 for Memphis. Mavs have 6 offensive rebounds.
SECOND QUARTER
Bad airball from Timmy. Adams scores right over KP. He’s a big problem. Maxi basket disallowed for a travel. Brooks end-of-clock fadeaway over Reggie. Hardaway pull-up is good. Wow, Jaren Jackson jumper off a screen, foul called on Maxi. Review — was the foul on the floor? Yes, it was, no free throws for Jaren. Jackson to the basket. Jackson at the basket again — draws a Dallas timeout. 28-33 8:59
THJ floater ATO. Green on the floor. DFS loses the ball, Adams goes after it and takes KP out. KP blocked at the rim. Adams to the basket, throwing Brunson down in the process. KP teed up. Luka returns to the court. KP to the basket for a slam. Scrum under the basket, called out of bounds off Memphis, but call reversed. Luka to Josh Green on a cut! Brooks layup. Three-second violation on Memphis. KP hits the free throw. Brooks drives right up to the basket again. Now a Bane full-court drive and layup. Yikes. Green with a short pull-up J! OMG, Mavs give up another dunk. Oh, no, another score by Brooks at the basket. Grizz on a 13-5 run. Timeout Dallas. 37-49 2:59
DFS-Powell! Memphis drive results in free throws. Jackson hits one of two. Luka from the low block. Brunson steal and run to the rim! Jackson back to the line, Powell’s third foul. Jackson is two for two. Brunson to Bullock for a corner three! Brunson from the elbow! Mavs end the quarter on a 9-2 run.
48-52 HT
Mavs lose the second quarter 22-27, but close well. Overall, Memphis dominating inside — PIP 30-18, second-chance points 15-7, FB points 9-4. Dallas 4-16 from three, have lost 12 points on 8 turnovers. Luka leading the Mavs with 10 points. Jackson and Brooks combine for 21 for the Grizz.
Luka has apparently been assessed a T for a what-are-you-gonna-do gesture on the way to the locker room after a no-call. Really?
THIRD QUARTER
KP three from Luka. Brooks knocks Luka down, Luka goes one for two. Luka for a three. Luka with another pull-up! Desmond Bane fouled by Bullock, two for two. KP gets the shooter’s bounce on a three, but then misses a transition dunk. Bane steps out of bounds, turnover. Good ball movement results in a Bullock three from Powell. Mavs take the lead back. 63-60 7:54
Luka turnaround J in the post over Brooks. Powell called for his fourth on an away from the play foul. I don’t know about that one. Adams intercepts a long pass and Melton makes the transition three over KP. Moses comes in again, has an uncontested dunk from Luka! Melton OR over Moses. Tyus Jones intercepts a cross-court pass from Luka, but the Grizz can’t capitalize. DFS runs the floor, Brunson finds him! Moses strips Adams under the basket, but can’t finish on the other end. Moses tussles with Adams, who goes one for two. Adams called for a foul as Moses falls down under the basket, Moses hits his free throws. Moses fights for an OR on the other end, draws a foul. Lots of energy from the youngster! Hits ‘em both. He’s 9 and 6 in 9 minutes! Moses! 73-71 2:03
Moses swats a Memphis attempt out of bounds! Brunson fouls at half-court to stop a transition basket. Review for a clear path foul. Common foul. Moses rebounds the missed second free throw, hands off to Brunson. Brunson to Timmy for a corner three. T on Moses for defensive three seconds. Hardaway blocks Memphis’ shot at the buzzer.
76-75 after three
Luka leads all scorers with 18 points, Jackson has 17 for Memphis. I like the intensity Moses has brought to the game. Mavs’ shooting has picked up.
FOURTH QUARTER
Hardaway with a rack attack for the jam! Defensive three seconds on Memphis, KP hits the technical free throw. Maxi fights Bane for an offensive rebound, jump ball called. Memphis wins the tip, but Jackson called for a moving screen on the other end. Maxi draws a charge from Tillman. Adams comes in. Jaren fouled by KP on a drive, that’s five on KP. Powell checks in. Green called for a foul on Jackson, trying to go after a rebound. Mavs argue, but to no avail. Jackson ties the game with a left hook. Bullock to DFS for a layup! Luka overthrows DFS with a downcourt pass, which is intercepted. Luka scoops to the hoop. Luka three off a screen from Powell! Mavs on a 7-0 run. 86-79 6:56.
Powell looking for Moses on a back cut, they turn it over. Adams called for a travel, grumps his way back down the court. Teed up. Luka three from San Diego! Tillie responds. Brunson pull-up! Luka-Brunson-Bullock-DFS-KP on the floor. Grizz have to take Adams out, he can’t make free throws. Brooks drives, scores over KP, who has five fouls and has to let him go. Bullock three from Brunson! Brooks teed up. 95-86 3:50
KP hits the free throw on the T. Jaren with an offensive foul, that’s his fifth and a turnover. Luka-Bullock connection! KP called for a foul on Jackson in the corner, his sixth. Kidd challenges. Successful! Jump ball. Memphis wins the tip, but KP steals and scores! DFS for a slam! Memphis head coach teed up! KP thumbs his nose at the commotion with the calm technical FT. Brunson tied up by Jackson, another jump ball. Luka and KP leave the floor, Kidd lets Moses and Green come in for the last few seconds. Brooks gets ejected, second technical foul, Memphis coach covering Brooks’ mouth, lol.
104-96 FT
Yay!!
ANALYSIS
The Grizz got up 13 more shots than the Mavs, courtesy of Dallas’ 19 turnovers, but the Mavs outshot their opponent (48/36/78 v 40/29/60). Mavs’ point differentials were -4 on points from twos, +9 on points from threes, and +3 in made free throws.
Memphis had a 50-36 advantage in PIP, a 21-7 margin in second-chance points, and 20 points off the Mavs’ turnovers.The Mavs were aided by Memphis’ poor performance at the line (15-25), and loss of composure in the final frame (5 technical fouls and an ejection in the last twelve).
For a while in the second quarter, it looked like the Mavs might be getting their goose cooked, but they made a run at the end of the half, and had a one-point edge after three. They made their best stand in the fourth quarter, and went up for good at 8:35.
PLAYER NOTES
DONCIC (36 min). Luka was 26-8-7 on 10-19 shooting, including five threes. Although he had 9 turnovers, he still had the team’s highest +/-, at +18, despite fighting through several injuries (thumb, ankle, knee). Harp congratulated the 22-year-old on being a stabilizing influence on the offensive end in the fourth, and Skin agreed that he provided great leadership on the floor. Devin allowed that we’ll probably hear a lot of chatter about Luka’s conditioning and weight, but we should never mistake him for anything but one of the game’s most spectacular players.
BRUNSON (34). Jalen had 10 points and 7 assists off the bench, and he was included in the closing unit. He was 3-8 from the floor and drew 7 FTA. Although his line wasn’t splashy, he provided a solid performance as leader of the second unit.
DFS (32). Dorian had 8 points and six rebounds. Just his usual understated, dependable performance as a team defensive anchor.
BULLOCK (30). Finally! A good game from Reggie! The former Knick had a season-high 15 points, including four threes, and also recorded 4 assists. He got the post-game interview, and acknowledged that his ability to hit his shots felt like it had been a long time coming, crediting his teammates for continuing to look for him. Devin agreed that everyone has been waiting for him to live up to his reputation as a shooter, and hoped that maybe this game will be what gets him going. If he can be consistent, he can help this team.
Kidd complimented Reggie’s basketball intelligence, citing his baseline cut to get a layup, his understanding how to create space and when and how to move off the ball, his shooting, and for trying to shoulder some of the offensive load, rather than standing around waiting for Luka to make something happen, which Kidd noted was not an uncommon issue for his team.
PORZINGIS (23). KP had 19 points and was 5-5 from the line. He was aggressive, and scored in all sorts of ways. The Bally crew credited his varied contributions, commending him for lots of dunks, rebounding well, and setting a tone defensively. His minutes were cut a little short, as he was in foul trouble for much of the game, but he was still quite impactful.
MOSES (12). A delightful surprise off the bench, Moses had 9 points and 7 rebounds, and drew a team-high 8 FTA, completing 7. Four of his rebounds were offensive, and he also recorded two blocks and a steal. He played with a huge amount of intensity, fighting on each possession like there was no tomorrow. Kidd commented that Moses comes in early and prepares for every game as if he is going to play, even though he knows he probably isn’t. The coaching staff had discussed trying to get him some minutes in this match, and he did a great job with them. The Bally guys acknowledged that he is still pretty raw, but loved his energy, sense of purpose, and “reckless abandon,” predicting that he will a factor in the NBA in time.
MENTIONS. HARDAWAY (23) had 9 points and 4 rebounds on 4-10 shooting (1-6 from three) in his role as a reserve. POWELL (21) and MAXI (18) each had two points and five rebounds. Maxi’s minutes seem to have been reduced a little lately, which is probably not a bad thing, considering his health issues. GREEN (10) had a couple of stretches, and he even completed two baskets! Kidd cited him for giving the team a spark.
BOBAN, BURKE, and FRANK had DNP-CDs. No word on the return of WILLIE or STERLING.
GRIZZLIES. Jaren Jackson, Jr. was the Mavs’ leading tormentor, posted 26 points and 7 rebounds, and drew 8 FTA. Very fine young player. Dillon Brooks was Memphis’ second-leading scorer with 15 points. He was a passionate player, eventually being ejected with two technicals. The Mavs did a good job of getting under his skin, lol. Desmond Bane, who heckled the Mavs after the last game for drafting Josh Green instead of him, had 14 points. De’Anthony Melton put up 13 off the bench. Steven Adams, a major thorn in the Mavs’ side in the last match, had more limited impact in this game, with six points and 9 rebounds. He bullied Powell some, but ended up with 6 turnovers and had to be subbed off at the end due to his ineptitude at free throws.
OBSERVATIONS
Bally. The crew explained that Kidd is doing things like putting Reggie in the starting lineup and introducing Moses and Green in a effort to shake things up in an effort to try to stop his team’s bleeding. They don’t have any idea how long those changes will last, but they seemed to help tonight. Harp allowed that the Mavs didn’t really need any extra motivation, as they knew they let the Nets game get away from them, and were anxious to redeem themselves and get out of this cycle of disappointment.
The game got off to a bit of a slow start, especially in the interior defense area, but the Mavs sped up the pace and mixed up their attack in the second half, and every player on the court had a positive impact.
Kidd was happy that this group was so “into the game.” He was particularly proud to have held Memphis to under 100 points — they just need a few players to score, but they need everyone to play defense. He thought keeping their cool in the fourth was a factor. He revealed that at halftime, instead of talking X’s and O’s, they talked about the importance of keeping their composure, and he thinks they did well in the second half. Perhaps not coincidentally, this was right after Luka had been teed up for getting into it with the refs.
He thinks that his team defended very well in this game and the last, and that they are going in the right direction on offense, not having to rely so much on threes. Tonight, they took 33 3PTA, around 42% of their total FGA.
So. With this victory, the Mavs ended their three-game skid, and avenged their previous loss against one of the league’s hottest teams. I liked the attention to defense, and was glad to see the shotmaking turn in a more positive direction. I thought Moses really brought the energy level up and served as a great irritant to the home team. The victory seemed reasonably convincing, but I have to admit I was glad Ja wasn’t out there.
NEXT. The Mavs face the Pacers in Indiana on Friday. One of the reporters asked Kidd what he anticipated feeling on facing his former coach. Kidd gently reminded her that it wouldn’t be his first time coaching against Carlisle, and predicted that if the game is particularly emotional, that will be more on the part of his players than himself, lol. Nevertheless, he opined that it is always an honor to coach against one of the league’s best.
The Pacers seem to be in a transitional state, as I believe they have declared an intention to rebuild. Hopefully, the Mavs can get a win. I will expect nothing less.
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