02-15-2021, 04:45 AM
MAVS COMEBACK ATTEMPT FALLS SHORT
The Mavericks dug themselves out of a hole to tie the game late with an impressive fourth-quarter run, but in the end, the effort was a day late and a dollar short.
GAME STORY
The Blazers were missing key members of their rotation in C J McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic, Zach Collins, and Rodney Hood. Mavs reported no injuries or illnesses.
Inside of three minutes, the Blazers took a lead and maintained it for the entire first quarter. The Mavs were soon down double digits. Late in the period, Enes Kanter and DFS scuffled and drew double techs. With about 2 1/2 minutes left, the Mavs had four offensive rebounds and five shots on one possession, but did not connect. Dallas trailed 25-34 after one.
The second contained some embarrassing moments, including: a KP air-balled three; a possession where the Blazers scored after three offensive rebounds; a bobbled rebound allowing a put back; and Kanter overpowering KP in the paint on multiple possessions. Luka continued to get mauled, and absorbed a flagrant one from Jones, who hit him in the face, apparently inadvertently, and left him looking dazed. The event ignited the young star, who scored 11 points in the last 1:42 of the half. Dame was not happy with the officiating, and was called for a T with less than a minute to go. The Mavs went into the locker room with a 61-58 lead.
Dallas was undone in the third quarter. A few lowlights included: several Mavs standing waiting for a rebound and Jones flying in over them for the offensive board; a strip resulting in a Blazers transition and-one after a timeout; another turnover and Blazers score on the ensuing possession; a shot clock violation; a DFS foul of a three-point shooter; and Kanter bullying WCS in the paint. The Mavs had Dame in foul trouble for most of the quarter, but did not press their advantage. On the brighter side, DFS had a steal on an inbounds pass, and Luka executed a beautiful floater three on the run. Our boys scored 30 points in the quarter but gave up a horrid 45. Blazers led 103-91 headed into the fourth.
The Mavs fiddle-faffed around for the first part of the fourth, and were down 13 at the 6:24 mark. Then, they caught fire, and reeled off a 12-0 run. After a couple of scoring exchanges, the teams were knotted at 116-all with less than a minute remaining. Lillard fired off a step-back three. Luka slammed in a dunk with 27 seconds left, giving the Mavs a 1-point deficit. Dallas elected not to foul, and the Blazers bled the shot clock before ending the possession with a Jones layup. The Mavs still had a chance to tie the game, down three with 7 seconds to go. Luka got a good look at a three, but the shot went in and out, and the ball went out of bounds off Brunson. Game over.
STATISTICS
The Mavericks’ tepid three-point shooting (14-41, 34%) did not match the Blazers, well, blazing 45% from deep. The Mavs, however, had an advantage at the line, and are to be commended on a 24-25 performance on freebies. The point differentials were -2 on points from twos, -12 on points from threes, and +11 on made free throws. Our men also gave up 21 second-chance points. Rick’s clutch lineup was Luka, Brunson, Josh/THJ, DFS, and KP.
PLAYERS
DONCIC. Luka had another amazing night — 44 points, 14-20 shooting, 5 of 8 from three, 11 of 12 from the line, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists. He hit some gorgeous, difficult shots, was absolutely on fi-ah at the end of the second, and scored in double digits in every quarter. He battled hard, played pretty decent defense, and did his best to put the team on his back. When he missed the last shot, he knelt on the court and put his hands over his head in disappointment and chagrin.
After the game, he took responsibility for failing to tie the game, saying he should have made that shot. I think he was being a little hard on himself — they wouldn’t have been in a position to tie the game without him. Rick said afterward that he believes the load on Luka game after game is too much, and they can’t expect him to keep scoring 40-point games and filling the stat sheet night after night. He said the team needs more balance in the attack, and they have to find ways for the other guys to start shouldering more of the scoring load. We'll keep an eye on that.
PORZINGIS. KP had a a good enough line — 18 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal, but I didn’t think he played all that well. He took only 9 shots, although he did go 8-8 at the line. Maybe that’s partly on the coaching staff, but it seemed like he didn’t take enough advantage of having the ball on the block against smaller players, and passed on some occasions when it seemed to be a better move to shoot. He was in foul trouble for parts of the second half. Kanter bullied him, and Dame blew by him. One of the reporters asked Rick if it would be a good idea to get KP going more in first quarters. Rick replied that it would be dandy if all the players got going in first quarters. Me-ow.
DFS. Doe-Doe had his shooting boots on, and recorded 14 points on 5-8 shooting, including 4-7 from three. He had some exciting plays, including: a three, followed by forcing a jump ball, in the second quarter; the aforementioned steal on the inbounds pass; and, a three to tie the game with 49 seconds left. He seemed to be the primary defender assigned to Lillard, which didn’t work out too well — Dame was just too quick for him.
BRUNSON. Jalen played 34 minutes off the bench, scored 11 points, served as an able playmaker, and was part of the finishing lineup. He and Luka played off each other particularly well, I thought. The Mavs were a team-high +14 when JB was on the court.
ODDS AND ENDS. THJ had 12 points off the bench, but was 4-12 from the floor. Maxi put up 8 points and 6 boards, but did not seem effective on the defensive end, and was not in the closing unit. Richardson did not have much of a line (6/2/3), and turned the ball over three times. He was originally part of the clutch lineup, but played his way off the floor, being replaced by THJ at the 2:13 mark. WCS served as the third big, appearing for 16 minutes. He had 2 points and 5 rebounds, but did not seem any better able to defend than the other bigs. Burke was on the court for 10 minutes, and had 3 points.
TRAILBLAZERS. Despite being down 4 of their key players, the Blazers easily handled the Mavericks, save for a couple of outstanding stretches in the second and fourth quarters. Lillard, a noted Mavs killer, went off for 34 points and 11 assists. Could have been worse. Has been, in point of fact. Carmelo, lumbering along at age 36, contributed 15 points off the bench. The Blazers had six guys in double figures, counting Trent (17), Covington (15), Kanter (14), and Simons (12), in addition to Dame and Melo.
OBSERVATIONS
Rick was disappointed at the loss, but didn’t seem too shocked by it. He characterized the game as a tale of two very good quarters and two very poor quarters, and emphasized that his team has to play more consistently. He admitted that there was a defensive miscue on Dame’s late three-point shot. The Mavs were supposed to run and double-team, as they had discussed in the prep, but between the masks and the noise in the arena and whatnot, the players didn’t hear the coaches calling for the double. Really?
Offensively, this team continues to live and die by the three. Aside from DFS, Luka and Burke, the other Mavs went 4-24 from long range. They’re going to have to do better than that. They did get to the line well, with Luka and KP combining for 20 attempts. On any given night, 118 points could well be enough to generate a win in these degenerate days. However, the defense just did not show up consistently, and for much of the game, our boys just couldn’t string enough stops together. One could quibble over some of the coaching choices on specific items, but overall, the guys just didn’t play quite well enough.
I found it somewhat disappointing that the Mavs couldn’t overcome a a decimated Portland team at home, but there were a few encouraging things to take from this contest. The team did well, overall, in the last five minutes, which hopefully bodes well for the future. Luka put in a fantastic performance, and a few of the role players were solid. They just didn’t look very in sync, and maybe that will improve with time. If just a couple of plays had gone a different way, most fans would be smiling and telling a sunnier story. Stats professionals would tell us that point differential is a much better predictor of success than W-L record, and, from that point of view, this was essentially a tie against a good Western Conference team.
On the bright side, Luka set a franchise record in this match for the most consecutive 25+ point games in team history, with 14. I’m sure he would have preferred a win, but congrats anyway, young fellow! I’m sure many more records will fall to your talents!
Anyway, the Mavs get a rare couple of days off now, and will face Detroit on Wednesday.
’Til then, MFFLs!
The Mavericks dug themselves out of a hole to tie the game late with an impressive fourth-quarter run, but in the end, the effort was a day late and a dollar short.
GAME STORY
The Blazers were missing key members of their rotation in C J McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic, Zach Collins, and Rodney Hood. Mavs reported no injuries or illnesses.
Inside of three minutes, the Blazers took a lead and maintained it for the entire first quarter. The Mavs were soon down double digits. Late in the period, Enes Kanter and DFS scuffled and drew double techs. With about 2 1/2 minutes left, the Mavs had four offensive rebounds and five shots on one possession, but did not connect. Dallas trailed 25-34 after one.
The second contained some embarrassing moments, including: a KP air-balled three; a possession where the Blazers scored after three offensive rebounds; a bobbled rebound allowing a put back; and Kanter overpowering KP in the paint on multiple possessions. Luka continued to get mauled, and absorbed a flagrant one from Jones, who hit him in the face, apparently inadvertently, and left him looking dazed. The event ignited the young star, who scored 11 points in the last 1:42 of the half. Dame was not happy with the officiating, and was called for a T with less than a minute to go. The Mavs went into the locker room with a 61-58 lead.
Dallas was undone in the third quarter. A few lowlights included: several Mavs standing waiting for a rebound and Jones flying in over them for the offensive board; a strip resulting in a Blazers transition and-one after a timeout; another turnover and Blazers score on the ensuing possession; a shot clock violation; a DFS foul of a three-point shooter; and Kanter bullying WCS in the paint. The Mavs had Dame in foul trouble for most of the quarter, but did not press their advantage. On the brighter side, DFS had a steal on an inbounds pass, and Luka executed a beautiful floater three on the run. Our boys scored 30 points in the quarter but gave up a horrid 45. Blazers led 103-91 headed into the fourth.
The Mavs fiddle-faffed around for the first part of the fourth, and were down 13 at the 6:24 mark. Then, they caught fire, and reeled off a 12-0 run. After a couple of scoring exchanges, the teams were knotted at 116-all with less than a minute remaining. Lillard fired off a step-back three. Luka slammed in a dunk with 27 seconds left, giving the Mavs a 1-point deficit. Dallas elected not to foul, and the Blazers bled the shot clock before ending the possession with a Jones layup. The Mavs still had a chance to tie the game, down three with 7 seconds to go. Luka got a good look at a three, but the shot went in and out, and the ball went out of bounds off Brunson. Game over.
STATISTICS
The Mavericks’ tepid three-point shooting (14-41, 34%) did not match the Blazers, well, blazing 45% from deep. The Mavs, however, had an advantage at the line, and are to be commended on a 24-25 performance on freebies. The point differentials were -2 on points from twos, -12 on points from threes, and +11 on made free throws. Our men also gave up 21 second-chance points. Rick’s clutch lineup was Luka, Brunson, Josh/THJ, DFS, and KP.
PLAYERS
DONCIC. Luka had another amazing night — 44 points, 14-20 shooting, 5 of 8 from three, 11 of 12 from the line, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists. He hit some gorgeous, difficult shots, was absolutely on fi-ah at the end of the second, and scored in double digits in every quarter. He battled hard, played pretty decent defense, and did his best to put the team on his back. When he missed the last shot, he knelt on the court and put his hands over his head in disappointment and chagrin.
After the game, he took responsibility for failing to tie the game, saying he should have made that shot. I think he was being a little hard on himself — they wouldn’t have been in a position to tie the game without him. Rick said afterward that he believes the load on Luka game after game is too much, and they can’t expect him to keep scoring 40-point games and filling the stat sheet night after night. He said the team needs more balance in the attack, and they have to find ways for the other guys to start shouldering more of the scoring load. We'll keep an eye on that.
PORZINGIS. KP had a a good enough line — 18 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal, but I didn’t think he played all that well. He took only 9 shots, although he did go 8-8 at the line. Maybe that’s partly on the coaching staff, but it seemed like he didn’t take enough advantage of having the ball on the block against smaller players, and passed on some occasions when it seemed to be a better move to shoot. He was in foul trouble for parts of the second half. Kanter bullied him, and Dame blew by him. One of the reporters asked Rick if it would be a good idea to get KP going more in first quarters. Rick replied that it would be dandy if all the players got going in first quarters. Me-ow.
DFS. Doe-Doe had his shooting boots on, and recorded 14 points on 5-8 shooting, including 4-7 from three. He had some exciting plays, including: a three, followed by forcing a jump ball, in the second quarter; the aforementioned steal on the inbounds pass; and, a three to tie the game with 49 seconds left. He seemed to be the primary defender assigned to Lillard, which didn’t work out too well — Dame was just too quick for him.
BRUNSON. Jalen played 34 minutes off the bench, scored 11 points, served as an able playmaker, and was part of the finishing lineup. He and Luka played off each other particularly well, I thought. The Mavs were a team-high +14 when JB was on the court.
ODDS AND ENDS. THJ had 12 points off the bench, but was 4-12 from the floor. Maxi put up 8 points and 6 boards, but did not seem effective on the defensive end, and was not in the closing unit. Richardson did not have much of a line (6/2/3), and turned the ball over three times. He was originally part of the clutch lineup, but played his way off the floor, being replaced by THJ at the 2:13 mark. WCS served as the third big, appearing for 16 minutes. He had 2 points and 5 rebounds, but did not seem any better able to defend than the other bigs. Burke was on the court for 10 minutes, and had 3 points.
TRAILBLAZERS. Despite being down 4 of their key players, the Blazers easily handled the Mavericks, save for a couple of outstanding stretches in the second and fourth quarters. Lillard, a noted Mavs killer, went off for 34 points and 11 assists. Could have been worse. Has been, in point of fact. Carmelo, lumbering along at age 36, contributed 15 points off the bench. The Blazers had six guys in double figures, counting Trent (17), Covington (15), Kanter (14), and Simons (12), in addition to Dame and Melo.
OBSERVATIONS
Rick was disappointed at the loss, but didn’t seem too shocked by it. He characterized the game as a tale of two very good quarters and two very poor quarters, and emphasized that his team has to play more consistently. He admitted that there was a defensive miscue on Dame’s late three-point shot. The Mavs were supposed to run and double-team, as they had discussed in the prep, but between the masks and the noise in the arena and whatnot, the players didn’t hear the coaches calling for the double. Really?
Offensively, this team continues to live and die by the three. Aside from DFS, Luka and Burke, the other Mavs went 4-24 from long range. They’re going to have to do better than that. They did get to the line well, with Luka and KP combining for 20 attempts. On any given night, 118 points could well be enough to generate a win in these degenerate days. However, the defense just did not show up consistently, and for much of the game, our boys just couldn’t string enough stops together. One could quibble over some of the coaching choices on specific items, but overall, the guys just didn’t play quite well enough.
I found it somewhat disappointing that the Mavs couldn’t overcome a a decimated Portland team at home, but there were a few encouraging things to take from this contest. The team did well, overall, in the last five minutes, which hopefully bodes well for the future. Luka put in a fantastic performance, and a few of the role players were solid. They just didn’t look very in sync, and maybe that will improve with time. If just a couple of plays had gone a different way, most fans would be smiling and telling a sunnier story. Stats professionals would tell us that point differential is a much better predictor of success than W-L record, and, from that point of view, this was essentially a tie against a good Western Conference team.
On the bright side, Luka set a franchise record in this match for the most consecutive 25+ point games in team history, with 14. I’m sure he would have preferred a win, but congrats anyway, young fellow! I’m sure many more records will fall to your talents!
Anyway, the Mavs get a rare couple of days off now, and will face Detroit on Wednesday.
’Til then, MFFLs!
There's been a bit of a pattern over the years I've noted in Portland's coaching quality. 