03-18-2021, 07:43 AM
MAVS SMOTHER CLIPS IN REVENGE MATCH
DALLAS WINS SEASON SERIES
Your Dallas Mavericks came out with intensity, determined to avenge themselves. They played with ferocity all night, Luka went supernova, and the team put together perhaps the best defensive game of the season.
GAME STORY
The Clippers’ injured list included Patrick Beverley and Serge Ibaka. The Mavs’ James Johnson was undergoing COVID protocol following his absence for personal reasons, and DFS was absent due to the birth of his son in the morning. Congrats on the little one, Doe! Rick chose an offensive look for his 18th starting lineup of the season, with Tim taking Finney-Smith’s place.
The game was close in the first quarter. The Mavs had some highlight plays. Early on, J Rich dove on the floor for a loose ball, fought for possession, and successfully called a timeout. He would go on to win the DPOG belt for that statement play. Later, Luka had an outstanding four-point play against Kawhi that had Leonard hanging his head in frustration and the Maverick bench on their feet cheering. The squad, however, ended the quarter sputtering, and took a 24-29 deficit into the second.
The home team Mavericks managed to tie the game 4 or 5 minutes into the second, and maintained a small lead for the remainder of the period. They had a ten-point advantage in the frame, and went into the locker room with a 56-51 edge. Luka got some help from the other starters, with Josh Richardson earning ten points and making several excellent defensive plays, and Tim scoring 7 points straight.
Carlisle threw a curveball into the rotation in the third, playing the starters almost exclusively. The reserves combined for only 4 minutes of the 60 played. They climbed to a double-digit lead, and managed to hold it for much of the period. The Clippers also played most of their starters heavy minutes, and both teams were looking gassed by the late minutes of the frame. The Mavs gasped to a 21-20 point finish, despite two 8-0 runs by LA, including one to close the quarter. Dallas held a 77-71 edge after three.
The final frame was a 28-18 Mavs rout. The home boys took a 9 point lead early on and never dipped below that again.
STATS
The Clippers got 9 more shots up than the Mavs, but the Mavs shot much better on the night (51/44/83) than their opponent (42/28/54). It always helps when the threes are falling, and Dallas claimed 15 triples for the evening. The Mavericks held their own on the boards (43-37 advantage), but lost 13 fast-break points and 28 total points on 18 turnovers. The hosts were limited to 30 points in the paint, but were able to punish the Clips from the perimeter. Defensively, the Mavs were determined and gritty, and the Clippers, who average 115 PPG, were held to 89 points total and an embarrassing 38 in the second half.
PLAYERS
DONCIC. Luka went nuclear in this match, scoring 42 points (16-28), including six threes. In addition to that, he recorded 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Rick said he has run out of words to describe his star’s performances, but deemed this one “spectacular,” and complimented him on a “terrific” defensive outing. After the game, a very modest Luka said he thinks he is coming along in the areas of being more aggressive, taking fewer “terrible” shots, and making better decisions. He was phenomenal. We are not worthy.
PORZINGIS. Porzee had 11 points and 13 rebounds. His stat line, impressive as it is, doesn’t begin to describe his impact on the game. He was a terror, crashing the glass, altering shots, and constituting a defensive force. Rick thought Kris played a “very patient game,” had a good mix of pops and rolls, was active on the boards, and continued to “evolve” in the system. This is a different team when KP plays well. Hopefully, he can keep it up!
HARDAWAY. Tim stepped up in his advancement to the starting lineup, putting up 15 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. He was aggressive going to the basket and also had a 3-7 performance from range. Josh described Tim as a very “genuine” person, and thinks it would be hard to ask for a better teammate. It is critical to this team that THJ plays well, and it’s great to see him back in form.
RICHARDSON. Josh had an excellent game, registering 14 points, 5 boards, 3 steals, and a couple of assists. Primarily, he boasted a superior defensive performance, stopping the Clippers’ offense in so many different ways. Rick praised him for setting the defensive tone early. Josh criticized himself for not having enough energy in the prior loss, and said he wanted to let the Clippers know from the get-go that the Mavs weren’t letting them off easy in this match. The squad has a whole new dimension when J Rich plays like this.
KLEBER. Maxi had 12 points and 6 rebounds, and was Devin Harris’ choice for winner of the belt. He had an outstanding defensive performance, with some highlight performances in one-on-one challenges, as well as playing his role well in the defensive system. Offensively, he was 4-8 from the field. In the fourth quarter, Rick called an ATO play for him, and he justified the trust with a dramatic three, following up with an alley-oop dunk from Luka. After the game, Maxi observed that the team is capable of playing good defense, and should do it more often, lol. No argument here.
BENCH. This wasn’t the best of nights for the reserves, as Rick used a playoff-style rotation. Brunson had only 5 points in 16 minutes, and turned the ball over 5 times. I think this game demonstrates why, as skilled as he is, he is best coming off the bench. He is just too small to be a good matchup against big, rangy teams like the Clippers, and there will be games like this at higher levels, where he is just isn’t very playable. Having said all that, he did enjoy a good turn in the fourth.
Willie had 4 points and 2 boards in 12 minutes, but had a quite respectable defensive performance, and was a positive on the night. Iwundu had some run in DFS’ absence. He didn’t score in his 11 minutes, but Rick thought he played a key role in the victory, commending his solid defense and holding his own when he was switched on to bigger players. Burke and Powell had brief cameos.
CLIPPERS. Paul George had a much better game than in the previous match, and led his team with 28 points. Kawhi was not at his best. He put up 20 points, but was not efficient, going 9-21 from the field. Zubac and Morris combined for 25. This team seemed to run out of juice in the second half, despite playing on a day’s rest.
OBSERVATIONS
Rick said this game was a “hard fight,” and that he was proud of his guys for keeping their poise after not starting particularly well. He noted that this team has been in the playoffs, and knows what playoff basketball is like, managing to respond after every Clippers surge.
I imagine that Carlisle is quite pleased with the squad after this game. They have been working all season on making defense their signature, and arguably achieved a new level with this match. They also showed off their offensive chops, hitting their shots and getting another superb performance from Luka. If the Mavs can consistently bring their “A” game, they’re capable of making some noise. This was a most enjoyable contest to watch.
Dallas has now won the season series against the Spurs, Nuggets, and Clippers. I don’t know if they’ll be tied with any of those teams at the end of the season, but they’ll be in good shape if they are. They’ll have a chance to put their imprint on another series with the next two games in Portland.
Onward and upward, Mavs fans!
DALLAS WINS SEASON SERIES
Your Dallas Mavericks came out with intensity, determined to avenge themselves. They played with ferocity all night, Luka went supernova, and the team put together perhaps the best defensive game of the season.
GAME STORY
The Clippers’ injured list included Patrick Beverley and Serge Ibaka. The Mavs’ James Johnson was undergoing COVID protocol following his absence for personal reasons, and DFS was absent due to the birth of his son in the morning. Congrats on the little one, Doe! Rick chose an offensive look for his 18th starting lineup of the season, with Tim taking Finney-Smith’s place.
The game was close in the first quarter. The Mavs had some highlight plays. Early on, J Rich dove on the floor for a loose ball, fought for possession, and successfully called a timeout. He would go on to win the DPOG belt for that statement play. Later, Luka had an outstanding four-point play against Kawhi that had Leonard hanging his head in frustration and the Maverick bench on their feet cheering. The squad, however, ended the quarter sputtering, and took a 24-29 deficit into the second.
The home team Mavericks managed to tie the game 4 or 5 minutes into the second, and maintained a small lead for the remainder of the period. They had a ten-point advantage in the frame, and went into the locker room with a 56-51 edge. Luka got some help from the other starters, with Josh Richardson earning ten points and making several excellent defensive plays, and Tim scoring 7 points straight.
Carlisle threw a curveball into the rotation in the third, playing the starters almost exclusively. The reserves combined for only 4 minutes of the 60 played. They climbed to a double-digit lead, and managed to hold it for much of the period. The Clippers also played most of their starters heavy minutes, and both teams were looking gassed by the late minutes of the frame. The Mavs gasped to a 21-20 point finish, despite two 8-0 runs by LA, including one to close the quarter. Dallas held a 77-71 edge after three.
The final frame was a 28-18 Mavs rout. The home boys took a 9 point lead early on and never dipped below that again.
STATS
The Clippers got 9 more shots up than the Mavs, but the Mavs shot much better on the night (51/44/83) than their opponent (42/28/54). It always helps when the threes are falling, and Dallas claimed 15 triples for the evening. The Mavericks held their own on the boards (43-37 advantage), but lost 13 fast-break points and 28 total points on 18 turnovers. The hosts were limited to 30 points in the paint, but were able to punish the Clips from the perimeter. Defensively, the Mavs were determined and gritty, and the Clippers, who average 115 PPG, were held to 89 points total and an embarrassing 38 in the second half.
PLAYERS
DONCIC. Luka went nuclear in this match, scoring 42 points (16-28), including six threes. In addition to that, he recorded 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Rick said he has run out of words to describe his star’s performances, but deemed this one “spectacular,” and complimented him on a “terrific” defensive outing. After the game, a very modest Luka said he thinks he is coming along in the areas of being more aggressive, taking fewer “terrible” shots, and making better decisions. He was phenomenal. We are not worthy.
PORZINGIS. Porzee had 11 points and 13 rebounds. His stat line, impressive as it is, doesn’t begin to describe his impact on the game. He was a terror, crashing the glass, altering shots, and constituting a defensive force. Rick thought Kris played a “very patient game,” had a good mix of pops and rolls, was active on the boards, and continued to “evolve” in the system. This is a different team when KP plays well. Hopefully, he can keep it up!
HARDAWAY. Tim stepped up in his advancement to the starting lineup, putting up 15 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. He was aggressive going to the basket and also had a 3-7 performance from range. Josh described Tim as a very “genuine” person, and thinks it would be hard to ask for a better teammate. It is critical to this team that THJ plays well, and it’s great to see him back in form.
RICHARDSON. Josh had an excellent game, registering 14 points, 5 boards, 3 steals, and a couple of assists. Primarily, he boasted a superior defensive performance, stopping the Clippers’ offense in so many different ways. Rick praised him for setting the defensive tone early. Josh criticized himself for not having enough energy in the prior loss, and said he wanted to let the Clippers know from the get-go that the Mavs weren’t letting them off easy in this match. The squad has a whole new dimension when J Rich plays like this.
KLEBER. Maxi had 12 points and 6 rebounds, and was Devin Harris’ choice for winner of the belt. He had an outstanding defensive performance, with some highlight performances in one-on-one challenges, as well as playing his role well in the defensive system. Offensively, he was 4-8 from the field. In the fourth quarter, Rick called an ATO play for him, and he justified the trust with a dramatic three, following up with an alley-oop dunk from Luka. After the game, Maxi observed that the team is capable of playing good defense, and should do it more often, lol. No argument here.
BENCH. This wasn’t the best of nights for the reserves, as Rick used a playoff-style rotation. Brunson had only 5 points in 16 minutes, and turned the ball over 5 times. I think this game demonstrates why, as skilled as he is, he is best coming off the bench. He is just too small to be a good matchup against big, rangy teams like the Clippers, and there will be games like this at higher levels, where he is just isn’t very playable. Having said all that, he did enjoy a good turn in the fourth.
Willie had 4 points and 2 boards in 12 minutes, but had a quite respectable defensive performance, and was a positive on the night. Iwundu had some run in DFS’ absence. He didn’t score in his 11 minutes, but Rick thought he played a key role in the victory, commending his solid defense and holding his own when he was switched on to bigger players. Burke and Powell had brief cameos.
CLIPPERS. Paul George had a much better game than in the previous match, and led his team with 28 points. Kawhi was not at his best. He put up 20 points, but was not efficient, going 9-21 from the field. Zubac and Morris combined for 25. This team seemed to run out of juice in the second half, despite playing on a day’s rest.
OBSERVATIONS
Rick said this game was a “hard fight,” and that he was proud of his guys for keeping their poise after not starting particularly well. He noted that this team has been in the playoffs, and knows what playoff basketball is like, managing to respond after every Clippers surge.
I imagine that Carlisle is quite pleased with the squad after this game. They have been working all season on making defense their signature, and arguably achieved a new level with this match. They also showed off their offensive chops, hitting their shots and getting another superb performance from Luka. If the Mavs can consistently bring their “A” game, they’re capable of making some noise. This was a most enjoyable contest to watch.
Dallas has now won the season series against the Spurs, Nuggets, and Clippers. I don’t know if they’ll be tied with any of those teams at the end of the season, but they’ll be in good shape if they are. They’ll have a chance to put their imprint on another series with the next two games in Portland.
Onward and upward, Mavs fans!
![[Image: Screenshot-2021-03-18-at-2.40.15-PM.png]](http://stlukeskck.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Screenshot-2021-03-18-at-2.40.15-PM.png)