MAVS SPANK BUCKS IN REDEMPTION GAME BACK AT AAC

The Mavericks blew out the Giannis-less Mavs, fumigating the stench lingering after their listless loss in Houston. 


GAME STORY

Willie, Redick, and Terry continued their absences. Giannis and Tucker were out for Milwaukee. With Maxi returning to the court, the “standard” starting lineup opened the action for the Mavs. 

After a lackluster display of spirit in Houston, your Dallas Maveickss came out with energy and focus against the Bucks, at least after the first few minutes. The teams swapped a few runs in the first quarter, but the game was within two possessions for the entire frame. An 11-0 run late by the Bucks helped the visitors to a 31-29 lead against Dallas after one. The second quarter featured more of the same, with the score difference never extending beyond 6 points. Dallas made a 1-point inroad into their deficit, and the teams went into the locker room with the Mavs trailing 55-56.

Toward the end of the third, the Mavs built an 8-point lead, which soon evaporated. With the game tied, Luka was called for his 12th technical foul of the season for berating the ref after a non-call. The Bucks closed the period on a 12-0 run inside of two minutes, fueled by 4 Dallas turnovers in that stretch, and the Mavs were down 80-84 after three. 

The Mavericks erased their deficit in the fourth, and built a lead on a slow and steady basis, reaching a double-digit advantage with three minutes left.  The home team systematically destroyed the Bucks, putting up a 36-17 quarter, headlined by 11 points from KP and a gritty defensive performance. 


STATISTICS

This game was won at the three-point line. Although both parties shot similar percentages, the Mavericks’ shot distribution resulted in 12 more 3PTAs by Dallas than by their opponent. Point differentials were even on points from twos and made free throws, and +15 on points from threes. 


PLAYERS

DONCIC.  Luka led all scorers with 27 points, on 11-20 shooting, 3-8 from three. He narrowly missed a triple-double, recording 9 rebounds and 9 dimes. He exhibited great energy and a sense of urgency, and made great decisions in the fourth. A reporter asked Rick after the game whether Luka’s 12 technical fouls are an issue, since he will receive a one-game suspension if he gets to 16. Carlisle says he is not worried about it because Luka understands the issue and is smart. If he does get a 16th T, Rick thinks he will commit it before a game when he is scheduled to rest in any case. Hmm. 

DFS. Doe-Doe recorded a season-high 10 rebounds, and also boasted 9 points, 3 assists and 3 blocks. One of those blocks was a spectacular defensive play that was initially deemed a foul, but was reversed when Carlisle challenged the call. Dorian was awarded the Defensive Player of the Game belt for his work on Khris Middleton, normally the Bucks’ second-leading scorer, who was held to 6-27 shooting. 

KLEBER.  Maxi made a most welcome return to action. In addition to his sorely-missed defense, he chipped in 12 points, including 4-7 3PTAs. He put an exclamation point on the victory with a banked-in shot from the logo as the Mavericks’ last made shot. 

RICHARDSON. Josh rebounded from his stinker in Houston, with a 14-5-4 line and a couple of steals. He still went 0-6 from three, and was only 6-16 from the floor, but he received praise from the coach for his defensive efforts on Jrue Holiday, who was limited to 13 points and 5 assists. 

PORZINGIS. The Mavericks were making a concerted effort to keep KP involved offensively, and it paid off in a huge way. The big man had 26 points, 17 boards, and 2 blocks in a sparkling night. Whatever differences might or might not exist between Luka and Kris were not in evidence, as Doncic repeatedly fed Kristaps. There was a notable play early in the fourth, when KP’s defender left him to help on Luka, resulting in Luka’s passing to KP, who hit a beautiful three. The pair high-fived after the score. Zinger was obviously discontented with his role in Houston, but was all smiles after this contest. Coach commended him for a great all-around game on the second night of a B2B. 

RESERVES. Timmy had 12 points off the bench, albeit on 4-11 attempts. Powell had 8 points and 4 boards in 15 minutes as the third big. Melli played only 7 minutes, but added 6 points with back-to-back threes in the second. It was a rare off night from Brunson, who was 1-8 from the field, and scored only 2 points in 22 minutes. Dallas won the battle of the benches 28-16.

BUCKS. Bobby Portis proved a tough Buck to contain, and he put up 20 points and 14 boards. All five starters were in double figures, but their team fell apart in the final frame, when no Buck had more than 5 points, and five players recorded goose eggs. 


OBSERVATIONS

Rick described the match as “emotional” and “combative.” His proudest moments occurred after the Bucks made their big run at the end of the third. He thought the situation had potential to go south in a hurry, but his men maintained their composure and executed beautifully to get back in the race. The squad made some big shots in the fourth, hitting 7 of 11 from deep, and KP completing all three of his attempts from range. 

The Mavs caught a huge break with Giannis being out, but I still think this victory is meaningful. Even without the Greek Freak, the Bucks are a very talented and well-coached squad, and it is a good sign that the Mavericks were able to defeat them so decisively, particularly with superior late-game execution. Hopefully, the Rockets loss can be chalked up as an aberrational cautionary tale warning our boys to keep their level of play sharp, whoever the opponent might be. 

Very encouraging performance! The Mavs get a rare two-game hiatus, and will face the Spurs on Saturday. 

Who was the player of the game who elevated his play to help the team get the win?

MAVS LAY EGG IN HOUSTON

Coming off a victory over Utah, the Mavericks received a sound thrashing from a team that came into the match having lost 27 of their last 29 games. Really?


GAME STORY

WCS-Redick-Terry were still out. Willie has been absent for three weeks, and one has to wonder at this point if he actually contracted COVID. If so, it may be another several weeks before he is back to normal. Be that as it may, Maxi was still unable to go with his sore leg, and Burke joined the injured list with a calf strain. The standard starting lineup appeared, with Melli taking Maxi’s place. Five guys were out for Houston, but John Wall returned to the lineup. 

For starters, the Mavs looked like they had lapsed into their old pattern of not being ready to play, opening on the wrong end of a 2-12 scoreline.  The Mavericks gradually recovered, briefly took the lead behind back-to-back catch-and-shoot threes by Hardaway, and ended the quarter trailing 23-24. Only 3 Mavs scored — Luka with 11, and KP and THJ with 6 apiece. Wall had ten for the Rox. 

Dallas exhibited a very poor shooting performance in the second (7-27, 3-14 3PTA), had some miscues at the close of the quarter, scored only 19 points, and went into the locker room down 42-47. Richardson, Melli, DFS, and Green combined to go 0-14 in the first half. It was the lowest scoring first half of the season for your Dallas Mavericks. 

The visitors continued building their brick wall in the third, going 8-21, and 2-8 from distance. KP had 10 points, but no one else had more than 4. They looked more and more meh as time went on, and extended their deficit to 64-75 after three. 

Dallas fought back in the fourth, finally tying the game at the 2:35 mark. Unfortunately, the Rockets closed on a 13-4  run.


STATISTICS

The shooting stats say it all. The Mavs were 23-48 (48%) inside the arc, 10-39 (26%) from deep. The Rockets put up 17 threes, shooting 39% from range.  Point differentials were +4 on points from twos, -21 on points from threes, and +8 on made free throws. Luka and KP combined for 46 points, but the other starters had a total of 12 for the whole game. The stars got some help with 35 points from the reserves, but the offense was a slog the entire game. 


PLAYERS

DONCIC. Luka had a 23/9/5 line, but shot a putrid 9-26, including 1-9 from three, and had 5 turnovers. The young star looked off the whole night, as if he were running in quicksand, appearing sloppy, exhausted, and in need of a lift. He described his own performance as “horrible,” but his supporting cast was woefully lacking on the night. One of the commentators noted that Luka has carried the team for so many games, it would have been nice if the team could have given him more of a boost on a night when he was faltering. As a small bright spot, the What-a-Burger Play of the Game was Luka’s determined dance in the paint against a very aggressive Avery Bradley. With the Bucks looming on the back-to-back, it is a shame that Luka racked up 37 minutes in a loss. 

PORZINGIS. KP’s wrist looked none the worse for wear after he rested it last game, and he had the best Maverick stat line for the evening, with a solid 23 points and 12 boards on 10-19 shooting. However, Rockets forward Kelly Olynyk left his butt cheeks stinging, particularly on the glass. Kris played the last 7 minutes of the fourth, but was not involved in the offense, and 1 rebound was his only recorded stat in the frame. Asked why he wasn’t a bigger factor in the closing minutes, he replied shortly that it was a matter of the plays they were running. He was clearly disappointed to have been stuck in the corner like that, and with some justification, but he also could have done more to assert himself, or so it seemed to me. 

HARDAWAY. Tim led the reserves with 18 points on decent shooting (5-11 overall, 3-9 3PTA, 5-5 FTA) in 31 minutes of action. He played with energy, unlike some of his teammates, but also missed some good looks that one would expect him to make. Looking frustrated after the game, he lamented that the Rockets simply outworked the Mavs from the first to the last. A damning assessment, to be sure. 

BRUNSON. Jalen was the fourth and last Mav in double figures, with 14 points on 5-7 shooting in 30 minutes. He was engaged, as always, but I felt like this was one of those matchups where his size and other issues limited his contributions. 

OTHER STARTERS. DFS was 3-8, had 5 boards and a couple of steals, but missed several wide-open shots. Granted that Dorian is mostly on the floor for his defense, but 9 points is a pretty insipid offensive contribution for a 36-minute player. Still, at least he was halfway decent, whereas both J Rich and Melli were missing in action. 

Josh had a terrible line, with an 0-9 shooting debacle, 1 point, and only 3 rebounds and 4 assists to show for his 30 minutes on the court. The eye test did not provide a counter to the stats. He won’t always play this badly, but it would be a good thing for the Mavericks if he could develop some degree of consistency. Melli was largely a non-factor, taking only three shots, and recording 2 points and 3 rebounds in 24 minutes. 

OTHER RESERVES. Powell filled in for 9 minutes, and had 3 points and 2 rebounds. Fans who have been longing for rookie minutes were treated to cameos from Josh Green and Nate Hinton. The two combined for 0 points, 1 missed shot, and 1 rebound, not inspiring returns to the action, and landing solidly in the “be careful what you wish for” category. 

ROCKETS. Contrary to popular belief, the new-look Rockets are far from talent-less, featuring the likes of John Wall, Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley, Christian Wood, and Kevin Porter, Jr. Walll looked very good in his return, torching Dallas with 31 points and 7 assists. Wood was excellent in the middle, with 22 points, including 5 threes, and 10 boards. Porter laid 14 points on the Mavs, on 5-9 shooting. New Rocket Kelly Olynyk schooled the visitors with 10 points and 18 rebounds. Although he was called for his fifth foul with 8:38 left in the game, the Mavericks were unable to take advantage. 


OBSERVATIONS

Rick seemed at a loss to offer an excuse for his squad’s unexpectedly listless performance on the night. He thought the takeaway from the game was more a story about how very well the Rockets had played than anything else. He admitted that the Mavs got off to a poor start, Wall “really hurt us,” Maxi was missed, the Rox played hard and were aggressive, the Mavericks had some good shots that didn’t go down, and his team did not play well defensively. He acknowledged that Houston’s variety of defensive strategies on Luka had been effective, and he thought that there had been some missed calls both ways. He appeared genuinely stunned by his players’ failure to show up. 

The Bally Sports crew observed that the Mavericks never managed to match Houston’s energy level. They felt that the team ran out of gas in the second half, citing as microcosmic a possession late in the third quarter where the Mavs gave up several offensive rebounds and ultimately a Rockets corner three. Another example was the Rockets getting into the penalty a few  minutes into the fourth and Dallas proving unable to capitalize. Luka thought the Mavs played a “horrible game,” and excused it with the comment that “anybody can have a bad game.”

I don’t think there is any way to whitewash this disappointing effort. It doesn’t help in climbing the standings to defeat Utah if you’re just going to throw away a game against one of the league's bottom-feeders. This match dropped between two outstanding opponents in Utah and Milwaukee, and perhaps our boys took the Rockets a little too much for granted. The Jazz game was a statement that the Mavs can beat anyone on any given night. This game was an unfortunate reminder that they can also lose to any NBA opponent if they don’t take care of business. Very frustrating. 

The opponent on the SEGABABA will be the high-flying Bucks, back at the AAC. Hope our boys can shake off their malaise by then.

KP-LESS MAVS STUN JAZZ AT AAC

The Mavericks stepped up big against the team with the NBA’s best record, snapping Utah’s 9-game winning streak and extending their own string of consecutive victories to five. 


NOTABLE ITEMS

PERSONNEL. Rick revealed before the game that KP would be out, citing a sprained wrist that has been bothering him for weeks. There is no set timetable for his returm. Maxi and J Rich returned to action. WCS-Redick-Terry were still out. Melli took KP’s place in the starting lineup, forcing the Jazz to guard the perimeter at every position. 

GAME FLOW.  Both teams went to-to-toe in the first quarter, and the Mavs held a 27-25 edge through twelve minutes.  Neither side recorded a free-throw attempt in the period. In the second, the Mavericks held Utah to a humiliating 17 points, and a putrid 1-13 performance from long range. Josh Richardson stepped up with an 11-point frame, and he and Brunson combined for 18 of the home team’s total 23 points. At the buzzer, Dallas had a 50-42 advantage.

The Mavs left the Jazz in the dust with a 37-27 third quarter. Luka and THJ combined for 28 points, hitting 7 of their total 9 attempts from deep. There was a scuffle toward the end of the quarter, involving several players, including Luka, Doe-Doe and Gobert, and somehow ending with DFS receiving the only tech. Dallas had an 87-69 cushion after three. Utah chiseled their deficit by 10 in the fourth, but Coach Snyder instructed his squad to refrain from intentionally fouling in the last minute, not wanting to drag out their misery, and your boys held on for a decisive win. 

STATISTICS. Look no further than two stats. The Jazz had a 22-8 advantage in FTAs, but the Mavs hit a scintillating 23-49 threes, which will put you in the win column most of the time. Five Mavs hit multiple triples — Luka 6, DFS and Josh 5, Brunson 4, and THJ 3. In a strange point distribution, 5 Mavs were in double figures, while neither Maxi nor Melli scored at all. The closing unit featured Luka and sharpshooters Brunson, THJ, DFS, and Maxi. 

DONCIC. Luka had a sparkling 31/9/8 line, and went 6-11 from deep. Luka gets up for games against the best teams, and he was locked and loaded for the duration. He did not disdain the dirty work, digging his missed shot off the floor for a second-chance shot early in the third. With the young superstar at the helm, KP was barely missed. 

DFS. Doe-Doe had a stellar outing, stepping up to the plate with 23 big points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals to go along with his tenacious defense on Mitchell and Gobert. Part of Utah's game plan was evidently to dare him to shoot, and he made them pay big time  He confessed that after missing a couple of threes and hesitating to take another, he got “yelled at” for not shooting, so was encouraged enough to return to full bombs-away mode. He also had a great drive from the corner against Gobert in the second, and he posterized the Utah star in the third. Outstanding!

KLEBER. Maxi had an underwhelming line (0/5/2), taking only 2 shots, but was relentless against the Utah front court. Not every contribution shows up in the box score. His defense was critical to the win. 

MELLI. Nicolo had 7 boards, 2 blocks, 1 assist, and a steal. He played a full 32 minutes, and won the belt for Defensive Player of the Game. He showed tremendous hustle on the defensive end and on the glass, and no one could fault him for lack of energy. Since it’s a win, I guess we’ll overlook the 0-7 shooting performance. His unnecessary foul of a three-point shooter went largely unpunished, when Bogdanovich missed both the shot and two of his three freebies. He was subbed out for Hardaway with 3:45 left in the game. The Mavs remain undefeated since the Melli Trade. 

BRUNSON. Jalen continued his excellent run of play with 20 points on 8-15 shooting in 30 minutes off the bench. Jalen’s decision-making has really come along this season, and Rick keeps trusting him to be on the floor at the ends of games.  Such an intelligent player!

RICHARDSON. Josh had one of his best outings as a Mav, putting up 17 efficient points (6-9), and going 5-5 from range. Just as importantly, he frustrated the Jazz with his persistent defense, particularly on Mitchell. If J Rich can get to the point where he consistently completes his threes, he’ll be at the next level. 

HARDAWAY. Timmy had 30 productive minutes off the bench, scoring from anywhere and everywhere, putting up 16 points and 5 assists, and ratcheting up the excitement meter with back-to-back transition buckets in the first, along with a three over Derrick Favors, a drive resulting in and-one, and a buzzer-beating three  in the third. 

POWELL. Dwight put in a 14-minute shift, and had a couple of slams. 

JAZZ. Utah played with intensity, but didn’t really look like the league’s best team. They had a very bad performance from deep (12-44) and missed 5 of their 22 FTAs. Mike Conley was their standout player, leading the team in scoring with 28 points, and accounting for 6 of the team's 12 made threes. Bogdanovic, Mitchell, and Clarkson had 16 apiece, and Gobert added 14 points and 15 boards. Donovan's points were attained via embarrassing 6-23 shooting, and Rudy was limited to 6 shots. O'Neale and Mitchell were both 0-8 from long range, and Clarkson was 2-9. Yikes!


OBSERVATIONS

This was a high-intensity game with a playoff atmosphere. The Mavericks were underdogs going in, but held their own with cohesive defense and stylish offense. It was raining threes on the Mavs’ end of the court, and the team rarely comes up short shooting 47% beyond the arc. Dallas may have gotten a little lucky with the Jazz missing some open shots, but that doesn't take away from their fine accomplishment.

This was an important victory for the home team, and constituted a statement that they can beat anybody when they’re on their game. 

The Mavericks face the bottom-feeding Rockets in Houston on Wednesday. Taking care of business should be the order of the day. 

Fantastic!

Who was the player of the game who elevated his game to help the team win?

MAVS SMASH WIZARDS IN DC

This contest was predicted to be a high-scoring affair, and turned out to be anything but. The visitors got another chance to shine with their defense, which has to warm our coaches’ hearts.


NOTABLE ITEMS

PERSONNEL. Carlisle was back on the bench, the mystery regarding his positive COVID test being resolved. After what turned out to be a false positive, the NBA required that he return three negative tests before returning to “unmasked activities,” like coaching. The results of the third test did not come back in time for him to take the bench against the Celtics. However, two negative tests were enough to clear him for “masked activities,” like travelling, so he was able to fly with the team to DC. In the meantime, the team surprised Mosely with a champagne shower in the locker room to celebrate his first win. 

As far as players go, the Mavs had a veritable crowd on the injured list this game, with WCS-Redick-Terry still out for the usual reasons, and Josh (left calf), Maxi (left leg contusion), and KP (knee recovery) included. Beal, Hachimura, Bryant, and Gafford were absent for the Wiz. 

With 60% of the starting lineup missing, Rick treated us to an amuse-bouche of Luka, THJ, DFS, Melli, and Boban as the new unit. 

GAME FLOW. The game was close-fought in the first quarter, and the Mavericks came out leading 24-19 after one, on the strength of a 10-point frame by Luka. The intensity increased in the second period, and the two teams battled to a 28-28 draw, with Melli leading the Mavs with 8 points. The score was 52-47 going into the locker room.

The Mavericks started creating some separation in the third, building a lead of as much as 13, and ending a 23-20 frame 75-67. Ya boys ran away with all the cookies in the fourth, leaving the Wiz wondering what happened. 

STATISTICS. Maverick point differentials were even on points from twos, +15 on points from threes, and +7 on made free throws. Although the visitors did not shoot well behind the arc (10-30), the Wiz were even worse (5-25).  The Wiz had a 48-36 advantage in points in the paint, but the Mavs countered with a 24-15 edge in free throw attempts. The Dallas defense was very persistent, and the team earned 23 points off 14 Wizard turnovers. 

DFS.  Doe-Doe led the team with 37 minutes, and chipped in 11 points on efficient 4-8 shooting, in addition to defending well and playing with energy. With three triples, he was one of only two Mavs, along with Tim,  to hit multiple threes. His defensive assignment was triple-double machine Russell Westbrook, whom he held to 11-24 shooting, zero made threes, and only five assists. We all enjoyed watching Doe's rim-rocker from Powell in the fourth. 

DONCIC. Luka recorded a 26/8/6 line, although he was 1-8 from range. Westbrook knocked him to the floor late on his way up to the basket, causing consternation among Luka's faithful fans. However, after the game, Doncic indicated that he didn’t blame Westy for fouling him, since he was about to deliver the “dunk of the year.” Luka, what a card, haha. Perhaps one of his most important stats was his 32 minutes of playing time. He went out halfway through the fourth quarter and never had to return, allowing the Mavs to sneak a few additional minutes of rest for him in this crowded schedule of games. 

HARDAWAY. Tim had 16 points in a starting role. Although it was not a particularly efficient effort (6-19), Carlisle pointed out that he had a couple of “huge” threes late to put the game away. A couple of his more exciting moments involved the rare and-one on a goaltended basket, and an acrobatic leaner over an opponent. 

BRUNSON. Jalen continues to exceed expectations, and was the second-leading scorer with 19 points in 30 minutes off the bench. Not sure he has ever fouled out before, but he exited with his sixth when the game was already in hand. Feisty little rascal. Rick praised his consistency after the game. He drew a couple of charges against Hutchinson, and his highlight reel will doubtless include an and-one jumper over Lopez in the second, and a three off a pass from Josh Green in the first. He is starting to look almost Luka-like with some of his dances to the rim and fancy passes. 

MELLI. Nicolo had a lovely evening in his first start with the Mavs, with 10 points on perfect shooting from the field and the line, in addition to 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Luka noted that the team is undefeated with Melli on the floor. Coach was extremely complimentary, calling attention to Melli’s defensive versatility, ability to guard both the perimeter and the post, rebounding, and quickness on his feet. Rick was pleased with his defense on Bertans, who was held to 11 points. He had a noteworthy trio of plays late in the second quarter — a blow-by for a made basket at the rim, a fly-in over the Wiz for a tip-in and-one, and a three. 

MARJANOVIC. Boban contributed 15 points and 12 boards as starting center. Rick observed his team-high +/- of 22, acknowledging that the stat is not an especially accurate measure of a player’s performance, but serves as a general indicator of what happened when the player was on the floor. He praised Bobi’s rebounding, block, free-throw shooting (5-6), and force around the basket. In general, he said that Boban is a productive guy, tireless worker, and as a person, has a great deal of gratitude, a positive vibe, and is great to be around. Boban exhibited some versatility in this match, showing that an elbow jumper and a free-throw line jumper are included in his repertoire. 

Boban is a heartwarming player to watch, and the fans aren’t the only ones who like him. Eleven different countries were represented between these two teams, and it appeared that they were all friends of Bobi’s, as Marjanovic was late for his post-game interview due to so many players wanting to greet him on the sideline. In Luka’s interview, the reporter commented that she knew Bobi and Luka were friends off the court, whereupon Luka wagged his finger at her and told her not to spread fake media stories about him, grinning all the while. The gentle giant has to be one of the most beloved players in the NBA. For all his smiles and goofiness, he says he approaches his career with the utmost professionalism and seriousness, and who would doubt ti?

MENTIONS. Powell served as the third big, and had 7 boards and 2 assists off the bench. Rick commented that Dwight and Boban make a good one-two punch in the middle, with Powell being a little quicker guarding the perimeter, and Bobi more of an inside presence. Green got some meaningful PT tonight, playing 20 “solid, quality” minutes off the bench, per Rick, and grabbing 7 rebounds. Although, if we were nitpicking, we would mention that he airbailed a wide open three. Burke had an unremarkable 10 minutes. 

WIZARDS. Westbrook played his usual frenetic game, and had 26 points and 14 rebounds. Lopez and Neto did a pretty good job carving up the Mavs off the bench, combining for 34 points. Davis Bertans put up 11 in his return to the court. 


OBSERVATIONS

Carlisle thought his team got off to a good start, and, although the game never had “much of a rhythm,”  they played “the right way,” and improved as the contest went along. He particularly liked the defense, adding that the 8-day snowpocalypse break had enabled the team to steal enough practice time to take their defense to a higher level, emphasizing physicality and attention to detail. 

The Mavs caught a break in this one, with Beal and Hachimura being late scratches, but they also had important players out themselves, and it was reassuring to see them win so decisively with KP resting and Luka cold from deep. I especially liked the energy, the focus, the defense, and the cohesion in the back-to-back. An encouraging step forward.

On Monday at the AAC, the Mavericks face one of the league’s best in the Utah Jazz. KP is expected to be available, and Maxi and J Rich are considered day-to-day. Should be a good test for the home team, as they try to move up the standings. 

Home again, home again, jiggety-jog!

Who was the player of the game who elevated his game to help the team win?