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!

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

https://twitter.com/JeffZillgitt/status/...9395659791

CLIPPERS EXPOSE MAVS AT AAC

This was a match where the team that played better won. The game was interesting and entertaining, but ultimately a relatively comfortable win for LA. 


NOTABLE ITEMS

GAME FLOW.  The Clippers were missing Patrick Beverley and Serge Ibaka. For the Mavs, Dwight Powell was listed as ill, and James Johnson was out again for personal reasons. We hope the missing players are okay. 

The Mavericks more or less held their own for the first few minutes, but when Luka went out, they rapidly lost traction, going down by double digits. Even when Luka returned, they couldn’t recover quickly, and trailed by 14, before an 8-2 run to close the first brought their deficit to 23-31 at the buzzer. Dallas played pretty well in the second, even achieving a one-point lead several times in advance of the Clippers’ going 6-0 at the end of the second, and the Mavs headed into halftime with a 50-55 disadvantage.

Your boys were able to hang in there for a while in the third, until the Clippers overwhelmed them late. They finished the quarter with a two-point deficit in the period, for a 78-85 margin headed into the fourth. Things got worse before they got better in the final frame, with the Mavs going down by 10 or more several times. About halfway through the fourth, they made a little headway, and were within four at the 3:15 mark. Unfortunately, the Clips finished the game on a 6-0 run, with the Mavs producing six missed shots and two turnovers to close the contest. 

NUMBERS.  Both teams shot pretty well overall (50/44/82 Clips, 49/41/80 Mavs). However, the Clippers got 7 more shots up, thanks to out-rebounding the Mavs 46-33, earning 13 second-chance points, and winning 15 points off 15 Maverick turnovers. The Clips also had 6 more free-throw attempts, although both teams combined for only 16. Despite some heroic efforts from Luka and THJ, who combined for 15 of the Mavs’ 21 fourth-quarter points, the late-game execution gaffes came out to bite the Mavs again, and they were not able to sustain the momentum they had built toward the end. 

DONCIC.  Luka had yet another triple double, with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and a season-high 16 assists, which was great. However, he did not shoot especially well (9-23, although he did have a couple of long shots earning him the sobriquet “Logo Luka”), had 7 turnovers, and earned only 4 free-throw attempts. He did have a potential four-point play in which the foul was ruled on the floor; Carlisle tried to challenge it, but the call was not challengeable on that basis, and the team lost a timeout. 

Luka said after the game that the loss was on him —he took too many “terrible shots,” “didn’t score,” and “lost too many balls.” The point guard was the recipient of a huge amount of defensive attention, which flustered him a bit and left him without good options too many times. It should be interesting to see what adjustments Carlisle employs to make things a little easier for his star. As for the refs, Luka said he wasn’t looking to get fined, but hopes that the officials do a better job of calling the game on Wednesday, lol. Despite the low number of fouls called in the game (28), Luka was in foul trouble for much of the second half, and played through it. 

PORZINGIS. This was a very good game by KP, who put up 22 points on ridiculous 9-14 shooting, along with 7 rebounds and a block. That said, he had only 7 two-point attempts, and did not take much advantage of smaller players guarding him — which, in fairness, looks like it might have been the game plan. We’ll see if Rick tries to get him a few more touches in the rematch. He was attentive and moving well on the defensive end. 

HARDAWAY. THJ had a tremendous second-half effort, putting up 16 of his 21 points in the back 24, and going 8-12, and 5-9 from three, for the night. He took DFS’ place in the closing unit, and his minutes were back up to 30. Tim has struggled a bit lately, and it was great to see him doing his thing again. The team needs him to score well. 
 
OTHER STARTERS. Josh, Doe-Doe and Maxi had decidedly meh performances, combining for 17 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 turnovers. J Rich and Maxi anchored the team in +/-, at -20 and -21. I don’t entirely blame the situation on the players — they can only do what they can do, and they looked generally smaller, weaker, slower, and less skilled than their Clipper counterparts. These guys may have pretty well reached their ceilings at this stage, and it will surprise me if they ever reach Paul George-Kawhi Leonard levels. However, it would be nice if they could at least make their open shots — they combined for 3-12 from deep. 

OTHER  RESERVES. Brunson played pretty well, recording  8 points and 3 assists in 24 minutes, but it wasn’t really a good match up for him, and he accordingly saw more limited time on the court than usual as of late. WCS was on the receiving end of a couple of exciting dunks, including the completion of a Willie-Luka-Willie give-and-go from mid-court, but he missed a couple of rim shots, did some goofy stuff, and ended up with 6 points and 2 rebounds to show for his 16 minutes. Burke did not score in 7 minutes of action. 

CLIPPERS. Seven of the Clippers were in double figures, led by Kawhi with 22. Paul George was 5-11, but had some key shots down the stretch. Zubac torched Dallas with 15 points, 7-8 shooting, and 11 boards. Marcus Morris got a rare start and laid 14 points on the Mavs, while Lou Will and Batum combined for 26 off the bench. The Clippers interior defense was stifling, holding the Mavericks to 30 points in the paint. 


OBSERVATIONS

Rick thought his team responded well after a “tough start,” but allowed that it was hard to win having to be in a reactive mode. While admitting that not many fouls had been called, he denied that this loss was about the officiating. Rather, it was because the Mavs did not quite achieve the level they needed to compete in terms of spacing, ball movement, execution, poise, and aggression. They will watch film, make some adjustments, and try again on Wednesday. 

My fear for this team is that we might be getting seduced by some regular-season wins lately into thinking they are readier for playoff basketball than they are. I think this is the level of play they are likely to see in the postseason, and while it kept looking like they were in a position to string enough possessions together to go on a run, they were really never able to do much more than hang around. Granted, this game wasn’t their high-water mark in terms of playing or coaching, but it wasn’t un-representative, either. For this season, they may be able to achieve their goals by further refining what they are doing, but ultimately, I think they’re going to need an upgrade in at least a couple of positions if they want to be a factor. The Clippers just brutally exposed their weaknesses. Something to keep an eye on. 

That's not to say they can't win another game. The Mavs have a chance at revenge Wednesday evening at the AAC. It looks within the realm of the possible!

I can't stop thinking about the 2015 draft and how badly the Mavs muffed

We drafted Justin Anderson [1st rd - 21st overall] and then all these players after him have made solid NBA contributions

22nd overall Bobby Portis
27th overall Larry Nance Jr.
32nd overall Montrezl Harrell
40th overall Josh Richardson
46th overall Norman Powell

And rather than trade up our second rounder to get into the talent, we WASTE our second rounder on Satnam Singh Bhamara [52nd overall]. Singh was the first player since the 2005 draft to enter without playing in college, overseas professionally, or in the NBA Development League. He was drafted just to provide an ending to the "One in a Billion" movie

The Mavs have true excellence at wasting draft picks

I use dark mode. On the old board, it showed likes at the bottom of each post like light mode. It doesn't do that any more and I would like to have that back, if possible. I use dark mode for almost everything these days. White backgrounds hurt my eyes.

MAVERICKS BLOW NUGGETS OUT IN DENVER
NEW TEAM IDENTITY EMERGING

The Mavs came together for an excellent collective performance, and showed us who this team can be when it is operating at its finest. Your boys played a beautiful brand of basketball, putting away a very good opponent in the mile-high city. 


NOTABLE ITEMS

GAME FLOW.  Denver was on the second night of a back-to-back, having played Memphis the previous evening. They were missing backup point guard Monte Morris. Dallas’ James Johnson was out for personal reasons.

The Mavs got off to a horrible start, going down 10-0 during the first two minutes. But after that, it was smooth sailing for the visitors. They closed the gap to one by the end of the first quarter, ending the period at 28-29. They created some separation in the second, going into halftime leading 62-51. A tired Denver squad was left in the dust in the third, with the Mavs achieving a 20-point advantage and entering the final frame with a 93-73 margin. Our team reached a game-high lead of 21 at 10:32 in the fourth. The Nuggets then made a stab at a rally, whittling their deficit to 11 within the last two minutes. However, the Mavs were never seriously threatened, and cruised to victory. 

NUMBERS. The threes were falling for both teams, with the Mavericks completing 18 of 46 attempts (39%), and Denver putting in 16 of their own. Our guys were also hot from inside the arc (24-40, 60%), while the home team fell a little short in that area (21-39). Dallas out-rebounded their opponent 49-41, and the ball flew around the court like a rocket, with 26 of the team’s 42 made baskets being assisted. 

DONCIC. Luka had one of his usual stellar performances, recording 21 points and 12 assists, with only 3 turnovers. He put on a ball-movement clinic, finding his teammates with a variety of breathtaking passes, and shredding Denver’s defense in the process. He drew a technical foul for a prolonged argument with a ref, but was able to collect himself with aplomb. He got a little lucky at one point, when an air-balled three landed in the arms of Dwight Powell and magically turned into an assist. A great job of game management.  What an amazing player!

PORZINGIS. KP was at his stunning finest, demonstrating how transformative it is when he is at the top of his game. He stuffed the stat sheet with 25 points, 10-15 shooting, 5-7 threes, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Even at that, the numbers don’t come close to conveying the impressiveness of his precision, amazing range, and ability to confound his opponent.  He was in a bit of trouble for a good part of the game, but handled it well. He and Luka were clicking, and Kris looked sprightly and enthusiastic on the defensive end, bothering Jokic with his height and length. Denver had no answer for him.  Rick raved about him after the game, and announced that he had been awarded the DPOG belt. 

RICHARDSON. J Rich also had an excellent outing, with 20 points, 6-11 shooting, 4-5 threes, and 4 assists. He also played an important role in limiting Denver’s Jamal Murray to 10 points on 4-13 completions from the field. This is the version of Josh that the Mavs hoped they were getting when they signed him, effective defensively while being proficient and versatile on the offensive end. He also was remarkably composed in his post-game interview, despite Luka and Bobi clowning around and photo-bombing him in the background. Rick complimented him post-game, saying that the young man has become a defensive leader for the team in the last couple of weeks. Josh has had two fine games in a row of 20+ points, so we’ll see if he can sustain this kind of performance. 

HONORABLE MENTIONS. DFS showed huge hustle, putting his imprint on the game with 11 points and 8 boards, while diving to the floor to wrestle down a loose ball, attacking the glass with ferocity, and hitting a couple of exciting threes. Good job, Doe-Doe! Maxi played with verve, taking advantage of open shots for 8 points and hitting the boards, collecting 7 rebounds in the process. He looked fired up out there in a 31-minute evening.  

Jalen Brunson led the bench mob with 12 points and 4 assists. THJ missed all 5 of his three-point attempts, but the team was a game-high +22 when he was on the floor. Powell acted as the third big man on the night, and had one of his best performances of the season, combining well with Luka and grabbing a team-high 11 rebounds in 19 minutes of action. Burke took a turn for 13 minutes, hitting a couple of shots and drawing an important foul. Fans who have been yearning to see rookies Josh Green and Tyler Bey were treated to a glimpse of the pair late in the game. 

NUGGETS.  There is no such thing as locking Nikola Jokic down, but at least he was limited to an earthbound 26 points. The Mavs double-teamed him some, but Denver made them pay with made shots, and Jokic racked up 11 assists in the process. The Mavs’ kryptonite this season has been shooting behemoths, but they made the Denver big man work for his accomplishments on the evening. Michael Porter, Jr. and Will Barton poured in 23 points each, with Porter coming on strong at the end, scoring 17 points in the fourth-quarter comeback attempt. 


OBSERVATIONS

Rick thought his squad did a lot of good things, particularly after the “very poor” start. Their goal is to be an attacking team, and they were able to score, but they are also developing a “collective will” defensively. He noted that the team has flourished in the last couple of weeks, and observed how much better the defense has been since KP healed from his sore back. He admitted that the team caught a “huge break” with Denver being on the second night of a B2B, but commended his men for holding their own in one of the most difficult venues in the league. 

Derek Harper thought that this performance was the best of the season for the Mavs, and it was definitely up there. The ball zipped around the court, bumfuzzling the Nuggets, and it was great to see the Mavericks take advantage of the excellent looks created by Luka. Doncic and Porzingis looked fresh after their night off in OKC, and Mavs fans were treated to a lovely display of passing and shooting virtuosity, along with a much-improved defensive showing. More of the same, please!

With that, the Mavs captured the season series against Denver. They will welcome the Clippers to the AAC Monday night. 

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