LUKA-LESS MAVS SEND THUNDER OUT WITH A WHIMPER

Without their star, the Mavericks stumbled their way through the game, ultimately blowing out a seriously awful OKC team. 


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GAME FLOW. Luka was out with lower back tightness, and Jalen took his place in the starting lineup. Both teams struggled to score in the first quarter, although each squad eventually broke twenty points. Mavs led 25-23 after one. The second was even worse, with Dallas scoring 24 points and “holding OKC to” 19. The Mavs were up 49-42 at the half, despite hitting only 1 of 19 three-point attempts. Yuck. 

Ya boys looked a little livelier in the third quarter, and had a 26-19 period against the Thunder, ending the frame at 75-61. Dallas had a putrid 12-point fourth period, but held on for the win. 

NUMBERS.  Both teams shot horribly (Dallas 39/20/79, OKC 33/23/65). The Mavs worked well on the glass, with 53 rebounds, and 18 of their 32 made baskets were assisted. They earned 19 points off OKC turnovers, and had 15 fast-break points. 

PORZINGIS. With Luka out, it was KP’s chance to shine, and he ended the game with a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double. He had a fierce drive and flush in the first quarter, and three very deep threes in the second half. Rick remarked that Kris was a huge factor offensively, with his great screening, rolling, and positioning making things easier for his teammates. 

HARDAWAY. Tim shared high-scorer honors with KP, with 19 points off the bench to go with 6 rebounds. He was active on the court in a variety of ways, taking a charge, driving to the basket for a slam, making a great pass to Maxi for an and-one, and hitting a couple of triples. Coach said he was terrific.

RICHARDSON. Josh had 16 points and 6 boards to go with 4 steals. Carlisle mentioned his great floor game, key shots, and coming up with the ball and pushing it ahead for a fast break on several occasions. Josh was also energetic on the defensive end, and was Devin Harris’ pick for the DPOG award, which ended up going to the entire team. 

BRUNSON. Jalen did a solid job filling in for Luka, and put up 11 points and 4 assists. He showed a lot of hustle, diving to the floor to beat OKC to a loose ball, and making some good defensive plays. 

BURKE. Rick singled out Trey for giving the team a big lift in this game and the last. He had 9 points as a reserve, and led the team with 6 assists. He played with confidence and swagger, and resembled his bubble self. 

THUNDER. I would like to credit the Mavericks defense as the reason OKC managed to score only 78 points, and I’m sure they had something to do with it, but I think the greater factor was that this Thunder team is just so, so bad offensively. I was embarrassed for them, with this pathetic performance. 


OBSERVATIONS

Rick congratulated his team for sticking with the process and coming together in the second half after a physical, tight, difficult first half with the shots not falling. He described the team’s defense as “tremendous.” He seemed more relieved than anything. 

Mavs fans, a beautiful display of basketball artistry this contest was not. It was an ugly slog of a game, and tbh does not warrant much of a breakdown. But it’s a win, and it counts the same as the most impressive skilled performance imaginable. 

Going into the All-Star Break, the team stands at 18-16, having won nine of their last 11 games. Hopefully, they will make good use of the rest and come back refreshed and raring to go. In the meantime, Luka is expected to participate Sunday in the All-Star game and the skills contest, if anyone wants to look in on that. 

Enjoy the break, MFFLs!

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

OFFENSE HUMS IN ORLANDO

Your Dallas Mavericks played a crisp team game and put the Magic away, holding off a late Orlando rally.


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GAME FLOW.  The Magic had four players on the injured list -- Anthony, Fultz, Gordon, and Isaac. The Mavericks were at full strength to start the game. 

The Mavs got off to a slow start and found themselves trailing for most of the last four minutes of the first quarter. Orlando led 33-29 after one. Luka kept the Mavs in it with 10 points in the beginning twelve minutes. Dallas was back in the lead at the 8:25 mark in the second period, and never trailed again. The visitors were up 61-58 at halftime. 

About halfway through the third, our boys caught fire, with their star duo LD-KP combining for 19 of the team’s 34-point frame. They built a 13-point advantage during the quarter and led 95-86 after three. They maintained a double-digit lead for most of the fourth and were up by 18 points in the last five minutes. The Magic mounted a comeback attempt, closing the game on a 22-10 run, but the Mavericks held on for the win. 

NUMBERS. Both teams had proficient offenses, shooting well (52%, 49%) and recording only 8 turnovers each. Orlando’s defense mostly consisted of fouling, and Dallas had a 23-14 advantage in free-throw attempts. The Magic stayed in the game with their hot three-point shooting (20-41, 49%). The Mavs had a balanced game, with six players in double figures.

DONCIC. The birthday boy turned 22 over the weekend and celebrated with a near triple-double (33/10/9). He hit five of his 10 three-point attempts and also feasted in the paint. He even lost a shoe at one point and did not let it faze him. Luka said after the game that he is still working on his leadership skills, and by all accounts, his efforts are paying off. Yet another outstanding night. 

BRUNSON. Jalen dazzled in a bench-scoring role, putting up 24 points on 9-13 shooting to go with 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Rick commented on how far the young point guard has come since his introduction to the league, making adjustments to his body and his game to adapt to the NBA. Coach said that Brunson is not only an effective scorer, but has become a solid defender, growing stronger and quicker over the seasons. Rick complimented Donnie for performing at his “phenomenal best” in the Luka-Brunson draft. I think we can second that. Devin Harris observed that JB has made great strides in mixing up his pace and in reading game situations. Great to see the young Mav making such progress!

PORZINGIS.  It was a tale of two halves for KP, who was 1-9 from the floor with only two points in the first half. He sprang to life in the second half and ended up with a 17 and 10 night. In a highlight-reel moment, he stunned the Magic with a dash from nowhere for a ferocious put back flush in the third quarter.  Rick complimented #6 on his “great floor game” and “big presence around the basket,” and commended Kristaps for the work he has been doing off the court. 

KLEBER.  Maxi had 13 points and 6 rebounds and won the DPOG award. The coach commented on the key defensive role the man from Wurzburg played, doing a “solid job” on Vucevic, and making some good help plays. Rick went on to observe that Maxi is a very valuable player in Rick’s system.

BENCH MENTIONS. The reserves were key in this win, scoring 50 points in the effort. Carlisle particularly singled out Powell and Burke, saying that looked ready to play and brought much-needed energy at the end of the road trip. Both made an impact in limited court time. Powell had 8 points and took a turn on Vucevic. The Orlando venue seemed to bring back Bubble Burke, with Trey scoring 11 points in 10 minutes, including an exciting 7-point burst in a one-minute stretch in the second quarter. WCS had to leave the game early with a sprained thumb. 

MAGIC.  The opponents were no pushovers in this contest, despite missing some of their key players. Vucevic put his defenders through their paces, putting up 29 points, 15 boards, and 8 assists. Fournier also had a good night, torching the Mavs for 26 points, including five threes. Carter-Williams and Terence Ross had 18 apiece, with MCW hitting 8-13 from the field. Although their offense was prolific, they offered little resistance on the defensive end. 


OBSERVATIONS

Carlisle “loved” the game, especially admiring his team’s “wonderful” ball movement. This was a Rick Carlisle type of contest, with the ball popping, the scoring balanced, and the team exerting good energy on the glass. 

The coach was asked to comment on how the team has improved to such an extent at this point in the season. He acknowledged that it is much easier to cope without having to deal directly with COVID. More generally, he admitted that the squad was not in very good condition entering the season, which affected their ability to play well. He said that his players still have work to do, but they have been playing “an excellent brand of basketball,” and he sees “good signs.” Encouraging developments!

This win, their eighth in the last ten, put the Mavs over .500 for the first time since January. If they can defeat OKC on Wednesday, they will enter the All-Star Break with momentum on their side. The coach called the upcoming Thunder match “a trap game at all levels,” so hopefully the Mavs will bring the appropriate energy and focus. 

Good times, Mavs fans!

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

MAVS DOMINATE SHORTHANDED NETS
BROOKLYN HELD TO 34 SECOND-HALF POINTS

Your Dallas Mavericks moved to a surprisingly comfortable win in Brooklyn.


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GAME FLOW.  Porzingis returned to action, enabling Rick to return to his “normal” starting lineup of Luka, Josh, DFS, Maxi and KP. Durant, Kyrie, and Dinwiddie were out for the Nets. 

Dallas led with a 38-26 first quarter. Fans were treated to a Luka-Harden battle, with each star putting up 15 points. The Mavs were a blistering 61% from the floor, including 6-11 from three, and closed the frame with a 14-2 run. Your boys’ three-point shooting cooled off in the second period (4-12), whereas Houston hit 7-13 in that frame. Although the Mavs lost the quarter 30-38, they carried a 68-64 lead into halftime, thanks in no small part to 20 points off 9 Brooklyn turnovers. 

The Nets collapsed in the third, with their mighty offense scoring only 18 points. The two teams combined for a putrid 2-15 from deep, but Kristaps shone with 10 points in the period. The scoreboard read 94-82 Mavs after three. The fourth was mostly garbage time, with KP and THJ appearing for only 15 seconds combined, and the Nets managing to record only 16 points. The deep-bench players got a nice run-out, and the outcome was never in doubt. 

STATS. The Maverick point differentials were +20 on points from twos, a push on points from threes, and -3 on made free throws. They shot a respectable 39% from long range (14-36), and clobbered the Nets on points in the paint (50-36). The story of the game was turnovers, with Brooklyn losing a whopping 32 points on 19 giveaways, and the Mavs giving up a stingy 9 points in that category. 

DONCIC. Luka had a relatively quiet stat line by his standards (27/6/7, 2 steals)), but make no mistake, his fingerprints were all over this contest. The young superstar put on a game-managing masterclass, and he took advantage of his superior size and strength over the dainty Nets to perfection. He also took wonderful care of the ball, recording an impressive 1 turnover in 34 minutes on the court. Rachel Nichols asked Doncic after the game what he thought about Carlisle’s recent comments about his similarity to Larry Bird, and Luka, always humble, replied that he has many games to go before he can be compared to Bird. What an amazing player!

PORZINGIS.  Kristaps looked fresh as a daisy after his time off from back stiffness, and exhibited the type of engaged performance that the Mavs presumably hoped for from him when they acquired him. He played a lot of his favored post-up game, and punished the Nets for guarding him with smaller players to the tune of 18 points and 7-13 shooting, taking only 2 three-point attempts on the night. He was quite eager for the ball, kicking a chair when Luka looked off him, and following with a missed shot from the logo early in the shot clock. After some trade rumors in the past week, I guess he wanted to make sure he got a chance to shine in this one. Perhaps more importantly, he was an important defensive factor, making an impact on the Nets’ ability to score at the rim. 

DFS.  Doe-Doe has a penchant for contributing his effective performances quietly, and this game was no exception. He put up double-digit shooting (12 points, 5-6 from the field), and stuffed the stat sheet with 8 rebounds, 4 assists, two steals, a block, and a game-high +24. His defensive presence was felt in a team-high 35 minutes, and he led the squad on the boards, and was awarded the championship belt for being the Defensive Player of the game. His highlight reel featured a magnificent chase-down block on Harden. 

HONORABLE MENTIONS. The Mavs had balanced scoring on the night, which is something they have been aspiring to. In addition to Luka’s 27 points, KP had 18, Brunson 14, Tim 13, DFS 12, and Josh 11. All Mavericks who played at least 10 minutes were in positive territory for the match. Maybe the most impressive development was the Mavs’ defensive performance in the second half, with the team clicking on that end of the floor. 

NETS. The Mavs, for the most part, played Harden in single coverage, and he responded with a game-high 29 points, albeit with an inefficient 4-11 shooting performance. He got to the line for only 8 FT attempts, and was responsible for 6 turnovers. Only two other Nets were in double figures — Jeff Green and Bruce Brown with 12 apiece. Although Brooklyn shot very poorly, hitting 32% from three and only 41% overall, it was their ghastly inability to take care of the ball that really did them in. Can’t imagine that their head coach, former Mav Steve Nash, was too proud of the night’s display. 


OBSERVATIONS

Luka congratulated his squad for playing “like a team,” and I think few spectators would disagree. Really great to see the Mavs come together, especially after their unfocused prior performance against the Sixers. Defensive juggernauts the Nets are not, and Dallas took full advantage of the Nets’ ineffectiveness on that front, abusing Brooklyn over and over in the paint. 

There is no question that the Mavericks caught a huge break with both Durant and Kyrie unable to go, but they were overdue for a stroke of luck this season, and we’ll take it. The win is welcome, but even more encouraging was the way it happened, particularly the defense in the second half and the well-coordinated effort for the whole game.

The victory brought the Mavs back to .500, at 16-16. They remain in 9th place, half a game ahead of Memphis and 1.5 games behind Denver. 

Our boys face the Magic in Orlando on Monday. We’ll see if they can sustain this level of play. 

Keep the faith, Mavs fans!

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

MAVERICKS BLOWN OUT IN PHILADELPHIA

Sometimes you run into a better team. This was one of those times. 


GAME STORY

Porzingis was out again with lingering back stiffness. Rick broke out a new starting lineup with Luka, Josh, DFS, Maxi and Boban. I regret to report that they did not impress. In a harbinger of things to come, the Mavs had two shot clock violations in the first two minutes, and four turnovers in the first five minutes. Rick subbed three guys out before the quarter was half over. Somehow, both teams slogged through the rest of the period. An offensive exhibition it was not. Dallas trailed 22-23 after one. 

The second quarter began with three Mavs turnovers, and four in the first five possessions. Still, our boys managed to hang in for a while, and were down only one point at 6:23, at which time the Sixers went on a 19-3 run. The Maverick possessions in this stretch were a microcosm of the problems in this game —

Doncic bad pass turnover
Bobi layup and-one
Richardson missed pull-up
DFS bad pass turnover
Bobi blocked shot
Luka lost ball turnover
Bobi blocked shot
Bobi lost ball turnover
WCS lost ball turnover

Just painful to watch. The score was 43-59 at halftime. 

Rick put Johnson in rather than Bobi to start the third, in an effort to get more aggressive. The Mavs made a little headway, and cut the deficit to seven about halfway through the period. But then the game got away from them for good, and the quarter ended with — what else? — two Mavs turnovers. 68-86.

Luka, Maxi, and THJ never went back in, and the fourth quarter constituted extended garbage time. 


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STATISTICS. The story of the game was turnovers, as the Mavs butter-fingered their way through the contest. Normally a low-turnover team, they had a season-high 22 on the night, and gave up 22 points on that account. The Sixers were aggressive defensively, registering 11 steals, but the Dallas squad also looked sloppy and unfocused most of the night. There were several instances of blown layups and dunks and various unforced errors. We gave up 24 fast-break points, and were beaten in PIP 50-26. Our mighty offense went missing, but on the brighter side, I thought they played about as well as one might expect defensively, holding the Sixers to 111 points.

PLAYING STYLE. If post-ups are no longer a thing in the NBA, the Sixers didn’t get the memo. Over and over, they created mismatches, and took advantage of the Mavs’ smaller players. They particularly targeted Brunson in this way, but other players suffered the effects as well. Philly also plays with more of a defensive style than most teams this season, and their long, rangy, athletic players were able to discombobulate the Mavs. The Dallas offense wasn’t flowing, and the opponent deserves credit for imposing their will on the hapless Mavericks. 

DONCIC. Luka had an off night by his standards, recording a 19/3/4 line, and committing 7 turnovers. I thought the Sixers were very effective at limiting him, particularly Ben Simmons. Rick said after the game that he thinks the Mavs are too dependent on Luka, and that they are trying to work on getting others to share the load. KP’s offense was missed, and no one else stepped up. 

I have to say I agree with Rick about the over-dependence on Luka. This is what the top teams will do to a one-man show on offense in the playoffs, or in this case, even in the regular season. Ideally, the Mavs should be able to count on KP for 20, THJ for 15-20, and a couple other guys to step up with 10-15 points each on any given night. In this particular match, after Luka’s 19, you had Josh with 13, THJ 12, Brunson 11, and no one else in double digits. Not good enough. 

GUARDS. The guards had 64 of the team’s 97 points. They all shot decent to good percentages, although Josh was 0-4 from deep. Timmy played for only 21 minutes and took only 8 shots. The Sixers were giving him extra attention, but without KP on the floor, the team’s only other elite scorer has to get more of an opportunity/be more aggressive, as the case may be. Josh had 13 points and 6 boards, but had a couple of turnovers and did not seem very decisive. Brunson had 11 points in 23 minutes off the bench, but had only five shot attempts and was getting overpowered defensively. The guards weren’t great, but they at least did their thing to a limited extent. 

BIGS. The big-man rotation was really exposed in this match. To start with, no KP. Maxi played 22 minutes, and had 6 points and 4 rebounds to show for it. He had some good defensive plays, which I guess is the main reason he’s out there, but he missed a few open threes and was pretty much a non-factor offensively. WCS played 17 minutes off the bench, and recorded 2 points and 5 boards. He took 4 shots, but was able to finish only one. He went to the bench in the first quarter after giving up an offensive rebound and score after a Sixers missed free throw. Just didn’t seem focused.  

Boban had 17 minutes, grabbed 12 rebounds, and made an impact defensively with his big body clogging the paint. However, he was surprisingly ineffective offensively, going 3-11 from the court and scoring only 7 points. James Johnson filled in for 15 minutes, and had 3 points on 1-5 shooting. Powell played 10 minutes and had 6 points (all at the line), 1 rebound, and 2 turnovers. He was just unable to stand up to Embiid and Howard — not nearly strong enough, and besides, he inexplicably blew a couple of dunks.

All this leads me to admit that I have grown seriously concerned about the Mavs front court rotation. They looked particularly bad in this game, but this pattern isn’t all that unusual. All 5 guys combined for 24 points, and that included a substantial amount of garbage time. They had 27 rebounds, 12 of which were secured by Bobi — so, 15 for the rest of the group put together.  They just aren’t making much of an impact offensively, or in the rebounding department, and we’ve been over the defensive issues ad nauseam. Next to Philadelphia’s talented bigs, they don’t appear to be on the same level. The Mavericks will need to address this issue, imho. 

SIXERS. The Sixers have the best record in the East for a reason. They’re really good. I thought the Mavs actually did a pretty good job of limiting Embiid, who had “only” 23 points, but was 5-20 from the floor. He was 11-12 from the line, and grabbed 9 rebounds. The Mavs do not really have an answer for the beasting behemoth type of player that he is. Former Mav Seth Curry had 15 points on 6-9 shooting. He said he bears the Mavericks no ill will for trading him, but thinks they made a bad business decision, lol. 

Ben Simmons had 15 points and did a job on Luka. I had practically forgotten that Dwight Howard was still in the league, but he torched us with 14 points and 8 boards off the bench. Shake Milton also had 10 points. 


OBSERVATIONS

Rick found the game disappointing. He thought the guys battled pretty well in the first quarter, but the second was their undoing. The third quarter started well but ended badly, and he was proud of the guys in the fourth for fighting hard. He called attention to the turnover problem, and said the team generally did not execute well and suffered from poor spacing and lack of ball movement. 

The FSSW crew were puzzled at the squad’s disposition. Devin Harris commented on the players being loose with the ball, looking mentally off, missing rim shots, not moving to the right place, just not ready to go. They weren’t moving the ball and had only 17 assists in the game. The pundits pointed to a few individual examples, like Willie being caught not paying attention a couple of times, Luka throwing a pass behind Boban, and guys being careless with the ball. Not sure what to make of all this. 

I feel like I'm being somewhat on the grumpy side, even though I'm trying to put a decent face on it. I wasn't really expecting us to win this game, but I was hoping they would give a little better account of themselves.  If I'm just out of sorts, feel free to reply and cheer me up. 

Another tough one is coming up, as the Mavs visit the Nets next. Fasten your seat belts, Mavs fans — it could be a bumpy night.