Mavs Seal Season Series in San Antonio
Spurs Late Rally Falls Short

The Mavericks squandered another lead down by the River Walk. But this time, they went on to put their stamp on the series, largely courtesy of an in-sync Luka-KP clutch performance. 


Game Story

The Spurs ain't what they used to be, and may miss the playoffs this season for the first time since the nineties. In recent news, DeMarre Carroll has decamped for the Rockets, and LaMarcus Aldridge was out with an injury. Still, Pop and the Big Fundamental occupied the coaching bench, and they're still the Spurs. Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson continued his recovery for the Mavs, and WCS was out for his third game for personal reasons and is expected to miss the next couple of games as well. Don't know what's going on there, but hope he's okay. An update is expected on Monday.  Seth Curry was again the fifth man in the starting lineup.

The Mavs got off to a fine start, featuring a 16-point first quarter by KP. They were up 36-20 after one. However, MFFLs had some anxious moments, as Luka suffered a thumb injury and retreated to the locker room for taping. Word soon reached the arena that the young star was available to return, and Mavs fandom breathed a collective sigh of relief. Doncic re-entered the fray in the second period, but his hand looked to continue to bother him throughout the contest. A Hardaway buzzer-beater sent Dallas into halftime with a 59-49 advantage, but both Luka and KP had three fouls. 

Porzingis was called for his fourth foul with 4:11 left in the third. Nevertheless, the Mavs had a 16-point lead a couple of times in the frame, and maintained an 11-point edge after three. 

The visitors decided to make things interesting in the fourth. Yes, you've heard it before. The squad's performance rapidly disintegrated into a horror show of putrid execution from all quarters -- the usual drill of turnovers, failure to box out, missed free throws, the works. Our boys put one -- yes, one -- point on the board in the first six minutes of the period. By mid-quarter, the Spurs had their first lead of the second half. 

The game was tied at 96-all with 4:01 to go. The Mavs then righted the ship, and proceeded to a 12-0 run, thanks to a KP layup and-one from Luka, a Luka steal and assist to KP for a three, a Curry three from Luka, and a step-back three by Luka. What a performance from the Slovenian point guard and his 7'3" wingman! With 1:52 remaining, the Mavericks scored only one more point, but the Spurs were not able to recover. This one had a happy ending!


Analytics

The Spurs had six more field goal attempts than the Mavs, thanks in part to Dallas surrendering 13 offensive rebounds, committing 16 turnovers, and giving up 19 fast-break points. However, the Spurs had their own problems in the turnover department, and the Mavericks managed to take advantage to the tune of 23 points. The visiting team also had a 12-shot advantage in 3PTAs, and a 30-19 margin in FTAs. Dallas shot a respectable 38% from deep, but missed 10 free throws. If they hadn't pulled out the game in the clutch, those missed freebies would loom large in the discussion. At any rate, they ended up +18 in points from threes, +6 in made free throws, and -18 in points from twos.

Interior defense was a problem again, with the Spurs earning 46 points in the paint, some on quite easy baskets. However, 17 made threes by Dallas covered a multitude of sins. Ball movement was excellent for the most part, and 25 of their 36 made baskets were assisted. The bench was uncharacteristically terrible, contributing only 17 points and everyone being in negative territory. In the last analysis, the Mavericks' superior star quality pulled the team through, and we got to see some lovely basketball in the recovery. 


Players

Luka (37 min) had an impressive 26-10-14 line, tying Jason Kidd for most triple-doubles in franchise history. In the fourth quarter, after a second hit to his injured thumb, his hand seemed to start to seriously bother him. He was having trouble shooting, and lost the ball out of bounds on what looked like a loss of control. He declined to use the injury as an excuse, but admitted it was giving him problems. He reacted by feeding his teammates, and they did not disappoint him. Carlisle thought his late-game performance was brilliant on the offensive end, and he also complimented his star for "guarding his butt off, taking away threes and layups."  Courageous performance from a youngster with ankle and hand issues, and let's hope he can return to full health before long. After the game, he said he didn't think the thumb injury was serious.

On the development side, Doncic was 10-25 from the field, for which I think the hand was partially responsible. But there comes a time to change tactics from volume shooting, and he ultimately did a fine job of that, attacking the basket and facilitating instead of trying to do it all. Spurs writer Noah Magaro-George lamented that Luka "made just about everyone guarding him look like a fool." Shades of Dirk. Fascinating to watch this unique athlete maturing and polishing his decision-making before our eyes. 

Hardaway (36 min) did not have an especially efficient night (5-14), but contributed a dependable 17 points. He had some lovely shots, and he appears to be getting more solid on the defensive end. Mavs media reported Mark Cuban as saying the team would like to keep Tim long-term, and that THJ is interested in staying. He has been a great surprise of the season, transforming from a tax to acquire KP to possibly a foundational piece. 

DFS (35 min) was steady on the night, with 14 points, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. In addition to being a stalwart defensively, he was lethal from the field (5-7), and had a three in the fourth that helped to turn the Mavs' fortunes around. Just a quiet engine every night. 

Seth (35 min) had a rare 7-point night, but the team was a game-high +22 when he was on the floor. 

Porzingis (29 min) was a marvel, with 28 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocks in minutes abbreviated by foul trouble. Spurs blog Pounding the Rock commented:  San Antonio simply had no answer for his combination of size and skills, and he reminded everyone why Kevin Durant dubbed him a “unicorn." When Pop was asked what he thought of KP, he replied, "He's a wonderful player. What else can you say?" 

Zinger observed after the game that he has enjoyed becoming more involved in the PNR with Luka, and likes having the option to roll or pop, rather than standing around for spot-up shooting. He and Luka both thought he is doing very well now that he is playing more at center. Unlocking the big man's potential is HUGE for the Mavs, and a most exciting development. 

Spurs. DeRozan burned the Mavs for 27-8-9, but didn't get a lot of consistent help. Lonnie Walker had 12 points, and seeing the Spurs always affords an opportunity to enjoy his towering updo. KP remarked that the Mavericks were able to use their zone defense to advantage, since the Spurs had only one great three-point shooter (Belinelli), and as long as they kept an eye on him, they could limit the opposition. Marco had 14 points, including 4 threes, and the Spurs reserves won the battle of the benches 40-17.

I liked playing San Antonio when every Mavs-Spurs game was a clash of titans. Once one of the league's great rivalries, a Dallas-SA match still has some extra spice, and we'll take this win over a valiant but overmatched group from South Texas. 


Remarks

Carlisle was proud as punch of the win. He acknowledged that his squad had let things get away from them at times, but reminded us that they are a young team, still growing and learning, and he thought they had responded very well. Rick professed that the Mavs' goal for the remainder of the season is to sharpen up for the playoffs, and he regarded this game as excellent preparation and a valuable experience. 

Pop thought his own game plan going in was poor, and admitted that the Mavs took advantage. He admired his guys for a determined effort against "a hell of a team," but said that Dallas had certainly played well enough to win. 

On the playoff prep theme, Rick usually plays ten guys, but appears to be narrowing down to essentially an 8- or 9-man rotation in any given match, with the last couple of guys playing short minutes. Seven guys look to be locks for a playoff rotation, assuming they're healthy, with the coach seemingly experimenting with players 8-10. Should be interesting to see how it shakes out. 

Hopefully, the Mavs will continue to work on their fourth-quarter execution problems, popping up when the opponent tightens up defensively. It is encouraging that they played themselves out of it in this game, leaving themselves enough cushion not to be subject to losing the game due to a controversial late call. Speaking of officiating, I agree with Rick that, though there were some "wacky" events, it's not worth going into now. Strange stuff. 

This was a good win, and a positive start to the road trip. Luka is a little beat up, and we'll wish him our best for a speedy recovery. The Luka-KP magic is beyond words!


Next. The Mavs face the Heat in Miami on Friday. Rick thinks this will be another important exercise in preparation for the postseason. Isn't it cool to be back in the mix?

Go Mavs!

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

I made it over to the AAC for the first time since the free practice formally known as Fan Jam. I watched the Mavs plaster almost 140 on the T-Pups without Luka and KP playing their best, cheered for wolves to miss free throws so I could have some free Chik-fil-a, AND thoroughly enjoyed watching MKG play defense. 

There is nothing like watching defense live. The camera just doesn't allow you the freedom to follow a guy around the court since it just follows the ball. 

The dude smothers people. He just swallows players whole. One on one, a ball handler squares him up, probes in a couple different directions, notes that the dude in front of him isn't letting him go anywhere, and passes the ball along. 

And he was moving and engaged the whole the shot clock. What a fun watch!

Mavs Crush Wolves at AAC

The Mavericks demonstrated their class at home, comfortably putting an overmatched Minnesota team away. 


Game Story and Analytics

Luka returned to the court after having been listed as "probable" before the game. His ankle is still bothering him, and it was fortunate that he was only required for 25 minutes on the night. Jalen Brunson was out with his sprained shoulder, and will not play in the upcoming road trip. Seth took Powell's place in the starting lineup.

Dallas came out of the gate strong, winning the first quarter 41-27. Their point differentials in the remaining three quarters were +2, -2, +2. Minny made a couple of runs, but never looked like seriously threatening. 

Oddly enough, excellent inside shooting (61%) won the day for the Mavs, who had 60 points in the paint. You don't see that very often. The home team were +3 on points from three, -3 on made free throws, and +16 on points from twos. 


Players

Tim (28 min) put on a clinic, leading the team with 23 points. His full arsenal was on display, as he scored from long range, drove to the basket, executed backdoor cuts, had a lovely floater over an opponent, posterized Layman, and had a variety of fancy finishes. Carlisle showered him with praise, not only for this match, but for being a "culture guy" and being "about the right stuff." Jason Terry thinks that the Mavs have found their third option, and believes that Hardaway can be counted on for 18-20 points per game when it matters. What a serendipitous find!

Luka (25 min) was proficient, boasting a 20-9-7 line. He came up limping after stepping on Johnson's foot in the first quarter, but was able to continue playing. He looked like his ankle was still bothering him throughout the game, and the FSSW crew thought his most important number was 25 -- the minutes required of him on the court. I hope he is able to shake off what appears to be a nagging injury. It can't be comfortable having to play on an injured ankle. 

Porzingis (25 min) also made his return to action, and had a relatively quiet night, but still put up 15 points and 9 boards. Seth (25 min) did yeoman's work as a starter, and registered an efficient 19 points, including a team-high 5 threes, on 7-11 shooting. Wright (22 min) led the bench with 16 points (6-11 FGA), displaying his athleticism zipping to the basket and pestering the Wolves on defense. Barea (22 min), dubbed the "Puerto Rican flash" by Jason Terry,  got a run-out in Brunson's absence, and played like the champ he is, recording 12 points and a game-high 8 assists. Maxi (21 min) was miked up, and contributed some colorful commentary, along with 11 points and 7 rebounds. MKG (21 min) got his first extended run as a Mav, albeit serving much of it in garbage time. He opened his Mavericks account with 2 points, to go with his six boards, and had some exciting defensive play. Fan fave Boban had 6 points in 4 minutes, delighting the loving crowd.

Wolves. We got to see Minny's new roster, which was fun, but this team was far from impressive. Recent arrival D'Angelo Russell featured with 29 points. Karl Anthony-Towns was on the injured list with a fractured wrist. 


Remarks

Carlisle had some good words for THJ and Seth, but did not seem especially pleased with the performance. He was particularly critical of the first half, despite his squad scoring a season-high 81 points. He thought the team's excellent shotmaking in the half covered a poor defensive performance, with the Wolves blowing by the Mavs and the home team fouling too much. He accorded his guys a lukewarm commendation for tightening up the defense in the second half, while noting that the two teams split the points evenly in the second 24. He thought the first 8 minutes of the fourth quarter were key, allowing him to rest all of his starters but Seth in the final frame. 

I was happy to see the Mavericks live up to their superior talent at home, putting a bad team away and not making a thriller of it at the end. A great team effort, with seven guys in double figures. I think we can take heart from the tremendous start in their own arena, a situation that has all too often not materialized. Neither star had an especially noteworthy night, but they provided a solid foundation and provided opportunities for their teammates to shine. There were enough exciting plays to fill up a highlight reel, but as a competition, the match was a bit of a yawner, tbh. As it should be. 


Next. The Mavs face the Spurs in a rivalry game in San Antonio on Wednesday. A Pop-Rick chess match is always fascinating.

Go Mavs!

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

https://twitter.com/NickVanExit/status/1...2300555269

Depleted Mavs Let One Slip Away in Atlanta
Ref Controversy Enrages Cuban

The Mavericks, missing several players, on the second night of a back-to-back, surrendered a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter. A controversial call late in the game had the owner issuing a colorful tweet storm.


Game Story 

The Mavs rested Luka and KP on the SEGABABA, and WCS was out for personal reasons. Jalen Brunson sprained his shoulder on the first play, and was ruled out for the remainder of the game. That left ten Mavericks dressed, and Carlisle essentially played eight of them, with spot minutes for MKG and Boban. Rick tried a new starting lineup, with Brunson/Curry/THJ/DFS/Maxi, with Wright taking Brunson's place almost immediately. 

Deep into the third quarter, I stifled a comfortable yawn and thought this was going to be a pretty humdrum win against an unimpressive Hawks team. Alas, the squad came unglued in the fourth. With a thirteen-point lead early in the period, the team devolved into the fourth-quarter chaos that they have been wont to show in the past. Just a maelstrom of turnovers, missed free throws, offensive rebounds allowed, mini-lineups, and defensive failures. 

In the last minute, the Mavs were down 2, and the Hawks had the ball. DFS blocked a layup by Trae Young, but the refs whistled a goaltend. John Collins put the ball back as the players stopped playing. The goaltend, on review, was ruled a clean block. Under the rules, a whistle on an overruled goaltend is considered an inadvertent whistle, resulting in a jump ball. However, after the lengthy review, the referee awarded the put back to Collins, which meant that the Mavs were 4 points down with 9 seconds and a timeout left. That is, the game was essentially over. On a query after the game, a ref took the position that Collins was in a shooting motion when the whistle was blown, so he received a continuation. The Mavs' view of the situation was that the put back occurred after the whistle was blown, which seemed to be borne out by the replays. This foo-fah resulted in some pointed comments by Carlisle and a series of outraged tweets by Cuban. 

At any rate, the Mavs took their last timeout, THJ missed a three, and that was that. 


Analytics

The Mavericks put up 9 fewer FGAs and 7 fewer FTAs than their opponents. Dallas gave up a terrible 26 points on turnovers. Additionally, their diminutive lineups and poor defense allowed the Hawks to conduct a parade to the basket, earning 66 points in the paint. Yikes. On this occasion, the Mavs' three-point shooting was too mediocre to bail them out (32%), and they missed 6 free throws on top of that. After hanging in for three quarters, poor execution in the fourth did them in. 


Players

Seth (38 min) looked fine in the box score, with a 22-6-5 line, and he played some pretty decent defense at times, but he played the entire fourth quarter and scored only 3 points, and had some bad turnovers. A mixed bag, on the night, although he was one of the better Mavs on the court. 

Tim (35 min) was the team's leading scorer, with 33 points, including 6 threes, and 5 assists. He had 10 points in the fourth quarter. However, he was trying to lead the charge down the stretch, and in the last 5 minutes, registered 4 missed shots and 2 missed free throws. Although, he did tie the game at 1:08 with a dramatic three-point bank shot, so there is that. Kudos for him for assuming the initiative, and for impressive scoring, but he just can't do what Luka does in clutch situations. 

Maxi (30 min) had 8 rebounds and a season-high five blocks. Unfortunately, he fouled out when the ref called a sixth foul on him, missing a kicked ball by Wright. He was essentially the Mavs' only true big man for the game, aside from a 4-minute cameo by Boban, unless we want to count Justin Jackson, who contributed 10 points and 8 boards in 27 minutes off the bench. 

Wright and Barea acted as point guards, and combined for 22 points, 10 boards, and 7 assists.  

Hawks. Trae Young got off to a slow start, but ultimately came alive, and burned the Mavs with 25 points and 10 assists. Dallas double-teamed Young quite a bit, and looked they might be daring John Collins to beat them. Which he did, putting up 35 points and 17 boards. Ouch. Old friend Vince Carter did not score in 11 minutes off the bench.


Remarks

Carlisle ragged on for a while in his presser about the controversial play at the end. He also noted that his team was undermanned and ran out of gas to an extent in the fourth, but commended them for fighting to the bitter end. 

Hardaway drew praise from the FSSW crew, who opined that Tim will be key to any advancement in the playoffs. KP and Luka are likely to be defended tightly, and the team needs a third option who can be counted on for 20-ish points a game. 

I found this game a little frustrating, even though it probably wasn't all that important in the grand scheme, as it seemed another incidence of the Mavs beating themselves at the end. I hate bad refereeing as much as the next fan, but we should be under no illusion that the Mavs lost the game due to the zebras. They just weren't sharp for 48 minutes. However, I don't think there is any point in going into any deep analysis of this one, as this was pretty much a bunch of patched-together lineups which will hopefully not be representative of any normal rotation. I hesitate to say this, because I think the players on the court did fight hard, but on a bigger organizational level, I think the Mavs more or less phoned this winnable match in, for reasons that must have made sense to them. So, on to the next one, I guess. 


Next. The Mavs face the Wolves Monday night. Hopefully, Luka, KP, and WCS will all be ready to play. 

Go Mavs!

Mavs Stomp Magic in Orlando

The Mavericks came out of the All-Star Break strong, pummeling the offensively-challenged Magic with their usual road form. 


Game Story and Analytics

Except for a period at the end of the second quarter and beginning of the third, in which the visitors squandered an 18-point lead, Dallas looked to be in control. Porzingis addressed the big Orlando run, attributing it to his team's getting a little hectic on offense and rushing their shots, together with the Magic making several plays with a side PNR until the Mavs' coaching staff made an adjustment. 

The Magic put up an astonishing 20 more shots than the Mavs, due in part to Dallas giving up 16 offensive rebounds and turning the ball over 16 times. However, Orlando's abysmal shooting (21% from deep) and propensity to send the Mavs to the line (26 Dallas FTAs) proved their undoing. Our boys were +18 on points from threes, +6 on made free throws, and -8 on points from twos. The Mavericks' three-point shooting continued to be a strength, with the guys shooting 39% from long distance. 


Players

Luka (34 min) looked well-rested and sharp for the majority of the game, with a 33-10-8 line. He faded a little in the second half (9 points, 2-9 FGA), and Rick said he had a "quiet 33 points." Is that oxymoronic? Anyway, the young star impressed with numerous drives to the basket, step-back threes, lovely finds, and long downcourt passes sailing to a teammate for an easy score. He let his frustration get the better of him a little in the third quarter, getting called for a T for complaining about a non-call. It was hard to blame him, really, with the refs allowing the Magic to beat up on him, including a couple of hits in the face, with impunity. Net performance: breathtaking. 

Kristaps (34 min) had another brilliant game, with an almost unparalleled line of 24-10-5-5 (blocks). He has come a long way this season, playing with a confidence and swagger that was missing at the beginning of the term. With Powell's injury, KP has become less of a spot-up shooter, and much more involved in the offense, getting more touches and being used more in the PNR. He is an underrated facilitator, and had a gorgeous bounce pass through traffic to Luka for a layup on a give-and-go. The Luka-KP connection continues to flourish, and Porzee thinks that the best is ahead of the duo. Jet described Zinger as reaching a new level, and especially complimented his increasing familiarity with his teammates and the system, along with his rim protection and rebounding. 

Tim (33 min) was his dependable self, with his 15-ish points per game, putting 16 points on the board and grabbing 6 rebounds. The Magic made the mistake of leaving him open, and he punished them (3-5 3PTA). He seems to have improved his consistency from the beginning of the year, which is huge if it holds up. 

Maxi (23 min) was the man of the hour, with a career-high night of 26 points on 10-13 shooting off the bench. He and Jalen Brunson lit a firestorm in the fourth quarter, with Maxi scoring 12 points in the period. The FSSW studio crew remarked on how much the man from Wurzburg has come on this season, becoming a proficient roller and improving his three-point shooting, especially from the corners. In addition to three triples, Kleber had an authoritative slam over Mo Bamba, and was impressive on both ends of the court. 

MKG (4 min) made his Mavericks debut, with 3 fouls in a 4-minute cameo. Boban was inactive as a result. Barea did not play, but drew praise from the coach for his professionalism. Coach said he told Barea before the season that his role was to mentor the young guards (who would get most of the minutes) on and off the court, and to be ready when he was called upon. He lauded JJB for doing everything asked of him in what might be a difficult situation for the veteran champ.  It remains to be seen whether the Puerto Rican will assume a bigger role in the run-up to the playoffs. 

Magic.  Evan Fournier came alive in the second half, and torched Dallas for 28 points on the night. Vucevic made a statement with 27 points and 12 boards, but was 12-27 overall and 1-7 from deep. Terence Ross surprised with 19 points off the bench, and Aaron Gordon was kept relatively in check at 10-12-7, on 4-13 shooting. The Magic were missing Aminu and Isaac, but I had expected them to put up a little better fight than they did. Apart from their one comeback stretch, they looked overmatched. 


Remarks

Carlisle thought the break had energized his team, and was pleased to see Maxi and KP getting loose for shots with so many playmakers on the floor. As a side note, he was happy to watch Darrell Armstrong admitted to the Magic Hall of Fame. He said before the game that he liked the way MKG is coming along, and that he has made a lot of progress in the 10-12 days he has been with the team. 

I thought this was an encouraging performance out of the break, the one sputtering stretch notwithstanding. It is amazing what a difference some rest makes. Luka and KP seem to be clicking, finally, and that is an enormous development, with Porzingis looking like the superstar he is. The team as a whole seemed to be firing on all cylinders, with great playmaking (26-43 made baskets assisted), a lot of ball movement, strong shooting from many quarters, and tremendous defense in the first period. Granted, it was Orlando, who didn't look very sharp, but the Magic did mount a comeback and the Mavs responded well. A reasonably entertaining, if somewhat unremarkable, match. 


Next. The Mavericks face the Hawks in Atlanta Saturday night. Isn't it great to have basketball games again?

Go, Mavs!

And met none other than... Donnie Nelson.

Came walking up the stairs right beside my seat and I stopped him, shook his hand and talked to him.  Good guy!

This is my Christmas present every year... And I got the Mavs win, got on the jumbotron and awesome performances by Luka, KP and Maximillion to boot!

A couple of years ago, I met Chuck Cooperstein.