Shorthanded Mavs Sink Nets

The Mavericks ended their two-game losing streak with a decisive victory to begin their home stand. Much improved performance, especially in the final quarter. 


Game Story and Analytics

Porzingis (sore knee), Hardaway (hamstring), and Broekhoff (broken fibula) were all on the Mavericks' injured list. The Nets were missing a couple of stars of their own in Kyrie and KD. 

Carlisle started a lineup of Barea-Luka-DFS-Jackson-Powell, in an effort to counter the Nets' small unit. It didn't go well, and your Dallas Mavericks soon found themselves 10 points behind. They gradually worked back into the game, and managed to gain a 31-30 edge to finish the quarter. After amassing a 7-point lead in the second, the squad unravelled, allowing Brooklyn to go on a 17-2 run. DFS had a thundering put back jam off a Luka missed three to reduce the first-half deficit to five. 

Rick started Maxi instead of Powell in the third period to take better advantage of DeAndre Jordan's weak perimeter defense. That unit came out with a bang, and the Mavs were soon back in it. Luka had to exit early with foul trouble, and the Nets were back on top late in the quarter, but Dallas managed to tie the game going into the fourth on the back of a 15-point quarter from Seth. The Mavs ran away with it in the fourth, with Luka going off for 15 points. The boys in blue achieved a double-digit lead at 4:24 and never surrendered it. 

Statistically, this game came down to the Mavericks' superior three-point shooting. Dallas shot a blistering 46% from long range, led by Luka and Seth with five triples apiece. Their hot shooting helped make up for giving up 56 points in the paint and 19 second chance points to the Nets. In truth, the home team didn't look to be much more than hanging in for much of the first three quarters, but they got it together with an excellent final frame. 


Players

Luka (34 min) started the game off the ball and didn't look 100% for some time. But he came back and delivered in the fourth, looking bouncy and refreshed to the end. He ended the game with a 31-13-7 line, and provided some much needed rebounding from the point guard position. 

After the Thunder game, Jason Terry mentioned that Luka looked to be wearing down. Carlisle gave some insight into this, taking responsibility for the "mistake" of playing Doncic for 40 minutes in that contest, leaving him out of juice when Chris Paul went off. He said Luka has been playing too many long stretches of minutes, and it has been affecting him late in games. Tonight, he took corrective measures with a new substitution pattern, and thought Luka looked "spectacular" down the stretch. 

Seth (31 min) was scorching, earning 25 points on 9-13 shooting, including going a perfect 5-5 from beyond the arc. Rick thought his play was "great," and complimented Curry for his shotmaking, playmaking, and solid defense. The guard saved the Mavs' bacon when they were struggling in the third period, putting the team on his shoulders with a scoring burst. Rick also mentioned that Seth's teammates had been good about finding him all night, and that the coach's challenge was to keep Seth rested enough that he could finish the game. Excellent job!

Maxi (31 min) had another excellent game, and impressed on both sides of the court, putting a career-high 18 points and a career-high-tying 3 blocks on the scoresheet. Kleber has been making good progress all season, and may be taking his game to a new level. Stepped up well in KP's absence. The man from Wurzburg said that he has been doing a lot of work on his three-point shot, especially on a quicker release. He had three threes in this contest, and it looks like the reps are paying off. 

DFS (28 min) flies so under the radar that it can be easy to miss his consistent play, but he had another quietly good performance here, and got onto the highlight reel with his dunk to end the first half. He remarked on stepping up in the absence of the team's key rim protector and rebounder, and said the team hopes to improve its home record by "taking care of the crib."

Barea (21 min) was the starting point guard, and put up 10 points and six assists. Rick wanted Barea to start in order to take advantage of his playmaking, to give Luka an opportunity to play off the ball, and to match up with the Net's transition offense. The veteran always provides a steadying hand to his teammates.

Boban (13 min) had an outing in KP's absence, and had 10 points and 7 rebounds in his limited minutes, along with keeping the Nets away from the basket. The gentle giant earned some praise from Rick, who thought he did well. I love it when Bobi just stands there and puts the ball in the basket without even moving his feet off the floor, lol. What a morale-crushing move!

Josh Reaves (1 min) made his NBA debut. Luka ran a play for him. His shot didn't go in, but Luka retrieved the game ball to give to him. Nice moment!

Jackson (26 min) had a starting role and extended minutes, and Rick thought he was "great." It was a bit of a rough night for Powell (23 min), who was two of eight from the field and collected only one rebound. Wright contributed five assists and performed serviceably in 18 minutes. Brunson (11 min) got some late run, and Rick complimented his performance on both ends. Lee had a three-minute cameo. 

Bench. The bench was the story, providing a massive 62 points, led by Seth, Maxi, and Bobi, who were all in double digits. 


Random Observations

This was Harry Potter Night, and there were a lot of costumes in the crowd, along with a sprinkling of Luka Magic on the court. It was also the 20th anniversary of Mark Cuban's acquisition of the team. 


Remarks

Rick said this was a very hard game, having to contend with the absences of Porzingis and Hardaway, and he thought his players stepped up. The first three quarters were especially difficult, and Coach thought it was all going to come down to whether the squad could put together one good defensive quarter. He told the huddle going into the fourth that they needed to limit the Nets to 20 points, and the team cooperated, winning the final period 30-18. He said there was a "lot going on" in the game, including some very aggressive play and a lot of points being scored. The Mavs were struggling with defense, rebounding, and loose balls until they finally got it together to seal the game. He gave off a sense of relief in the postgame presser. 

This was a bit of a strange game, what with the absences and new combinations of players. The match had the atmosphere of throwing a lot of stuff against the wall to see what might stick, and almost had a pick-up game feel at times. But it came together at the end, and proved to be an admirable bounce-back from a couple of lukewarm performances in the last two games. As the bard said, all's well that ends well, and we'll take the W!


Next.  Charlotte, on Saturday at the AAC. 

Go Mavs! 

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

https://twitter.com/townbrad/status/1212219169808306176

https://twitter.com/MFollowill/status/12...7738189827

https://twitter.com/ESefko/status/1212220530968932352

http://twitter.com/bobbykaralla/status/1...8071620608

Mavs Lose Heartbreaker in OKC

The depleted Mavs lost a late-game lead again. I guess the good news is that they had an opportunity to win right down to the wire. 


Game Story and Analytics

Ryan Broekhoff and Tim Hardaway were listed as out when the roster was submitted. Porzingis was a last-minute scratch with a sore knee. Roberson was missing for the Thunder. 

The Mavs got off to a hot start, and built a 12-point lead by the end of the first quarter. In the second period, the Mavericks started injecting a little crazy into their game, taking super-long threes and flinging long passes. The Thunder ended the half with an 8-0 run, leaving Dallas with a 51-50 advantage. Danilo Gallinari messed with the Mavs' minds in the third, but the boys in blue hung in, entering the fourth with a 1-point edge. Our guys were up by 7 with 2:42 left in the game. Chris Paul was in the process of taking over the game, and scored 13 points in the last 4:40. In the last 2:42, OKC went on a 14-2 run. With ten seconds left, Maxi missed an open three, Seth grabbed the offensive board, and Luka missed another open three. Guess it just wasn't their night. 

The Mavs were undone by very poor shooting (35%) and lukewarm rebounding, although they did have a presence on the offensive glass (17), especially toward the end of the game. They were +27 on points from threes, -2 on made free throws, and -30 on points from twos. I'm not sure what the deal is with the Mavericks and free throws, but they missed 7 of their 27 tries. 


Players

Luka (40 min) had a monster night, with 35 points, 10 boards, and 7 assists. He had his usual array of spectacular plays, but in the end, it wasn't enough to get the team over the hump. I hate to critique the young superstar, but it did seem to me that he was taking an awful lot of very difficult shots -- very long threes, midrange attempts with one or more guys in his face, etc. I didn't go back and check to see how many of those were at the end of the shot clock, but it may be that he could be a little more patient in working for a better shot. Just a thought. He also had an unfortunate turnover at the end of the game. On the plus side, he nutmegged Steven Adams with a gorgeous pass, resulting in a Curry three in the middle of the fourth. 

Maxi (35 min) had an excellent game, stepping in for KP. He had 14 points, including four threes, and a career-high 14 boards. He was the most effective Mav at defending the rim, and Steven Adams was limited to 10 points, being in foul trouble much of the game. Admirable performance by the young German. 

Powell (29 min) and Brunson (23 min) were just okay. The bench was decimated by the advancement of Maxi and Brunson to the starting unit, and only managed to put 28 points on the board (compared to 40 from OKC's second unit). Seth was 3 of 13, but produced two threes and an offensive board in the fourth. Wright had three turnovers, including a critical lost ball down the stretch. Boban was sighted for 11 minutes. He grabbed 6 boards, and had a team-high plus-minus, at +8.


Remarks

Neither Ced nor Jet seemed particularly disturbed by the game, noting that the Mavs were on the road in front of a rambunctious crowd, and missing two starters and Broekhoff. Rick Carlisle was having none of these excuses. He noted that the team had not defended Paul well, and weren't consistent enough in any area of the game. It was a physical game, with a lot of dinged up guys, but they have to do better. Rebounding and penetration were problematic the whole game. The Thunder's playmaking was exceptional, and the Mavs didn't do a good enough job staying in front of them. Notwithstanding all that, the team was in position to win, but couldn't take advantage of their chances. Rick was clearly disappointed with the performance. 

Jason Terry said he is a little discouraged by one thing. He is afraid that Luka is starting to wear down. He played a season-high 40 minutes, and Jet is of the opinion that his teammates need to give him more help.

It appeared to me that the Mavericks were clearly missing Porzingis and Hardaway. Each of those players is good for 10-20 points per night, and KP is the team's best rebounder. With the subs in, the team's rhythm seemed to be thrown off, and Luka had to shoulder a very heavy load. But even at that, they were seven points ahead with less than three minutes to go. I guess they are going to have to go through a certain number of these late-game struggles before they become proficient in clutch situations. It's not the worst loss in the world, but disappointing nonetheless. Hopefully, 2020 will bring better days. 


Next. The Mavs begin a home stand against Brooklyn on Thursday. 

Hope all you MFFLs have a very happy New Year!

Mavs Fall to Lakers in Lackluster Showing

A game that had been heavily hyped turned out to be a bit of a yawner. Mavs just didn't have it. 


Game Story and Analytics

The venue was Staples Center. The Lakers were missing DeMarcus Cousins on a long-term rehab. Mavs entered the game at full strength. Both teams were on the second night of a back-to-back. 

The Lakers took the lead toward the end of the first quarter and never surrendered it. In fact, they took a double-digit lead in the second and never surrendered that. The Mavericks lost Tim Hardaway, Jr. to a hamstring injury in the first quarter. Luka fell awkwardly in connection with a Howard foul in the third. He got up, and eventually returned to the game, but didn't look fully himself.  KP was called for his fifth foul in the third quarter. With 4:39 left in the game, and the Mavs down 13, Rick put the starters back in. They missed six shots and fell further behind. Just a night where too many things went wrong. 

Statistically, Dallas lost the game with extremely poor shooting, combined with failure to guard the rim, and 25 points lost on 18 turnovers. The Mavericks actually got up 11 more shots than the Lakers, and took 20 more three-point shots, but couldn't capitalize. The Lakers had a massive 54 points in the paint -- fully half of their total points. The opponent got to the basket pretty much at will, and the Mavs were battling LA's size advantages all night. The Lakers defense had a lot to do with the Mavericks' failure to score, but the Mavs also missed good looks. The Mavs never even produced a run on either end of the court, and kept turning the ball over in barfworthy fashion. 


Remarks

I don't think it's productive to go through a player-by-player analysis of this match. Luka had a poor game by his lofty standards, scoring only 19 points on 5-14 shooting, and recording a 7:6 assist/turnover ratio. KP was invisible in stretches, and struggled with foul trouble. The bench, for the most part, were ineffectual. There was a Barea sighting, and the little Puerto Rican scored 12 points in 13 minutes, but even the emergency secret sauce was unable to make a dent in the Lakers' dominance. The team missed THJ.  It was painful watching the Mavericks try to guard Anthony Davis. 

The refs were letting the Lakers play very rough, and I thought for a while that the Lakers were able to throw the Mavs off with physical (illegal?) moves. I'm sure that was a factor, but on further consideration, the Mavericks looked off from the jump. They appeared lethargic and lacking in intensity the whole game. Maybe the back-to-back caught up to them, although the starters didn't play the full game against GSW. 

I fear that this game might be a preview of what the young Mavs might look like in the playoffs, when they face teams with size and physicality, the refs let them play, and the opponents focus on locking down Luka. The squad doesn't always respond well to pressure., and we saw a number of mental mistakes in this game. I have a certain degree of optimism over a series, largely because of Carlisle's superior adjustment skills. Also, this is a team that learns fast, and even if they lost a playoff series, I believe that they would benefit greatly from the experience. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. This was one game, and this level of clusterfaff is rare for the Mavs. It is galling to lose this way to the hated Lakers, but it's one game, and even great teams have an occasional off night. 

For now, I'm saying this match was an outlier, and it should serve as a teaching moment. The most concerning aspect of the game were the injuries to Tim and Luka. 


Next. Chris Paul and the Thunder on Tuesday in OKC. 

Keep the faith!