11-04-2021, 12:05 AM
MAVS PULL ONE OUT OF THE FIRE DOWN BY THE RIVERWALK
The Mavericks came into the AT&T Center smarting from their smackdown by the Heat the previous night. The contest went down to the wire, but the good guys came out on top in the end.
GAME NOTES
The Mavs were on the second night of a home-road B2B. Maxi was out with his left oblique strain, as expected, and KP was ruled out shortly before the game, making it his fifth straight game sidelined due to back tightness. Trey Burke returned to the active roster. Jakob Poetl was out for San Antonio. Kidd went with the same starting lineup as in the last game — Luka-Brunson-Timmy-Dorian-Powell.
FIRST QUARTER
Luka starts by missing two free throws. Kidd calls a timeout within the first minute when Tim is trapped on the sideline. 0-2 11:13.
Mavs get on the board with a Luka-DP alley oop. Luka may not be able to make a free throw, but he’s beautiful from the three-point line. Keldon Johnson called for his second foul within the first three minutes. JB draws it. The Luka-Powell connection strikes again. Hardaway with an and-one in transition, off a gorgeous find from Luka. Steal and dunk by Luka! Pop viciously ragging on the ref over a call he didn’t like. Luka misses a three, but Powell with a put back slam! 16-12 7:02.
Luka with a one-legged fade. Tim dashes into the lane for a layup. Both teams getting into the paint with ease. Frankie, Willie, and Reggie in the game with Luka and DFS. Luka hits from way deep. Spurs get two easy transition buckets. 23-20 3:19.
Brunson has replaced Luka. Pop and the crowd loudly protesting an out-of-bounds call. Call overturned. Boban also in. Called for a foul. THJ back to replace Frankie. Tim is fouled shooting a three. Makes all three freebies. Brunson commits the fifth team foul trying to fight through a screen. Boban scores over everyone. Bobi called for an offensive foul. Spurs tie the game with a three. Reggie is grimacing and shaking his head. Sterling on the court. Both teams turn the ball over in the last sequence. 28-28 after one. Spurs on a 12-5 run, 18 PIP.
SECOND QUARTER
Josh Green on. Tim spearheading a bench unit. Bobi over Eubanks! Spurs leave Tim wide open in the corner. Poor decision. Good find by Green. 34-30 10:13.
Tim to Boban for a slam! Hardaway to the basket. 9-0 Mavs run with Luka on the bench. 38-30 9:13.
Jalen back in. Tim finds Sterling for a three. Tim with another three, disallowed for an offensive foul called on Bobi. Three fouls for the Serbian. Kidd leaves him in. Bobi and-one on a put back. Woo-hoo! Frank comes back for Brunson. Luka also returns. Luka with a late-clock three! Beau-tee-ful. Bobi draws another foul. He gets a break after scoring 9 points in 8 minutes. Powell called for an offensive foul. So many OFs. Powell helps to save a broken play — JB with the late basket. Spurs make a run. 50-48 2:47.
Luka with long pass to THJ in the corner. Rack attack by Tim! Brunson with a three from Luka! Tim then hits two from the stripe. Mavs closing the half with WCS in place of Powell. Jalen finishes a 9-point burst with two free throws. Murray completes the half with a three. 59-58 at the interval.
The Mavs present a halftime segment on which Mav the players and coaches most dislike sitting next to on the plane. Seems divided between Boban (talks too much), and Brunson (too much of a big-head). All in good fun, of course.
Mavs are shooting a little worse than the Spurs, rebounding a little better. Spurs have 32 PIP (16-25) for an eight-point edge, and Mavs have a 9-point advantage in second-chance points. Luka-Tim-Jalen have 41 of the team’s 59 points. Mavs have 10 turnovers, losing 11 points in the process. Hardaway looking very good and exhibiting his diverse skills. Report has come in that Reggie has suffered a facial injury and will not return. Hate to hear that.
THIRD QUARTER
Brunson with a long two. Starting unit on the court. Now JB takes a charge. Looking very good tonight! Luka loses his dribble, Spurs fouled on the fast break. Spurs continue to waltz to the basket with little resistance. Powell with a block on Johnson. Luka with his third airball of the night. Crowd is jeering. Murray ties the game with a three. Eubanks gives the Spurs a lead with a dance to the basket. Spurs making some big defensive plays in the paint. Tim stays aggressive, earns two free throws. S Brown comes in for Brunson. Sterling steps out of bounds on a Luka pass. 65-65 7:01.
They’re showing the play where Reggie was hurt. It was the one where he was grimacing. DFS makes his first basket with a drive. Sterling turns it over. DFS tips in his own miss. Spurs just obliterating us in the paint. 71-78 3:26. Timeout Mavs after suffering three straight blocked shots. Luka teed up. Yikes. Second T of the season.
Spurs go up by 10. Tim answers with a triple off WCS. Boban goes back in. Brunson blocked, but Boban gets an and-one on the put back. Misses the FT, but Frank grabs the rebound, and Jalen is fouled on the shot attempt. Misses the second free throw, but Spurs called for a lane violation. Makes the second, for a four-point trip down the floor. Brunson attack! With Boban on the floor, Spurs not getting all those easy baskets. Pop responds with a smaller lineup. Boban blocks the Spurs’ last shot. Mavs close on a 7-0 run. 81-83 after three.
FOURTH QUARTER
Boban still on, along with Frank. Spurs lose track of Tim, he hits again. Bobi gives the Mavs back the lead with a bucket over Young. Bobi called for a foul — his fourth. Luka replaces Frank inside two minutes. Luka-Boban connection! DFS to Boban! Returns the lead to Dallas. Pop realizes his small counter didn’t work, puts Eubanks back in. Bobi called for his fifth foul. Powell comes in. Brown turns it over, DFS recovers, Luka scores! Luka finishes again in the paint! Timeout. 94-91 6:24.
Powell teed up for elbowing his defender. Brunson over McD! Does it again with a tall shot over Dougie and a free throw! Brunson scores again, this time over White. JB has the last seven points. 101-96 3:00
Brunson chases Vassell out of bounds. Powell loses ball from Brunson. Starting unit on. Murray on the floor, fouled by Dwight. Brunson to the cup again! Derek so excited he takes over the play-by-play! Murray to the basket, reduces our lead to 1. 103-102 52 seconds
Luka misses a three, Powell recovers the OR, Brunson again over Vassell! Bring on the smelling salts, I’m swooning! White drives to the basket, but it’s only two points, and they need three. Spurs foul JB. Pop is livid for some reason. Brunson hits them both. Mavs up three. FN fouls Murray. Murray hits one of two. Luka can’t get the ball inbounded, calls timeout. 107-105 11 seconds.
Mavs advance the ball. Spurs foul Frankie. He hits both! After going 0-6 from the floor. Mavs up four. Spurs hit a three. Spurs foul Brunson. Brunson misses the first FTA. Kidd yelling at Brunson to miss the second. He does, but the ball doesn’t touch the rim. Official review confirms the violation. Spurs inbound at three-quarter court. Boban in, guarding the inbounds pass. Cross-court inbounds pass intercepted! It’s over!
ANALYSIS
The Spurs gave the Mavs all they could handle, and in some respects, Dallas can breathe a sigh of relief over this one. SA outshot the Mavs overall (49%-43%), and from three (33%-23%). They had 66 points in the paint, a 10-point advantage in fast break points, and gained 19 points off Maverick turnovers. Our boys survived an embarrassing performance in three-point shooting (8-34), as well as 8 missed free throws.
On the other hand, the Mavs had a huge advantage on the glass (56-40 overall, 15-5 offensive), and Dallas feasted on second-chance points (21). Point differentials were -8 on points from twos, +3 on points from threes, and +6 on made free throws.
I liked the continuing development of the chemistry, and thought the defense was coming along in some respects. However, this game brought out the team’s continuing struggles with outside shooting and their desperate need for rim protection. The return of KP and Maxi should help some with that, but even with them, opposing teams have been scoring too many easy baskets.
PLAYER NOTES
BRUNSON. The four non-Powell starters each appeared for 36 minutes, and Brunson had a spectacular night. He led the team with 31 points, had a double-double with 10 rebounds, and was ferocious in the clutch. He totally embarrassed Doug McDermott, and attacked the basket with the best of them. Does the post-game interview, and wants everyone to know he missed the second free throw intentionally, lol. Kidd thought he was great from start to finish. Thinks the evening was a growth night for both Brunson and Luka. Luka was smart enough to feed Brunson and trust him to take the team home at the end.
THJ. Tim had a very fine night. Scoring, rebounding, distributing, playing hard on the defensive end — looking closer to a complete player there. He stuffed the stat sheet with 23 points, 6 boards, 3 assists, and 2 steals, and boasted the team’s highest +/- at +18. He had a particular impressive run in the second quarter, when he ran a bench unit for a few minutes.
DONCIC. Pop targeted Luka, and Doncic was harassed all night. The Spurs’ attention forced him into 10-25 shooting, but they didn’t stop him from putting up 23 points, 12 boards, and 3 assists, along with 3 steals. Loading up on Luka enabled his teammates to get their looks, and tonight they took advantage. Kidd reminded us after the game that Luka was a key factor in most of the scoring, even though he didn’t score all the baskets. Great to see the chemistry developing before our eyes!
DFS. Dorian had a modest stat line, at 4-3-2, along with 2 steals and a block, but his defense was much needed, and offensively, that DFS-JB PNR was looking pretty darn good. Dameris commented before the game that Dorian is being left open on threes more than any other player in the league, so he should have an opportunity soon to get back into his groove.
POWELL. Powell had only 6 points (3-4) in 23 minutes, but grabbed a team-high 5 offensive boards, and had a block. Kidd emphasized his importance after the game, particularly commending him for his work on the offensive glass. Coach says the team is still learning to play small, and that Powell is critical to that effort.
BOBAN. Boban was a high-impact player, with KP and Maxi out. In addition to contributing 17 points and 5 rebounds in 14 minutes, he provided the only rim protection of the night. Brunson says Boban is out there to dominate the paint and get rebounds and compliments him for “doing what he was supposed to do.” Kidd commended Bobi for stepping up and delivering when he was badly needed. The coach also said that the last play of the game was huge, when Boban’s defense forced the Spurs into a terrible inbounds pass.
When Boban was on the floor, the Spurs’s layup line ground to a halt, with the Spurs completing only one shot at the rim in the entire fifteen minutes, and only six within ten feet of the basket.
BENCH. Sterling got 19 minutes of action in Reggie’s absence, and had a reasonable line for that time period. He was 1-3 from the floor, and put up 5 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal, and a block. Decent performance, I would say. Frankie filled in for 16 minutes. Although he was 0-6 from the floor, he had 4 boards, including an important offensive rebound, and exhibited nerves of steel at the end of the game, hitting two critical free throws in the last ten seconds.
Cauley-Stein got first crack at backup center, but was unremarkable in 10 minutes. Reggie’s night was cut short by his injury. Kidd said he thinks Bullock was hit in the nose, but he’ll get a better report tomorrow. Green did not score in a 6-minute cameo, but Kidd is finding a little time for him. Omoruyi, Moses, and Burke were DNP-CDs.
SPURS. A Pop-coached team is always going to make a match of it. Murray flirted with a triple-double, at 23-9-8. Vassell was amazing, scoring 21 points off the bench on 9-12 shooting. White made for a tough backcourt with Murray. He scored 23 points (6-10). Keldon Johnson and Drew Eubanks added 16 and 10, respectively. Dougie McBuckets was Cuban’s limo guy, scoring only 2 points in 26 minutes, and looking like the JV when he was matched up on Brunson, before he eventually fouled out.
OBSERVATIONS
This game was closer than we might have liked, but congrats to the Mavs for holding on. The match exposed a number of weak spots in the team, but also demonstrated some improvements on the gell-ing front, and some individual performances were remarkable. The facts that they were on a SEGABABA after a rough game the previous evening, and had three key players injured, must be considered in assessing their progress.
A win is a win, so we might as well toast this team. Here’s to you, Mavs!
NEXT. The Mavericks face the internally-feuding Celtics on Saturday at the AAC. Should be interesting!
The Mavericks came into the AT&T Center smarting from their smackdown by the Heat the previous night. The contest went down to the wire, but the good guys came out on top in the end.
GAME NOTES
The Mavs were on the second night of a home-road B2B. Maxi was out with his left oblique strain, as expected, and KP was ruled out shortly before the game, making it his fifth straight game sidelined due to back tightness. Trey Burke returned to the active roster. Jakob Poetl was out for San Antonio. Kidd went with the same starting lineup as in the last game — Luka-Brunson-Timmy-Dorian-Powell.
FIRST QUARTER
Luka starts by missing two free throws. Kidd calls a timeout within the first minute when Tim is trapped on the sideline. 0-2 11:13.
Mavs get on the board with a Luka-DP alley oop. Luka may not be able to make a free throw, but he’s beautiful from the three-point line. Keldon Johnson called for his second foul within the first three minutes. JB draws it. The Luka-Powell connection strikes again. Hardaway with an and-one in transition, off a gorgeous find from Luka. Steal and dunk by Luka! Pop viciously ragging on the ref over a call he didn’t like. Luka misses a three, but Powell with a put back slam! 16-12 7:02.
Luka with a one-legged fade. Tim dashes into the lane for a layup. Both teams getting into the paint with ease. Frankie, Willie, and Reggie in the game with Luka and DFS. Luka hits from way deep. Spurs get two easy transition buckets. 23-20 3:19.
Brunson has replaced Luka. Pop and the crowd loudly protesting an out-of-bounds call. Call overturned. Boban also in. Called for a foul. THJ back to replace Frankie. Tim is fouled shooting a three. Makes all three freebies. Brunson commits the fifth team foul trying to fight through a screen. Boban scores over everyone. Bobi called for an offensive foul. Spurs tie the game with a three. Reggie is grimacing and shaking his head. Sterling on the court. Both teams turn the ball over in the last sequence. 28-28 after one. Spurs on a 12-5 run, 18 PIP.
SECOND QUARTER
Josh Green on. Tim spearheading a bench unit. Bobi over Eubanks! Spurs leave Tim wide open in the corner. Poor decision. Good find by Green. 34-30 10:13.
Tim to Boban for a slam! Hardaway to the basket. 9-0 Mavs run with Luka on the bench. 38-30 9:13.
Jalen back in. Tim finds Sterling for a three. Tim with another three, disallowed for an offensive foul called on Bobi. Three fouls for the Serbian. Kidd leaves him in. Bobi and-one on a put back. Woo-hoo! Frank comes back for Brunson. Luka also returns. Luka with a late-clock three! Beau-tee-ful. Bobi draws another foul. He gets a break after scoring 9 points in 8 minutes. Powell called for an offensive foul. So many OFs. Powell helps to save a broken play — JB with the late basket. Spurs make a run. 50-48 2:47.
Luka with long pass to THJ in the corner. Rack attack by Tim! Brunson with a three from Luka! Tim then hits two from the stripe. Mavs closing the half with WCS in place of Powell. Jalen finishes a 9-point burst with two free throws. Murray completes the half with a three. 59-58 at the interval.
The Mavs present a halftime segment on which Mav the players and coaches most dislike sitting next to on the plane. Seems divided between Boban (talks too much), and Brunson (too much of a big-head). All in good fun, of course.
Mavs are shooting a little worse than the Spurs, rebounding a little better. Spurs have 32 PIP (16-25) for an eight-point edge, and Mavs have a 9-point advantage in second-chance points. Luka-Tim-Jalen have 41 of the team’s 59 points. Mavs have 10 turnovers, losing 11 points in the process. Hardaway looking very good and exhibiting his diverse skills. Report has come in that Reggie has suffered a facial injury and will not return. Hate to hear that.
THIRD QUARTER
Brunson with a long two. Starting unit on the court. Now JB takes a charge. Looking very good tonight! Luka loses his dribble, Spurs fouled on the fast break. Spurs continue to waltz to the basket with little resistance. Powell with a block on Johnson. Luka with his third airball of the night. Crowd is jeering. Murray ties the game with a three. Eubanks gives the Spurs a lead with a dance to the basket. Spurs making some big defensive plays in the paint. Tim stays aggressive, earns two free throws. S Brown comes in for Brunson. Sterling steps out of bounds on a Luka pass. 65-65 7:01.
They’re showing the play where Reggie was hurt. It was the one where he was grimacing. DFS makes his first basket with a drive. Sterling turns it over. DFS tips in his own miss. Spurs just obliterating us in the paint. 71-78 3:26. Timeout Mavs after suffering three straight blocked shots. Luka teed up. Yikes. Second T of the season.
Spurs go up by 10. Tim answers with a triple off WCS. Boban goes back in. Brunson blocked, but Boban gets an and-one on the put back. Misses the FT, but Frank grabs the rebound, and Jalen is fouled on the shot attempt. Misses the second free throw, but Spurs called for a lane violation. Makes the second, for a four-point trip down the floor. Brunson attack! With Boban on the floor, Spurs not getting all those easy baskets. Pop responds with a smaller lineup. Boban blocks the Spurs’ last shot. Mavs close on a 7-0 run. 81-83 after three.
FOURTH QUARTER
Boban still on, along with Frank. Spurs lose track of Tim, he hits again. Bobi gives the Mavs back the lead with a bucket over Young. Bobi called for a foul — his fourth. Luka replaces Frank inside two minutes. Luka-Boban connection! DFS to Boban! Returns the lead to Dallas. Pop realizes his small counter didn’t work, puts Eubanks back in. Bobi called for his fifth foul. Powell comes in. Brown turns it over, DFS recovers, Luka scores! Luka finishes again in the paint! Timeout. 94-91 6:24.
Powell teed up for elbowing his defender. Brunson over McD! Does it again with a tall shot over Dougie and a free throw! Brunson scores again, this time over White. JB has the last seven points. 101-96 3:00
Brunson chases Vassell out of bounds. Powell loses ball from Brunson. Starting unit on. Murray on the floor, fouled by Dwight. Brunson to the cup again! Derek so excited he takes over the play-by-play! Murray to the basket, reduces our lead to 1. 103-102 52 seconds
Luka misses a three, Powell recovers the OR, Brunson again over Vassell! Bring on the smelling salts, I’m swooning! White drives to the basket, but it’s only two points, and they need three. Spurs foul JB. Pop is livid for some reason. Brunson hits them both. Mavs up three. FN fouls Murray. Murray hits one of two. Luka can’t get the ball inbounded, calls timeout. 107-105 11 seconds.
Mavs advance the ball. Spurs foul Frankie. He hits both! After going 0-6 from the floor. Mavs up four. Spurs hit a three. Spurs foul Brunson. Brunson misses the first FTA. Kidd yelling at Brunson to miss the second. He does, but the ball doesn’t touch the rim. Official review confirms the violation. Spurs inbound at three-quarter court. Boban in, guarding the inbounds pass. Cross-court inbounds pass intercepted! It’s over!
ANALYSIS
The Spurs gave the Mavs all they could handle, and in some respects, Dallas can breathe a sigh of relief over this one. SA outshot the Mavs overall (49%-43%), and from three (33%-23%). They had 66 points in the paint, a 10-point advantage in fast break points, and gained 19 points off Maverick turnovers. Our boys survived an embarrassing performance in three-point shooting (8-34), as well as 8 missed free throws.
On the other hand, the Mavs had a huge advantage on the glass (56-40 overall, 15-5 offensive), and Dallas feasted on second-chance points (21). Point differentials were -8 on points from twos, +3 on points from threes, and +6 on made free throws.
I liked the continuing development of the chemistry, and thought the defense was coming along in some respects. However, this game brought out the team’s continuing struggles with outside shooting and their desperate need for rim protection. The return of KP and Maxi should help some with that, but even with them, opposing teams have been scoring too many easy baskets.
PLAYER NOTES
BRUNSON. The four non-Powell starters each appeared for 36 minutes, and Brunson had a spectacular night. He led the team with 31 points, had a double-double with 10 rebounds, and was ferocious in the clutch. He totally embarrassed Doug McDermott, and attacked the basket with the best of them. Does the post-game interview, and wants everyone to know he missed the second free throw intentionally, lol. Kidd thought he was great from start to finish. Thinks the evening was a growth night for both Brunson and Luka. Luka was smart enough to feed Brunson and trust him to take the team home at the end.
THJ. Tim had a very fine night. Scoring, rebounding, distributing, playing hard on the defensive end — looking closer to a complete player there. He stuffed the stat sheet with 23 points, 6 boards, 3 assists, and 2 steals, and boasted the team’s highest +/- at +18. He had a particular impressive run in the second quarter, when he ran a bench unit for a few minutes.
DONCIC. Pop targeted Luka, and Doncic was harassed all night. The Spurs’ attention forced him into 10-25 shooting, but they didn’t stop him from putting up 23 points, 12 boards, and 3 assists, along with 3 steals. Loading up on Luka enabled his teammates to get their looks, and tonight they took advantage. Kidd reminded us after the game that Luka was a key factor in most of the scoring, even though he didn’t score all the baskets. Great to see the chemistry developing before our eyes!
DFS. Dorian had a modest stat line, at 4-3-2, along with 2 steals and a block, but his defense was much needed, and offensively, that DFS-JB PNR was looking pretty darn good. Dameris commented before the game that Dorian is being left open on threes more than any other player in the league, so he should have an opportunity soon to get back into his groove.
POWELL. Powell had only 6 points (3-4) in 23 minutes, but grabbed a team-high 5 offensive boards, and had a block. Kidd emphasized his importance after the game, particularly commending him for his work on the offensive glass. Coach says the team is still learning to play small, and that Powell is critical to that effort.
BOBAN. Boban was a high-impact player, with KP and Maxi out. In addition to contributing 17 points and 5 rebounds in 14 minutes, he provided the only rim protection of the night. Brunson says Boban is out there to dominate the paint and get rebounds and compliments him for “doing what he was supposed to do.” Kidd commended Bobi for stepping up and delivering when he was badly needed. The coach also said that the last play of the game was huge, when Boban’s defense forced the Spurs into a terrible inbounds pass.
When Boban was on the floor, the Spurs’s layup line ground to a halt, with the Spurs completing only one shot at the rim in the entire fifteen minutes, and only six within ten feet of the basket.
BENCH. Sterling got 19 minutes of action in Reggie’s absence, and had a reasonable line for that time period. He was 1-3 from the floor, and put up 5 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal, and a block. Decent performance, I would say. Frankie filled in for 16 minutes. Although he was 0-6 from the floor, he had 4 boards, including an important offensive rebound, and exhibited nerves of steel at the end of the game, hitting two critical free throws in the last ten seconds.
Cauley-Stein got first crack at backup center, but was unremarkable in 10 minutes. Reggie’s night was cut short by his injury. Kidd said he thinks Bullock was hit in the nose, but he’ll get a better report tomorrow. Green did not score in a 6-minute cameo, but Kidd is finding a little time for him. Omoruyi, Moses, and Burke were DNP-CDs.
SPURS. A Pop-coached team is always going to make a match of it. Murray flirted with a triple-double, at 23-9-8. Vassell was amazing, scoring 21 points off the bench on 9-12 shooting. White made for a tough backcourt with Murray. He scored 23 points (6-10). Keldon Johnson and Drew Eubanks added 16 and 10, respectively. Dougie McBuckets was Cuban’s limo guy, scoring only 2 points in 26 minutes, and looking like the JV when he was matched up on Brunson, before he eventually fouled out.
OBSERVATIONS
This game was closer than we might have liked, but congrats to the Mavs for holding on. The match exposed a number of weak spots in the team, but also demonstrated some improvements on the gell-ing front, and some individual performances were remarkable. The facts that they were on a SEGABABA after a rough game the previous evening, and had three key players injured, must be considered in assessing their progress.
A win is a win, so we might as well toast this team. Here’s to you, Mavs!
NEXT. The Mavericks face the internally-feuding Celtics on Saturday at the AAC. Should be interesting!
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