Must Win Game 49: Mavs (28-21) @ Portland (20-28). 132-112 WIN!

[Chicagojk]

That was the game I was wondering if Luka had in his bag forever.  Loved it.   I wanted to see a game with him with under 10 shot attempts (he had 11), 15-17 assists, good rebounds but everyone knows who the best player on the court.   That was Luka last night.  We won't see that type of game often and plus our other guys typically miss their threes anyway.   But it was nice to see him throw a game like that out there.   I was worried with his heavy first half minutes though.

I really liked Powell and Bullocks games.   If Bullock can play like he did last night, that is the type of player Mavs wanted to sign.  Hopefully the increased minutes allows him to get into a flow.   KP was great to start the game, but I thought in the second half the team appeared much more in a groove when Powell was at center.

I liked getting KP involved in the first and third quarters.   It looked great in the first quarter.   It was rough in the third.   Just had trouble going after his great start.   We have seen this in the past.  He gets going early, but sort of disappears as the game goes on.

Portland is a mess and shorthanded, but I really liked Simons last night.    He has a beautiful shot.  I wonder what Portland does if a team like Detroit throws a boatload of $ at him.   He is an RFA.   And why wouldn't Detroit look to give him a brinks truck and pair him with Cade?