Mavs 108, Bulls 118

[Dahlsim]

Season 3-point shooting numbers are looking brutal. It´s basically Maxi and a bunch of bad/mediocre guys.

Maxi 48% / 4.2 3PA
Burke 35% / 3.3 3PA
Richardson 33% / 6 3PA
Powell 33% / 0.5 3PA
Brunson 33% / 3 3PA
Johnson 33% / 1.5 3PA
THJ 33% / 8.2 3PA
DFS 27% / 5 3PA
Doncic 16% / 6.2 3PA

Mavs rank last in the league in 3-point percentage at 30.7%. 6th in 3-point attempts. League average is 36.1%.
That´s by far the biggest problem this season. Obviously a missed shot is a wasted possession but that´s not all.  Worse spacing leads to less easy baskets in the paint. 3-point misses lead to more long rebounds, more transition opportunities for the opponent (fastbreak points, mismatches) and so on.

The Mavs lost Curry but that  doesn´t explain why the entire team except for Maxi is shooting worse than last year and well below their career averages. The sample size is still small and the percentages will most likely go up but it is concerning that it isn´t about one or two players. That´s the usual hot/cold stretch for any shooter. The entire team is struggling.

Ouch!  Only Brunson's heroic performance made it worth the effort made to surge watch this game. 

For Carlisle's offense to do it's thing the shooters absolutely have to shoot well enough to not only to score the points but to create the gravity that produces the winning spacing for the other shooters. 

The Mavs lost Curry but that  doesn´t explain why the entire team except for Maxi is shooting worse than last year and well below their career averages.

Certainly true, to an extent.  Curry as a truly elite 3 point threat was one of those players that had a gravitational pull to defenders.  Now Mavs are missing him along with KP's gravity.  In this game you throw in Luka who gets his not only as a 3 point threat but as an elite offensive threat everywhere. 

You can also see now for example that all of Philly's 3 point shooters are getting more space and shooting better and adding Steph's little brother as well Danny Green is contributing to that. 

Props to Maxi for that blistering shooting start.    Big men that stretch the floor from 3, like the great Dirk Nowitzki, make it even harder for teams to contest the shot well offering an extra gravitational advantage. KP's return should be a big boost.  Luka's % has to be a real concern for a team hoping to make the playoffs in the West.  That won't do.