MAVS ROMP IN MIAMI
TWENTY-TWO MADE THREES
Buckets were raining down for the Mavericks in a rollicking victory ten years after they took home the championship in this very city. What a fun watch!
GAME STORY
Porzingis was ruled out for Dallas with his sore knee, and Carlisle broke the news that Maxi would be out for this game and probably two to three more, due to Achilles soreness. He said that Maxi has been “very unlucky,” and has been dealing with the issue for a while. Jimmy Butler was unexpectedly out with illness for Miami, and Tyler Herro sat with a sore foot.
The Heat opened the game with a made three on each of their first four possessions, followed by a score on a Mavs turnover. The Mavs were 3-14 within the first three minutes. They were down double digits several times during the period, thanks mostly to eight Heat threes, and closed the frame trailing 30-39. Luka led the Mavs with 11.
The Mavericks crawled slowly back into the game in the second, tied it a few times toward the middle of the period, and achieved their first lead of the game on a deep Luka three with 2:39 remaining in the half. That seemed to get your boys going, and Dallas closed the period on a 8-2 run, going into the locker room with a 63-54 lead. Miami went from shooting 8-9 threes in the first quarter to 1-11 in the second. The Heat were only 3-11 even from inside the arc, and were held to an embarrassing 15 points in the period. Timmy and Luka combined for 17 of the Mavs’ 33. Josh Green played all 12 minutes of the period, and gave the team a needed burst of energy.
Rick made an adjustment to start the third, electing to go with Green and Powell in place of Richardson and Willie, and sticking with that group for most of the period. Your Dallas Mavericks blew the doors off the gym, playing a brilliant brand of basketball in the period. Hardaway was a flaming streak of incandescence, with the ball repeatedly flying from his red-hot hands to the basket in a blaze of heat and light. The Mavs led 98-77 after three.
The Heat won the fourth quarter 36-29, but don’t let that fool you — it was a Mavs party! The bench guys got some good run, and Luka never had to step on the court.
STATISTICS
The shooting stats again tell the story. The Mavs were 62% inside the arc, 46% from deep, and 72% from the line. Comparable Heat percentages were 49/44/81. In terms of where the teams scored their points, Mavs were +6 on points from twos, +12 on points from threes, and -4 in made free throws. Miami had a 40-30 advantage in PIP, and a 16-9 margin in fast-break points, but the Mavs had an 18-9 edge in second-chance points. When the Mavericks are hot from three, they’re all but unstoppable.
PLAYERS
HARDAWAY. Timmy’s bearded grill was a most welcome sight on the court, after the team sorely missed his scoring punch against the Kings. He was a fresh-legged wonder after the rest game, leading the squad in scoring with 36 points. His career-high ten triples tied Wesley Matthews and George McCloud for the franchise all-time record for made threes in a game. Eighteen of his points came in the third quarter, when he practically emblazoned his number on the Miami court.
Tim has scored a total of 78 points in his last two starts. Carlisle congratulated him for his exceptional shotmaking after the game, and speculated that his starting roles in his last two games may have had something to do with his amazing performances. Hmm. I think Tim likes to have someone to show off for — he played high-school basketball in Miami, his grandma was in the audience, and his Dad’s number was in the rafters, so it was an extra-special night for him in front of his friends and family. He thanked Shamgod for pushing him during a difficult stretch, encouraging him to work for more arc and a little more follow-through on his shot. Effort rewarded! Keep up the great work, Timmy! This guy's importance to the team cannot be overstated.
DONCIC. It was also a great night for Luka, who had a 23/12/8 line in a relaxing 30 minutes on the court. He was 5-10 from long range, and hit numerous miracle shots, including an extremely difficult basket over a double team in the second. Rick said he was great — I guess, at some point, you just run out of superlatives.
GREEN. We got a serendipitous turn tonight from Josh, who showed out well with a peppy performance in 24 big minutes in his best game as a Mav. His 4/4/3 line doesn’t really reflect his contribution, so perhaps an elaboration is in order. He first appeared in the second quarter, and in Rick’s words, changed the game. He fought for an offensive rebound, made a drive from the baseline for a pretty finish, had a steal resulting in a bucket for Hardaway, and tossed a kick-out pass to THJ for a three. Toward the end of the period, he wrestled Robinson to the floor for a jump ball. He earned a start in the third quarter, and continued his impactful play in similar fashion. Such a treat to see that display of explosiveness and athleticism, which is not really a trademark of the skills-oriented Mavs.
Rick praised Green's “heart” post-game. He has gotten minutes in, I believe, four of the last five matches, and perhaps this is a harbinger of things to come. Congratulations, rook, you looked like a veteran out there!
BRUNSON. Jalen was outstanding off the bench, with 19 points on 7-12 shooting .He played all 12 minutes of the fourth quarter, and his competent performance was a big factor in giving Luka some much-needed rest.
DFS. Dorian led the team in minutes (33), and continued to show his offensive chops with 12 points on 5-6 shooting. The Mavs were a team-high +28 while the Doe-ster was on the court.
POWELL. Dwight was the primary big on the night, and had 7 points and 10 boards in 29 minutes off the bench. I thought this was one of his best nights of the season, and he was very effective on both ends of the floor on an evening when the Mavericks were missing their two main bigs.
RICHARDSON. J Rich was replaced by Green in the second quarter and most of the third, and responded well, scoring 15 of his 17 points in the second half and making some good defensive plays as well. He lives in Miami in the off season, and going home was probably a bit of extra incentive for him, as well as for THJ.
MENTIONS. It was a good night for all the Mavs. Willie provided 18 minutes in a de facto backup center role. Burke and Redick also contributed in short minutes, and Hinton and Bey had a couple of minutes at the end of the contest.
HEAT. Duncan Robinson and Luka’s Slovenian compatriot Goran Dragic led Miami with 19 points apiece. Trevor Ariza, always motivated against the Mavs, had 18. Kendrick Nunn and Gabe Vincent added 14 apiece, and Bam Adebayo barely missed a triple-double with an 11/9/11 line. The team actually played pretty well, but the better team on the night definitely won.
OBSERVATIONS
Rick was not crazy about the “terrible start,” but was proud of his squad for fighting their way back with some stops, and then making good things start to happen. He termed the victory an important win.
This was expected to be an intense game, as it involved relatively high stakes for both teams. Each side was in sixth place in its respective conference, and in danger of falling back to the play-in seeds. It did not disappoint in that respect, and even the minutes when the game was already out of reach were entertaining. The Mavericks imposed their style of basketball on the contest, and numerous players made significant contributions to the win. It was a huge break for Dallas that Butler was out, but they were short-handed themselves, and still had to put in the work to take advantage.
This was an excellent bounce-back game from Dallas, after laying an egg against Sac. Your boys face the loaded Nets on Thursday. Maxi will be out, and KP’s status is game-to-game. The Mavericks are currently a tiebreaker ahead of the Lakers in fifth place, and are playing musical chairs with the Blazers and the Lakers for the 5-6-7 seeds. Let’s hope for a spirited performance against Kyrie and the boys!
Fun times, Mavs fans!!
TWENTY-TWO MADE THREES
Buckets were raining down for the Mavericks in a rollicking victory ten years after they took home the championship in this very city. What a fun watch!
GAME STORY
Porzingis was ruled out for Dallas with his sore knee, and Carlisle broke the news that Maxi would be out for this game and probably two to three more, due to Achilles soreness. He said that Maxi has been “very unlucky,” and has been dealing with the issue for a while. Jimmy Butler was unexpectedly out with illness for Miami, and Tyler Herro sat with a sore foot.
The Heat opened the game with a made three on each of their first four possessions, followed by a score on a Mavs turnover. The Mavs were 3-14 within the first three minutes. They were down double digits several times during the period, thanks mostly to eight Heat threes, and closed the frame trailing 30-39. Luka led the Mavs with 11.
The Mavericks crawled slowly back into the game in the second, tied it a few times toward the middle of the period, and achieved their first lead of the game on a deep Luka three with 2:39 remaining in the half. That seemed to get your boys going, and Dallas closed the period on a 8-2 run, going into the locker room with a 63-54 lead. Miami went from shooting 8-9 threes in the first quarter to 1-11 in the second. The Heat were only 3-11 even from inside the arc, and were held to an embarrassing 15 points in the period. Timmy and Luka combined for 17 of the Mavs’ 33. Josh Green played all 12 minutes of the period, and gave the team a needed burst of energy.
Rick made an adjustment to start the third, electing to go with Green and Powell in place of Richardson and Willie, and sticking with that group for most of the period. Your Dallas Mavericks blew the doors off the gym, playing a brilliant brand of basketball in the period. Hardaway was a flaming streak of incandescence, with the ball repeatedly flying from his red-hot hands to the basket in a blaze of heat and light. The Mavs led 98-77 after three.
The Heat won the fourth quarter 36-29, but don’t let that fool you — it was a Mavs party! The bench guys got some good run, and Luka never had to step on the court.
STATISTICS
The shooting stats again tell the story. The Mavs were 62% inside the arc, 46% from deep, and 72% from the line. Comparable Heat percentages were 49/44/81. In terms of where the teams scored their points, Mavs were +6 on points from twos, +12 on points from threes, and -4 in made free throws. Miami had a 40-30 advantage in PIP, and a 16-9 margin in fast-break points, but the Mavs had an 18-9 edge in second-chance points. When the Mavericks are hot from three, they’re all but unstoppable.
PLAYERS
HARDAWAY. Timmy’s bearded grill was a most welcome sight on the court, after the team sorely missed his scoring punch against the Kings. He was a fresh-legged wonder after the rest game, leading the squad in scoring with 36 points. His career-high ten triples tied Wesley Matthews and George McCloud for the franchise all-time record for made threes in a game. Eighteen of his points came in the third quarter, when he practically emblazoned his number on the Miami court.
Tim has scored a total of 78 points in his last two starts. Carlisle congratulated him for his exceptional shotmaking after the game, and speculated that his starting roles in his last two games may have had something to do with his amazing performances. Hmm. I think Tim likes to have someone to show off for — he played high-school basketball in Miami, his grandma was in the audience, and his Dad’s number was in the rafters, so it was an extra-special night for him in front of his friends and family. He thanked Shamgod for pushing him during a difficult stretch, encouraging him to work for more arc and a little more follow-through on his shot. Effort rewarded! Keep up the great work, Timmy! This guy's importance to the team cannot be overstated.
DONCIC. It was also a great night for Luka, who had a 23/12/8 line in a relaxing 30 minutes on the court. He was 5-10 from long range, and hit numerous miracle shots, including an extremely difficult basket over a double team in the second. Rick said he was great — I guess, at some point, you just run out of superlatives.
GREEN. We got a serendipitous turn tonight from Josh, who showed out well with a peppy performance in 24 big minutes in his best game as a Mav. His 4/4/3 line doesn’t really reflect his contribution, so perhaps an elaboration is in order. He first appeared in the second quarter, and in Rick’s words, changed the game. He fought for an offensive rebound, made a drive from the baseline for a pretty finish, had a steal resulting in a bucket for Hardaway, and tossed a kick-out pass to THJ for a three. Toward the end of the period, he wrestled Robinson to the floor for a jump ball. He earned a start in the third quarter, and continued his impactful play in similar fashion. Such a treat to see that display of explosiveness and athleticism, which is not really a trademark of the skills-oriented Mavs.
Rick praised Green's “heart” post-game. He has gotten minutes in, I believe, four of the last five matches, and perhaps this is a harbinger of things to come. Congratulations, rook, you looked like a veteran out there!
BRUNSON. Jalen was outstanding off the bench, with 19 points on 7-12 shooting .He played all 12 minutes of the fourth quarter, and his competent performance was a big factor in giving Luka some much-needed rest.
DFS. Dorian led the team in minutes (33), and continued to show his offensive chops with 12 points on 5-6 shooting. The Mavs were a team-high +28 while the Doe-ster was on the court.
POWELL. Dwight was the primary big on the night, and had 7 points and 10 boards in 29 minutes off the bench. I thought this was one of his best nights of the season, and he was very effective on both ends of the floor on an evening when the Mavericks were missing their two main bigs.
RICHARDSON. J Rich was replaced by Green in the second quarter and most of the third, and responded well, scoring 15 of his 17 points in the second half and making some good defensive plays as well. He lives in Miami in the off season, and going home was probably a bit of extra incentive for him, as well as for THJ.
MENTIONS. It was a good night for all the Mavs. Willie provided 18 minutes in a de facto backup center role. Burke and Redick also contributed in short minutes, and Hinton and Bey had a couple of minutes at the end of the contest.
HEAT. Duncan Robinson and Luka’s Slovenian compatriot Goran Dragic led Miami with 19 points apiece. Trevor Ariza, always motivated against the Mavs, had 18. Kendrick Nunn and Gabe Vincent added 14 apiece, and Bam Adebayo barely missed a triple-double with an 11/9/11 line. The team actually played pretty well, but the better team on the night definitely won.
OBSERVATIONS
Rick was not crazy about the “terrible start,” but was proud of his squad for fighting their way back with some stops, and then making good things start to happen. He termed the victory an important win.
This was expected to be an intense game, as it involved relatively high stakes for both teams. Each side was in sixth place in its respective conference, and in danger of falling back to the play-in seeds. It did not disappoint in that respect, and even the minutes when the game was already out of reach were entertaining. The Mavericks imposed their style of basketball on the contest, and numerous players made significant contributions to the win. It was a huge break for Dallas that Butler was out, but they were short-handed themselves, and still had to put in the work to take advantage.
This was an excellent bounce-back game from Dallas, after laying an egg against Sac. Your boys face the loaded Nets on Thursday. Maxi will be out, and KP’s status is game-to-game. The Mavericks are currently a tiebreaker ahead of the Lakers in fifth place, and are playing musical chairs with the Blazers and the Lakers for the 5-6-7 seeds. Let’s hope for a spirited performance against Kyrie and the boys!
Fun times, Mavs fans!!