MAVERICKS A DAY LATE AND A DOLLAR SHORT
SERIES TIED 3-3
A hard-fought battle that looked promising for the Mavs for much of the game sputtered in the last few minutes. Dang.
GAME STORY
Rick decided to stick with his super-sized starting lineup of Luka-THJ-DFS-KP-Boban. Ty Lue also stayed with his starting unit of Jackson, PG, Kawhi, Morris, and Batum.
FIRST QUARTER
Luka opened the scoring with a bucket over Paul George. The Dallas zone gave up an open three to PG. THJ responded with an open three of his own! After a Jackson turnover, DFS was fouled on a drive to the basket. Two free throws — check, check. The Mavs were defending fiercely, successfully challenging shots. The Clips took a brief lead at 8-7. Boban scored from KP. Luka floated one over his defender, and Hardaway followed with a corner three with a hand in his face! Mavs 14-10 at 7:05.
KP hit a wide open three from the left side, sending the crowd into cheers. Boban backed his defender down for a jump hook. Luka bailed Kawhi out with a foul, but it was on the floor. Luka hit a midranges shot over a defender. Morris fouled Luka on a three-point attempt. He sank all three like a champ, while “MVP” chants echoed around the arena. Jackson kept the Clips afloat with his threes. Hardaway was in a zone with a contested midrange. 26-24 Mavs at 3:20.
Powell entered the floor, and drew a foul off the ball on Batum. Jackson tied the game at 26-all. Luka hit a fadeaway at the end of the shot clock that drew admiring applause. The Mavs forced a shot clock violation. Reggie finally missed a shot, over Maxi’s determined defense. Luka closed the quarter with a shot over Morris, which was disallowed for being late. 28-26 Mavs after one.
Luka led the Mavs with 11 points. Reggie, 6-8 from the field, had 14 for LA.
SECOND QUARTER
A Luka-less lineup began the second. Gulp. J Rich floated in a mid-range shot. PG split a pair of FTAs. Brunson put in a hoop. Rondo airmailed a three, drawing Bronx cheers from the crowd. JB buried a long three! Powell’s second foul was called for a brush with PG. George split another two. WCS came in for Dwight. Hardaway flashed to the basket for a bucket. WCS blocked a shot. The pace was frenetic! Timeout called at 7:22. 37-30 Mavs! The bench unit had a 9-4 run!! Yay!
Luka re-entered and drew a foul from PG. Two freebies dropped! Kawhi had back-to-back buckets, followed by a J Rich bucket. WCS forced a jump ball with PG. He tipped it to a Clipper, and Kawhi made it 7 straight points. A second foul on Luka was the fifth on the Mavs and put Jackson at the line. Boban was brought back in. Boban was called for a foul as Morris pulled him down. Boos rang around the AAC. The free throws brought the Clips within one, after the Mavs had built a 9-point lead. A put back dunk by Kawhi gave the Clips a lead, but KP answered with a rim-rocker! Timeout at 2:32. 43-42 Mavs.
Luka had a transition basket on a Clips turnover. KP was called for pushing George. Luka sailed the ball out of bounds on a transition opportunity. Kawhi recaptured the lead. Luka turned the ball over again with a long pass which was intercepted. Kawhi scored again. Luka missed a buzzer-beater, and the Clips closed the half up 48-45.
The Mavs had only 17 points in the quarter, completing only 7 of their 22 shot attempts, and suffering a 2-10 deficit in FTAs. The Clippers were almost as bad from the field, and their advantage in free throws made (5) accounted for the difference in the period’s scoring. Kawhi had 13 points, while the Mavs’ leading scorer was JB with 5. Yuck. The Mavs closed the quarter very poorly, but were only 3 points behind, and just looked like they might need to calm down a bit.
THIRD QUARTER
The third quarter started badly, with the Mavs giving up an offensive rebound and then turning the ball over and giving free throws to Batum. But the tide turned for a bit. Boban was fouled and hit both free throws. Jackson drove and scored. Boban scored inside. And then again! A transition dunk from KP after a steal brought the house down! Timeout 9:27. 53-52 Mavs.
THJ dashed into the paint for a bucket. He followed it up with a corner three! George missed another free throw. THJ dropped another basket after Luka faked a pass to Boban and gave it to Tim. Boban scored again! Kawhi tumped himself over on a dunk. DFS fired from three! A KP steal and a transition basket! Timeout 6:30. The Mavs were on an 11-2 run! 67-60 Dallas! The roof was shaking atop the AAC!
Mavs missed a couple of shots, and the Clips took advantage. Rick called time with Dallas leading 67-65. Good call, with the Mavs starting to look frenzied.
Willie fouled Kawhi on a three-point attempt. Kawhi re-captured the lead with the three freebies. The Mavs were cold, and Kawhi hit his eleventh point in a row. DFS bombed in a three. Brunson dropped one in. Kawhi scored again. DFS put in another three! A Luka steal and a WCS dunk! Brunson drew a blocking foul on PG, but missed both free throws. 77-73 Mavs after three. What a heart-stopping contest!
Kawhi led all scorers with 17 points, but the Mavs had a 7-point advantage in the frame.
FOURTH QUARTER
Could a bench unit without Luka and KP survive? The arena fans fastened their seat belts. The Clippers quickly tied the game. Powell was rushed in at 10:22. Zubac gave the Clips a lead with two free throws. Aaagh. J Rich tied with freebies of his own. The Mavs had three fouls inside three minutes. Luka checked back in at 9:16. Whew!
PG hit a contested three. Kleber lost the ball out of bounds on a bullet pass from Luka, in a highly questionable call. THJ hit a contested three! Kawhi scored off a pass from Reggie. Hardaway scored on the other end. And-one! Reggie was forced into a travel by the Mavs’ swarming defense. Dallas called time with 7:17. 85-84 Mavs.
Then the Mavs began to unravel. George hit a three over Luka. Kawhi scored. Batum had a jam, giving the Clips a 5-point lead at 5:03. KP re-entered after the timeout. Luka with a three from downtown! KP with a steal! Reggie Jackson called for an offensive foul for an illegal screen. KP can’t direct a lob in, and DFS fouls to avoid a fast break. Timeout 3:38. Mavs down 88-90.
Clips turn the ball over on the inbounds pass, for their third turnover in a row. Mavs can’t capitalize on any of them. Kawhi scores. Hardaway misses a layup. Kawhi hits a three. 95-88 Clips with 2:18 left. Timeout Dallas.
A Luka shot drops in without much resistance from LA. Kawhi hit another three over DFS. Timmy missed a three. Mavs gave up an offensive rebound, and Hardaway sent Reggie to the line. Two free throws. Luka hit a two, but Reggie countered with more free throws. Luka ran to the basket for another two. The rookies looked despondent on the bench. Luka had another three for their last score.
The Mavs collapsed in the fourth, scoring only 20 points, and were unable to take advantage of the Clippers' mistakes. Only three Mavs scored, as they went cold from the field.
The sixth game of the series was won by the road team, a first in NBA history.
STATISTICS
The Mavs put up 12 more shots than the Clips, but had only one more made shot for their efforts, and the Clips’ 28-14 free-throw attempt advantage proved insurmountable. They shot 32% from long range. Live by the three, or in this case, die by the three.
With the Mavericks' big units, it is somewhat confounding that they didn't win the rebounding battle, but they didn't. The box score shows the Mavs with 8 offensive boards, but a good portion of those were unproductive bobbling attempts at tip-ins.
PLAYERS
DONCIC. Luka led the team with 29 points, to go with 11 assists, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals. However, he was 2-9 from the floor, and got to the line for only 5 free throws. It seemed to me that he tired as the second half wore on, and got essentially no help in the fourth quarter, with his teammates scoring only eight points. Meanwhile, Kawhi had turned on the afterburners, and it was just a little too much for the young star. His red-eyed explanation of the loss was that Kawhi “destroyed us,” although he bristled at the idea that the loss might affect the team’s confidence. Asked to comment on the officiating, he demurred, saying, “You saw the game.”
HARDAWAY. Tim had 23 points on halfway decent shooting (9-19, 4-11 from three), and was once again the team’s second-best offensive player. In the fourth quarter, he was 2-8 and scored 6 points. Which was still better than everyone not named Luka. Sigh.
MARJANOVIC. Bobi had 12 points and 9 rebounds in 17 minutes, which was pret-ty good, and he was one of four Mavs in positive figures, although he was 5-13 from the field (several misses being unsuccessful attempts at tip-ins/putbacks). I think, if the Mavericks had known they were going to need to rely on Boban in this series, they might have tried to solidify this offensive scheme more in the regular season. KP and Bobi played nary a minute together this season until the playoffs. They were clearly trying to play through Bobi, but the whole thing didn't gel particularly well, with a number of wasted opportunities. It seems to me that Boban takes too long to make decisions with the ball. It would be okay with me if they gave him a standing order to shoot if he's within 5 feet of the basket, no questions asked. Defensively, it did appear to me that his big body was a deterrent in the paint.
DFS. Dorian was the fourth Mav in double figures with 11 points, and he recorded 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in a team-high 42 minutes on the court. He also had three turnovers, which is borderline unacceptable for a 3&D guy, but maybe that’s just how the cookie crumbled this time. He was arguably the team's second or third best player, but I wouldn't term it one of his better nights.
PORZINGIS. Oh, Kristaps. Such a sad, inscrutable little stat line. KP had 7 points, 5 boards, 3 assists, and 3 steals in 31 minutes. He took only 7 shots, and was essentially used as a floor spacer. He seemed more engaged than usual defensively, and actually was not bad on that end. Offensively, he did make some cuts, and work to get open, but was mostly looked off, particularly by players not named Luka. Obviously disappointed after the game, he said he got a few decent looks, but allowed that the situation “is what it is.” He admitted that it was a psychological adjustment not to be an offensive focus, but re-affirmed that he has accepted his role. He predicted that Game Seven will be a “war.” Devin Harris sympathized with KP’s plight, saying that KP is in a tough spot — we all know he could do more, but he is doing what he has been asked to do, and should therefore not be overly criticized for being too passive, or like complaints. This KP situation is a conundrum on several levels, and might be approaching untenable.
BENCH. Maxi led the reserves with 21 minutes. He took only four shots, did not score, and had three rebounds. I'm really not too sure why he was out there that long, as he didn't appear to be contributing much, and passed up several open shots. The MMB folks pointed out that he has made only one shot in the last three games. I suspect his lingering injury is taking its toll. Jalen had 7 points and 4 rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench, and strangely led the team in +/- at +9. He had three baskets, but generally didn't seem impactful, and I thought did not do a very good job running the offense in Luka's absence. He did have a fair-to-middling turn in the second quarter. Richardson had 6 points in only 9 minutes, and went 2-2 from the line. His role on the team appears to be vanishing before our eyes. Willie had nineteen minutes in the big man platoon, and put up 2 points and 4 boards. Powell did not score in 7 minutes.
CLIPPERS. The Klaw put in an MVP-quality performance, strapping the team on his back and putting up 45 points on incredible 18-25 shooting. Just a great, great evening for the robot. George also showed up with 20 points and 13 boards. He was 6-15 from the field, but had 10 free-throw attempts, and made his presence felt. Reggie Jackson continued to be a Mavs killer with 25 points and 9 rebounds. Morris had only 4 points and 3 boards, but Coach Lue praised his defensive contributions. All Clippers other than Kawhi-George-Reggie combined for 14 points.
OBSERVATIONS
Kawhi was otherworldly, and some of the other Clippers stepped up. Give that team credit -- their backs were against the wall, and they rose to the occasion. The Mavs had a terrible second quarter, and looked gassed in the fourth, as they haplessly watched the game dribble away from them in the last five minutes, unable to take advantage of LA’s mistakes. Looking exhausted for the second fourth quarter running, and with less than 48 hours until the next match, will they have enough ammo for the Game Seven battle?
An excellent competition from a watcher’s point of view, but a crushing conclusion to a match that looked winnable.
Welp. Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles, it’s win or go home for both squads. Whatever happens, this young Mavs team has given the heavily favored Clippers all they could handle.
Game Seven awaits.
SERIES TIED 3-3
A hard-fought battle that looked promising for the Mavs for much of the game sputtered in the last few minutes. Dang.
GAME STORY
Rick decided to stick with his super-sized starting lineup of Luka-THJ-DFS-KP-Boban. Ty Lue also stayed with his starting unit of Jackson, PG, Kawhi, Morris, and Batum.
FIRST QUARTER
Luka opened the scoring with a bucket over Paul George. The Dallas zone gave up an open three to PG. THJ responded with an open three of his own! After a Jackson turnover, DFS was fouled on a drive to the basket. Two free throws — check, check. The Mavs were defending fiercely, successfully challenging shots. The Clips took a brief lead at 8-7. Boban scored from KP. Luka floated one over his defender, and Hardaway followed with a corner three with a hand in his face! Mavs 14-10 at 7:05.
KP hit a wide open three from the left side, sending the crowd into cheers. Boban backed his defender down for a jump hook. Luka bailed Kawhi out with a foul, but it was on the floor. Luka hit a midranges shot over a defender. Morris fouled Luka on a three-point attempt. He sank all three like a champ, while “MVP” chants echoed around the arena. Jackson kept the Clips afloat with his threes. Hardaway was in a zone with a contested midrange. 26-24 Mavs at 3:20.
Powell entered the floor, and drew a foul off the ball on Batum. Jackson tied the game at 26-all. Luka hit a fadeaway at the end of the shot clock that drew admiring applause. The Mavs forced a shot clock violation. Reggie finally missed a shot, over Maxi’s determined defense. Luka closed the quarter with a shot over Morris, which was disallowed for being late. 28-26 Mavs after one.
Luka led the Mavs with 11 points. Reggie, 6-8 from the field, had 14 for LA.
SECOND QUARTER
A Luka-less lineup began the second. Gulp. J Rich floated in a mid-range shot. PG split a pair of FTAs. Brunson put in a hoop. Rondo airmailed a three, drawing Bronx cheers from the crowd. JB buried a long three! Powell’s second foul was called for a brush with PG. George split another two. WCS came in for Dwight. Hardaway flashed to the basket for a bucket. WCS blocked a shot. The pace was frenetic! Timeout called at 7:22. 37-30 Mavs! The bench unit had a 9-4 run!! Yay!
Luka re-entered and drew a foul from PG. Two freebies dropped! Kawhi had back-to-back buckets, followed by a J Rich bucket. WCS forced a jump ball with PG. He tipped it to a Clipper, and Kawhi made it 7 straight points. A second foul on Luka was the fifth on the Mavs and put Jackson at the line. Boban was brought back in. Boban was called for a foul as Morris pulled him down. Boos rang around the AAC. The free throws brought the Clips within one, after the Mavs had built a 9-point lead. A put back dunk by Kawhi gave the Clips a lead, but KP answered with a rim-rocker! Timeout at 2:32. 43-42 Mavs.
Luka had a transition basket on a Clips turnover. KP was called for pushing George. Luka sailed the ball out of bounds on a transition opportunity. Kawhi recaptured the lead. Luka turned the ball over again with a long pass which was intercepted. Kawhi scored again. Luka missed a buzzer-beater, and the Clips closed the half up 48-45.
The Mavs had only 17 points in the quarter, completing only 7 of their 22 shot attempts, and suffering a 2-10 deficit in FTAs. The Clippers were almost as bad from the field, and their advantage in free throws made (5) accounted for the difference in the period’s scoring. Kawhi had 13 points, while the Mavs’ leading scorer was JB with 5. Yuck. The Mavs closed the quarter very poorly, but were only 3 points behind, and just looked like they might need to calm down a bit.
THIRD QUARTER
The third quarter started badly, with the Mavs giving up an offensive rebound and then turning the ball over and giving free throws to Batum. But the tide turned for a bit. Boban was fouled and hit both free throws. Jackson drove and scored. Boban scored inside. And then again! A transition dunk from KP after a steal brought the house down! Timeout 9:27. 53-52 Mavs.
THJ dashed into the paint for a bucket. He followed it up with a corner three! George missed another free throw. THJ dropped another basket after Luka faked a pass to Boban and gave it to Tim. Boban scored again! Kawhi tumped himself over on a dunk. DFS fired from three! A KP steal and a transition basket! Timeout 6:30. The Mavs were on an 11-2 run! 67-60 Dallas! The roof was shaking atop the AAC!
Mavs missed a couple of shots, and the Clips took advantage. Rick called time with Dallas leading 67-65. Good call, with the Mavs starting to look frenzied.
Willie fouled Kawhi on a three-point attempt. Kawhi re-captured the lead with the three freebies. The Mavs were cold, and Kawhi hit his eleventh point in a row. DFS bombed in a three. Brunson dropped one in. Kawhi scored again. DFS put in another three! A Luka steal and a WCS dunk! Brunson drew a blocking foul on PG, but missed both free throws. 77-73 Mavs after three. What a heart-stopping contest!
Kawhi led all scorers with 17 points, but the Mavs had a 7-point advantage in the frame.
FOURTH QUARTER
Could a bench unit without Luka and KP survive? The arena fans fastened their seat belts. The Clippers quickly tied the game. Powell was rushed in at 10:22. Zubac gave the Clips a lead with two free throws. Aaagh. J Rich tied with freebies of his own. The Mavs had three fouls inside three minutes. Luka checked back in at 9:16. Whew!
PG hit a contested three. Kleber lost the ball out of bounds on a bullet pass from Luka, in a highly questionable call. THJ hit a contested three! Kawhi scored off a pass from Reggie. Hardaway scored on the other end. And-one! Reggie was forced into a travel by the Mavs’ swarming defense. Dallas called time with 7:17. 85-84 Mavs.
Then the Mavs began to unravel. George hit a three over Luka. Kawhi scored. Batum had a jam, giving the Clips a 5-point lead at 5:03. KP re-entered after the timeout. Luka with a three from downtown! KP with a steal! Reggie Jackson called for an offensive foul for an illegal screen. KP can’t direct a lob in, and DFS fouls to avoid a fast break. Timeout 3:38. Mavs down 88-90.
Clips turn the ball over on the inbounds pass, for their third turnover in a row. Mavs can’t capitalize on any of them. Kawhi scores. Hardaway misses a layup. Kawhi hits a three. 95-88 Clips with 2:18 left. Timeout Dallas.
A Luka shot drops in without much resistance from LA. Kawhi hit another three over DFS. Timmy missed a three. Mavs gave up an offensive rebound, and Hardaway sent Reggie to the line. Two free throws. Luka hit a two, but Reggie countered with more free throws. Luka ran to the basket for another two. The rookies looked despondent on the bench. Luka had another three for their last score.
The Mavs collapsed in the fourth, scoring only 20 points, and were unable to take advantage of the Clippers' mistakes. Only three Mavs scored, as they went cold from the field.
The sixth game of the series was won by the road team, a first in NBA history.
STATISTICS
The Mavs put up 12 more shots than the Clips, but had only one more made shot for their efforts, and the Clips’ 28-14 free-throw attempt advantage proved insurmountable. They shot 32% from long range. Live by the three, or in this case, die by the three.
With the Mavericks' big units, it is somewhat confounding that they didn't win the rebounding battle, but they didn't. The box score shows the Mavs with 8 offensive boards, but a good portion of those were unproductive bobbling attempts at tip-ins.
PLAYERS
DONCIC. Luka led the team with 29 points, to go with 11 assists, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals. However, he was 2-9 from the floor, and got to the line for only 5 free throws. It seemed to me that he tired as the second half wore on, and got essentially no help in the fourth quarter, with his teammates scoring only eight points. Meanwhile, Kawhi had turned on the afterburners, and it was just a little too much for the young star. His red-eyed explanation of the loss was that Kawhi “destroyed us,” although he bristled at the idea that the loss might affect the team’s confidence. Asked to comment on the officiating, he demurred, saying, “You saw the game.”
HARDAWAY. Tim had 23 points on halfway decent shooting (9-19, 4-11 from three), and was once again the team’s second-best offensive player. In the fourth quarter, he was 2-8 and scored 6 points. Which was still better than everyone not named Luka. Sigh.
MARJANOVIC. Bobi had 12 points and 9 rebounds in 17 minutes, which was pret-ty good, and he was one of four Mavs in positive figures, although he was 5-13 from the field (several misses being unsuccessful attempts at tip-ins/putbacks). I think, if the Mavericks had known they were going to need to rely on Boban in this series, they might have tried to solidify this offensive scheme more in the regular season. KP and Bobi played nary a minute together this season until the playoffs. They were clearly trying to play through Bobi, but the whole thing didn't gel particularly well, with a number of wasted opportunities. It seems to me that Boban takes too long to make decisions with the ball. It would be okay with me if they gave him a standing order to shoot if he's within 5 feet of the basket, no questions asked. Defensively, it did appear to me that his big body was a deterrent in the paint.
DFS. Dorian was the fourth Mav in double figures with 11 points, and he recorded 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in a team-high 42 minutes on the court. He also had three turnovers, which is borderline unacceptable for a 3&D guy, but maybe that’s just how the cookie crumbled this time. He was arguably the team's second or third best player, but I wouldn't term it one of his better nights.
PORZINGIS. Oh, Kristaps. Such a sad, inscrutable little stat line. KP had 7 points, 5 boards, 3 assists, and 3 steals in 31 minutes. He took only 7 shots, and was essentially used as a floor spacer. He seemed more engaged than usual defensively, and actually was not bad on that end. Offensively, he did make some cuts, and work to get open, but was mostly looked off, particularly by players not named Luka. Obviously disappointed after the game, he said he got a few decent looks, but allowed that the situation “is what it is.” He admitted that it was a psychological adjustment not to be an offensive focus, but re-affirmed that he has accepted his role. He predicted that Game Seven will be a “war.” Devin Harris sympathized with KP’s plight, saying that KP is in a tough spot — we all know he could do more, but he is doing what he has been asked to do, and should therefore not be overly criticized for being too passive, or like complaints. This KP situation is a conundrum on several levels, and might be approaching untenable.
BENCH. Maxi led the reserves with 21 minutes. He took only four shots, did not score, and had three rebounds. I'm really not too sure why he was out there that long, as he didn't appear to be contributing much, and passed up several open shots. The MMB folks pointed out that he has made only one shot in the last three games. I suspect his lingering injury is taking its toll. Jalen had 7 points and 4 rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench, and strangely led the team in +/- at +9. He had three baskets, but generally didn't seem impactful, and I thought did not do a very good job running the offense in Luka's absence. He did have a fair-to-middling turn in the second quarter. Richardson had 6 points in only 9 minutes, and went 2-2 from the line. His role on the team appears to be vanishing before our eyes. Willie had nineteen minutes in the big man platoon, and put up 2 points and 4 boards. Powell did not score in 7 minutes.
CLIPPERS. The Klaw put in an MVP-quality performance, strapping the team on his back and putting up 45 points on incredible 18-25 shooting. Just a great, great evening for the robot. George also showed up with 20 points and 13 boards. He was 6-15 from the field, but had 10 free-throw attempts, and made his presence felt. Reggie Jackson continued to be a Mavs killer with 25 points and 9 rebounds. Morris had only 4 points and 3 boards, but Coach Lue praised his defensive contributions. All Clippers other than Kawhi-George-Reggie combined for 14 points.
OBSERVATIONS
Kawhi was otherworldly, and some of the other Clippers stepped up. Give that team credit -- their backs were against the wall, and they rose to the occasion. The Mavs had a terrible second quarter, and looked gassed in the fourth, as they haplessly watched the game dribble away from them in the last five minutes, unable to take advantage of LA’s mistakes. Looking exhausted for the second fourth quarter running, and with less than 48 hours until the next match, will they have enough ammo for the Game Seven battle?
An excellent competition from a watcher’s point of view, but a crushing conclusion to a match that looked winnable.
Welp. Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles, it’s win or go home for both squads. Whatever happens, this young Mavs team has given the heavily favored Clippers all they could handle.
Game Seven awaits.