KINGS DEFEAT MAVS C-TEAM WITH BUZZER-BEATER
The Mavs face the Kings with a hollowed-out roster, listing nine absences -- Luka, THJ, Maxi, McLaughlin, Burke, Boban, Brandon Knight, Bullock, and Willie. Reggie reportedly exited COVID protocols but was inactive. Isaiah Thomas appeared as a new ten-day. The Kings are on the second night of a back-to-back, having defeated OKC the previous evening.
The Mavs were in it until the last play, but gave up a game-winning three in what the broadcasters termed a perfect storm in the last two possessions.
GAME NOTES
Starting lineup. Brunson-Ntilikina-DFS-KP-Powell
FIRST QUARTER
KP turns the ball over, trying to post up. — DFS and FN both hit from range. Mavs off to a hot shooting start, 4-6 from three.
17-10 6:59
Kings have already committed 16 fouls, less than five minutes in. — Ugly turnover when Powell tries to find DFS from the corner. — This Sac team look like they’re part of a middle school league. — The lineup that Dorian anchors is on the floor. Not gonna lie, I don't love it. — Isaiah gets on the board with a jumper.
23-15 2:35
Mavs stay on top of the hapless Kings, which is cool, but man, I’m surprised the NBA has the nerve to put this kind of hideous basketball product on the floor. SMH.
30-20 after one
KP leads Dallas with 9 points. Mavs shooting 52%.
SECOND QUARTER
Sac make a mini-push.
35-30 8:49
Grotesque possession ending in a shot clock violation by Mavs. You would think these guys had never played together, or something. — Sac tie the game with a transition bucket. Sac on a 14-4 run. — Bagley posts up IT. Doesn’t end well for the Mavs. Make that 16-4. — Another Kings basket results in a Mavs timeout.
39-43 3:34
Mavs get back to level points with a DP transition slam. But that's about it.
43-55 HT
Absolutely putrid second quarter for Dallas, which loses the period 13-35. Sac ends the period on a 30-8 run. Mavs have a disadvantage of 6-14 in rebounds, 0-9 in FTA. Completed 6 of their 21 shot attempts. Woof.
For the half, KP and Brunson lead the team with 9 points apiece, although KP is 3-10 from the field. DFS has 3 fouls. Mitchell has 12 off the bench for the Kings. IT (9) and Pinson (3) the only ten-days to get minutes for Dallas. The broadcast teams shows the shot chart, with all the red x's — I don’t know how they dare.
THIRD QUARTER
Broadcast team saying that Kings are the worst third-quarter team in the league. Let’s pin our hopes on that.
Sac offense really taking advantage of Brunson. — DFS called for his fifth foul three minutes in. Aargh.
49-62 8:43
Broadcasters nattering on about Tim Tams and other dipping food. Meanwhile, Mavs on a 7-0 run. Maybe Dameris has just lost interest.
56-62 7:18
Brunson makes it 9-0 before Buddy Hield breaks the drought for Sac. — Fox in foul trouble with a shove on KP. — Mavs surging, pull within two. — Mavs take the lead on a Sterling three. — Four points in the last 2:54, all by Sac, but Mavs back in it.
69-72 after three
Mavs win the third 26-17. Brunson with 11 in the period. It’s anyone’s game.
FOURTH QUARTER
KP with a couple of buckets for Dallas. — Brunson crosses over Richaun Holmes. — Green has a bad turnover, gets bailed out by Damian Jones.
81-79 7:08
DFS returns, playing with five fouls, hits from the corner. — DFS with a slam! — DP misses a pair of free throws, Harrison Barnes ties the game.
88-88 4:09
Starting lineup on the floor. KP hits two free throws. — Mavs get a stop on Barnes. — KP post up attempt over Barnes rims out. — Holmes draws a foul off a second-chance try. Ties the game. — Josh on for Powell. DFS turns it over. Powell back on. Missed three by Kings. — JB can’t finish a jumper. Fox drives it in on the other end.
90-92 1:22
Brunson ties it for the Mavs. — Powell blocks a shot at the rim. — KP fouled on a jump shot. Makes ‘em both.
94-92 33 seconds
Mavs successfully defend shot by Barnes. Timeout. Mavs advance the ball. Brunson holds. KP misses, shot doesn’t hit the rim, shot clock violation. Kings timeout. Four seconds left.
Kings advance. Mavs commit foul to give. 3.8 seconds. Dorian fouls out.
OH NO!!!! Kings win the game on an open corner three by Metu from Fox at the buzzer.
94-95 FT
KP dominates all scorers with 13 points in the fourth, but the Mavs lose.
ANALYSIS
Last Sequence. Dameris calls it a worst-case scenario for the Mavs. With 28 seconds left, Brunson holds; by the time he gets the ball to KP, KP bobbles it and then has to take a tough shot that doesn’t draw iron, resulting in a dead ball turnover. When the Kings take the ball with 4 seconds left, Dorian takes their foul to give, fouling out and running only .5 second off the clock. Chances were good that the Kings wouldn’t beat them with a Metu three, but what do you know, they did.
Player Notes. Brunson led all scorers with 25 points. KP was a close second with 24, albeit on 8-19 shooting (1-6 from three). He drew a game-high 8 FTA, completing 7. DFS was also in double figures with 11, despite being limited to 10 minutes in the second half, due to foul trouble. Isaiah Thomas (13 min) and Theo Pinson (7 min) were the only hardship subs to play for Dallas. It was a starter-heavy game, with the bench scoring only 23 points.
The Mavs have now lost 9 straight clutch games.
OBSERVATIONS
TV comments mostly related to the late game strategy/execution.
Kidd. Burned their last timeout at 28 seconds to get JB back in the game for Green, who was in as a defensive situational sub. They wanted Brunson to take the last shot, but they didn’t get the switch they wanted, and KP ended up having to take a rushed attempt and committing a SCV turnover. Thought they had a good plan for the last defensive possessions, but Fox made a heck of a play, kicking out to Metu.
Bally. Questioning the clutch strategies.
— Did Brunson hold the ball a little too long on that last Mavs possession? KP took the shot with 4.8 seconds left on the shot clock.
— Should someone besides DFS have taken the foul to give? It was his sixth foul, and maybe they didn’t need to even have him out there for that 30-second interval before the last possession.
— Should they have waited another second to take the last foul? In retrospect, there was time for that, but Kidd said the plan was to take it at the first opportunity.
— Should Powell have helped off Metu? If they had given up a layup, they could have taken the game to overtime, but a three cost them the game. Hard to really blame Powell making that decision in the moment. Frankie had been beaten by Fox, and a player’s instincts would be to help on the layup, rather than sticking to a poor jump shooter. Brunson didn't rotate over when Powell backed off Metu.
Conclusion. Nine straight clutch losses. This is where the Mavs really miss Luka.
I guess this is what it looks like when the NBA keeps up a normal schedule during a weeks-long COVID surge. Night after night, decimated rosters on most teams are scrabbling together contests being sold as high-level basketball games. Yuck. The results seem so random from one night to the next. I’m really pretty over it.
NEXT. The Mavs face the self-same Kings in Sacramento on New Year’s Eve.
The Mavs face the Kings with a hollowed-out roster, listing nine absences -- Luka, THJ, Maxi, McLaughlin, Burke, Boban, Brandon Knight, Bullock, and Willie. Reggie reportedly exited COVID protocols but was inactive. Isaiah Thomas appeared as a new ten-day. The Kings are on the second night of a back-to-back, having defeated OKC the previous evening.
The Mavs were in it until the last play, but gave up a game-winning three in what the broadcasters termed a perfect storm in the last two possessions.
GAME NOTES
Starting lineup. Brunson-Ntilikina-DFS-KP-Powell
FIRST QUARTER
KP turns the ball over, trying to post up. — DFS and FN both hit from range. Mavs off to a hot shooting start, 4-6 from three.
17-10 6:59
Kings have already committed 16 fouls, less than five minutes in. — Ugly turnover when Powell tries to find DFS from the corner. — This Sac team look like they’re part of a middle school league. — The lineup that Dorian anchors is on the floor. Not gonna lie, I don't love it. — Isaiah gets on the board with a jumper.
23-15 2:35
Mavs stay on top of the hapless Kings, which is cool, but man, I’m surprised the NBA has the nerve to put this kind of hideous basketball product on the floor. SMH.
30-20 after one
KP leads Dallas with 9 points. Mavs shooting 52%.
SECOND QUARTER
Sac make a mini-push.
35-30 8:49
Grotesque possession ending in a shot clock violation by Mavs. You would think these guys had never played together, or something. — Sac tie the game with a transition bucket. Sac on a 14-4 run. — Bagley posts up IT. Doesn’t end well for the Mavs. Make that 16-4. — Another Kings basket results in a Mavs timeout.
39-43 3:34
Mavs get back to level points with a DP transition slam. But that's about it.
43-55 HT
Absolutely putrid second quarter for Dallas, which loses the period 13-35. Sac ends the period on a 30-8 run. Mavs have a disadvantage of 6-14 in rebounds, 0-9 in FTA. Completed 6 of their 21 shot attempts. Woof.
For the half, KP and Brunson lead the team with 9 points apiece, although KP is 3-10 from the field. DFS has 3 fouls. Mitchell has 12 off the bench for the Kings. IT (9) and Pinson (3) the only ten-days to get minutes for Dallas. The broadcast teams shows the shot chart, with all the red x's — I don’t know how they dare.
THIRD QUARTER
Broadcast team saying that Kings are the worst third-quarter team in the league. Let’s pin our hopes on that.
Sac offense really taking advantage of Brunson. — DFS called for his fifth foul three minutes in. Aargh.
49-62 8:43
Broadcasters nattering on about Tim Tams and other dipping food. Meanwhile, Mavs on a 7-0 run. Maybe Dameris has just lost interest.
56-62 7:18
Brunson makes it 9-0 before Buddy Hield breaks the drought for Sac. — Fox in foul trouble with a shove on KP. — Mavs surging, pull within two. — Mavs take the lead on a Sterling three. — Four points in the last 2:54, all by Sac, but Mavs back in it.
69-72 after three
Mavs win the third 26-17. Brunson with 11 in the period. It’s anyone’s game.
FOURTH QUARTER
KP with a couple of buckets for Dallas. — Brunson crosses over Richaun Holmes. — Green has a bad turnover, gets bailed out by Damian Jones.
81-79 7:08
DFS returns, playing with five fouls, hits from the corner. — DFS with a slam! — DP misses a pair of free throws, Harrison Barnes ties the game.
88-88 4:09
Starting lineup on the floor. KP hits two free throws. — Mavs get a stop on Barnes. — KP post up attempt over Barnes rims out. — Holmes draws a foul off a second-chance try. Ties the game. — Josh on for Powell. DFS turns it over. Powell back on. Missed three by Kings. — JB can’t finish a jumper. Fox drives it in on the other end.
90-92 1:22
Brunson ties it for the Mavs. — Powell blocks a shot at the rim. — KP fouled on a jump shot. Makes ‘em both.
94-92 33 seconds
Mavs successfully defend shot by Barnes. Timeout. Mavs advance the ball. Brunson holds. KP misses, shot doesn’t hit the rim, shot clock violation. Kings timeout. Four seconds left.
Kings advance. Mavs commit foul to give. 3.8 seconds. Dorian fouls out.
OH NO!!!! Kings win the game on an open corner three by Metu from Fox at the buzzer.
94-95 FT
KP dominates all scorers with 13 points in the fourth, but the Mavs lose.
ANALYSIS
Last Sequence. Dameris calls it a worst-case scenario for the Mavs. With 28 seconds left, Brunson holds; by the time he gets the ball to KP, KP bobbles it and then has to take a tough shot that doesn’t draw iron, resulting in a dead ball turnover. When the Kings take the ball with 4 seconds left, Dorian takes their foul to give, fouling out and running only .5 second off the clock. Chances were good that the Kings wouldn’t beat them with a Metu three, but what do you know, they did.
Player Notes. Brunson led all scorers with 25 points. KP was a close second with 24, albeit on 8-19 shooting (1-6 from three). He drew a game-high 8 FTA, completing 7. DFS was also in double figures with 11, despite being limited to 10 minutes in the second half, due to foul trouble. Isaiah Thomas (13 min) and Theo Pinson (7 min) were the only hardship subs to play for Dallas. It was a starter-heavy game, with the bench scoring only 23 points.
The Mavs have now lost 9 straight clutch games.
OBSERVATIONS
TV comments mostly related to the late game strategy/execution.
Kidd. Burned their last timeout at 28 seconds to get JB back in the game for Green, who was in as a defensive situational sub. They wanted Brunson to take the last shot, but they didn’t get the switch they wanted, and KP ended up having to take a rushed attempt and committing a SCV turnover. Thought they had a good plan for the last defensive possessions, but Fox made a heck of a play, kicking out to Metu.
Bally. Questioning the clutch strategies.
— Did Brunson hold the ball a little too long on that last Mavs possession? KP took the shot with 4.8 seconds left on the shot clock.
— Should someone besides DFS have taken the foul to give? It was his sixth foul, and maybe they didn’t need to even have him out there for that 30-second interval before the last possession.
— Should they have waited another second to take the last foul? In retrospect, there was time for that, but Kidd said the plan was to take it at the first opportunity.
— Should Powell have helped off Metu? If they had given up a layup, they could have taken the game to overtime, but a three cost them the game. Hard to really blame Powell making that decision in the moment. Frankie had been beaten by Fox, and a player’s instincts would be to help on the layup, rather than sticking to a poor jump shooter. Brunson didn't rotate over when Powell backed off Metu.
Conclusion. Nine straight clutch losses. This is where the Mavs really miss Luka.
I guess this is what it looks like when the NBA keeps up a normal schedule during a weeks-long COVID surge. Night after night, decimated rosters on most teams are scrabbling together contests being sold as high-level basketball games. Yuck. The results seem so random from one night to the next. I’m really pretty over it.
NEXT. The Mavs face the self-same Kings in Sacramento on New Year’s Eve.
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