Mavs Lose Heartbreaker in OKC
The depleted Mavs lost a late-game lead again. I guess the good news is that they had an opportunity to win right down to the wire.
Game Story and Analytics
Ryan Broekhoff and Tim Hardaway were listed as out when the roster was submitted. Porzingis was a last-minute scratch with a sore knee. Roberson was missing for the Thunder.
The Mavs got off to a hot start, and built a 12-point lead by the end of the first quarter. In the second period, the Mavericks started injecting a little crazy into their game, taking super-long threes and flinging long passes. The Thunder ended the half with an 8-0 run, leaving Dallas with a 51-50 advantage. Danilo Gallinari messed with the Mavs' minds in the third, but the boys in blue hung in, entering the fourth with a 1-point edge. Our guys were up by 7 with 2:42 left in the game. Chris Paul was in the process of taking over the game, and scored 13 points in the last 4:40. In the last 2:42, OKC went on a 14-2 run. With ten seconds left, Maxi missed an open three, Seth grabbed the offensive board, and Luka missed another open three. Guess it just wasn't their night.
The Mavs were undone by very poor shooting (35%) and lukewarm rebounding, although they did have a presence on the offensive glass (17), especially toward the end of the game. They were +27 on points from threes, -2 on made free throws, and -30 on points from twos. I'm not sure what the deal is with the Mavericks and free throws, but they missed 7 of their 27 tries.
Players
Luka (40 min) had a monster night, with 35 points, 10 boards, and 7 assists. He had his usual array of spectacular plays, but in the end, it wasn't enough to get the team over the hump. I hate to critique the young superstar, but it did seem to me that he was taking an awful lot of very difficult shots -- very long threes, midrange attempts with one or more guys in his face, etc. I didn't go back and check to see how many of those were at the end of the shot clock, but it may be that he could be a little more patient in working for a better shot. Just a thought. He also had an unfortunate turnover at the end of the game. On the plus side, he nutmegged Steven Adams with a gorgeous pass, resulting in a Curry three in the middle of the fourth.
Maxi (35 min) had an excellent game, stepping in for KP. He had 14 points, including four threes, and a career-high 14 boards. He was the most effective Mav at defending the rim, and Steven Adams was limited to 10 points, being in foul trouble much of the game. Admirable performance by the young German.
Powell (29 min) and Brunson (23 min) were just okay. The bench was decimated by the advancement of Maxi and Brunson to the starting unit, and only managed to put 28 points on the board (compared to 40 from OKC's second unit). Seth was 3 of 13, but produced two threes and an offensive board in the fourth. Wright had three turnovers, including a critical lost ball down the stretch. Boban was sighted for 11 minutes. He grabbed 6 boards, and had a team-high plus-minus, at +8.
Remarks
Neither Ced nor Jet seemed particularly disturbed by the game, noting that the Mavs were on the road in front of a rambunctious crowd, and missing two starters and Broekhoff. Rick Carlisle was having none of these excuses. He noted that the team had not defended Paul well, and weren't consistent enough in any area of the game. It was a physical game, with a lot of dinged up guys, but they have to do better. Rebounding and penetration were problematic the whole game. The Thunder's playmaking was exceptional, and the Mavs didn't do a good enough job staying in front of them. Notwithstanding all that, the team was in position to win, but couldn't take advantage of their chances. Rick was clearly disappointed with the performance.
Jason Terry said he is a little discouraged by one thing. He is afraid that Luka is starting to wear down. He played a season-high 40 minutes, and Jet is of the opinion that his teammates need to give him more help.
It appeared to me that the Mavericks were clearly missing Porzingis and Hardaway. Each of those players is good for 10-20 points per night, and KP is the team's best rebounder. With the subs in, the team's rhythm seemed to be thrown off, and Luka had to shoulder a very heavy load. But even at that, they were seven points ahead with less than three minutes to go. I guess they are going to have to go through a certain number of these late-game struggles before they become proficient in clutch situations. It's not the worst loss in the world, but disappointing nonetheless. Hopefully, 2020 will bring better days.
Next. The Mavs begin a home stand against Brooklyn on Thursday.
Hope all you MFFLs have a very happy New Year!
The depleted Mavs lost a late-game lead again. I guess the good news is that they had an opportunity to win right down to the wire.
Game Story and Analytics
Ryan Broekhoff and Tim Hardaway were listed as out when the roster was submitted. Porzingis was a last-minute scratch with a sore knee. Roberson was missing for the Thunder.
The Mavs got off to a hot start, and built a 12-point lead by the end of the first quarter. In the second period, the Mavericks started injecting a little crazy into their game, taking super-long threes and flinging long passes. The Thunder ended the half with an 8-0 run, leaving Dallas with a 51-50 advantage. Danilo Gallinari messed with the Mavs' minds in the third, but the boys in blue hung in, entering the fourth with a 1-point edge. Our guys were up by 7 with 2:42 left in the game. Chris Paul was in the process of taking over the game, and scored 13 points in the last 4:40. In the last 2:42, OKC went on a 14-2 run. With ten seconds left, Maxi missed an open three, Seth grabbed the offensive board, and Luka missed another open three. Guess it just wasn't their night.
The Mavs were undone by very poor shooting (35%) and lukewarm rebounding, although they did have a presence on the offensive glass (17), especially toward the end of the game. They were +27 on points from threes, -2 on made free throws, and -30 on points from twos. I'm not sure what the deal is with the Mavericks and free throws, but they missed 7 of their 27 tries.
Players
Luka (40 min) had a monster night, with 35 points, 10 boards, and 7 assists. He had his usual array of spectacular plays, but in the end, it wasn't enough to get the team over the hump. I hate to critique the young superstar, but it did seem to me that he was taking an awful lot of very difficult shots -- very long threes, midrange attempts with one or more guys in his face, etc. I didn't go back and check to see how many of those were at the end of the shot clock, but it may be that he could be a little more patient in working for a better shot. Just a thought. He also had an unfortunate turnover at the end of the game. On the plus side, he nutmegged Steven Adams with a gorgeous pass, resulting in a Curry three in the middle of the fourth.
Maxi (35 min) had an excellent game, stepping in for KP. He had 14 points, including four threes, and a career-high 14 boards. He was the most effective Mav at defending the rim, and Steven Adams was limited to 10 points, being in foul trouble much of the game. Admirable performance by the young German.
Powell (29 min) and Brunson (23 min) were just okay. The bench was decimated by the advancement of Maxi and Brunson to the starting unit, and only managed to put 28 points on the board (compared to 40 from OKC's second unit). Seth was 3 of 13, but produced two threes and an offensive board in the fourth. Wright had three turnovers, including a critical lost ball down the stretch. Boban was sighted for 11 minutes. He grabbed 6 boards, and had a team-high plus-minus, at +8.
Remarks
Neither Ced nor Jet seemed particularly disturbed by the game, noting that the Mavs were on the road in front of a rambunctious crowd, and missing two starters and Broekhoff. Rick Carlisle was having none of these excuses. He noted that the team had not defended Paul well, and weren't consistent enough in any area of the game. It was a physical game, with a lot of dinged up guys, but they have to do better. Rebounding and penetration were problematic the whole game. The Thunder's playmaking was exceptional, and the Mavs didn't do a good enough job staying in front of them. Notwithstanding all that, the team was in position to win, but couldn't take advantage of their chances. Rick was clearly disappointed with the performance.
Jason Terry said he is a little discouraged by one thing. He is afraid that Luka is starting to wear down. He played a season-high 40 minutes, and Jet is of the opinion that his teammates need to give him more help.
It appeared to me that the Mavericks were clearly missing Porzingis and Hardaway. Each of those players is good for 10-20 points per night, and KP is the team's best rebounder. With the subs in, the team's rhythm seemed to be thrown off, and Luka had to shoulder a very heavy load. But even at that, they were seven points ahead with less than three minutes to go. I guess they are going to have to go through a certain number of these late-game struggles before they become proficient in clutch situations. It's not the worst loss in the world, but disappointing nonetheless. Hopefully, 2020 will bring better days.
Next. The Mavs begin a home stand against Brooklyn on Thursday.
Hope all you MFFLs have a very happy New Year!