Mavs Blown Out By AD-Less Lakers
What a beatdown. Mavericks lay an egg at home in a contest with a hated opponent.
Game Story
KP and Broekhoff were out for the Mavs. The Lakers were missing AD and Cousins.
Basically, the Lakers reached a double-digit lead within a few minutes, and never surrendered it.
For further gory details, Carlisle put Wright in for KP in the starting lineup, choosing to go small for much of the game. The Mavs came out flat (as they often do at home), while LeBron was in beast mode and his team followed his example. The Lakers had a season-high in points in a quarter, with a 45-27 lead at the end of the first period. The LA team waltzed to the rim at will. The Mavs were 2-11 on 3PTAs and gave up 14 points off turnovers.
Around three minutes into the second, Carlisle called a timeout and gave his team a tongue-lashing in the huddle regarding their poor defense, according to a sideline reporter. Late in the period, Luka went to the line, missed both free throws, and ripped his jersey, playing the remainder of the half with a split-shirt look. At the interval, the scoreline stood at 58-79, constituting a season-high for points in a half for the Lakers, and a second-worst franchise record for the Mavs for points given up in a half.
At halftime, perhaps the coach gave a motivating speech, as the home team returned with more energy. Eventually, Howard and McGee both made their ways to the bench with five fouls each, and Dallas took advantage pf the opportunity, attacking the basket and going on a 10-2 run to draw within ten. However, the Lakers resumed their 20-point edge within a few minutes. Carlisle was ejected with a second technical in the fourth, when he went ballistic over the refs awarding the Lakers a timeout after the Mavs had inbounded the ball. The Mavericks continued to flail, and the benches were emptied with about 4 minutes remaining.
The Lakers set a number of minor records, including a season-high in points for Kuzma (26), and a season-high in rebounds for LeBron (16). A game to forget for MFFLs.
Analytics
As much as anything, this was a game of missed opportunities. The Mavs got seven more attempts up than the Lakers, but shot too poorly to capitalize. They had 14 more 3PTAs, but only one more made three than their opponent, hitting 11 of 38 from long range. The boys in blue even had 5 more FTAs than the purple-and-gold, but failed to take advantage, missing a staggering 12 foul shots. Dallas had 17 offensive rebounds, but went 6 of 18 on second-chance opportunities. They gave up 60 PIP to the Lakers, and surrendered 21 points off turnovers, along with 26 fast-break points. Non-existent rim protection, poor shooting, a terrible performance at the line, and a Laker team in the mood to play doomed the Mavs, although at least they gave themselves chances.
Players
Luka (32 min) had a 25-10-7 line, but took 19 shots to get there, missed 5 free throws, had 6 turnovers, and looked off for much of the night. The Lakers were taking liberties with him physically, and the officiating left a lot to be desired. The young man appeared to let it take him out of the game, and he spent the first half in an evident state of frustration. He recovered his composure to a degree in the third, but by then, the horse had bolted the barn. One of the analysts commented that Luka appeared to lack confidence in his teammates, tried to do too much, played very aggressively, and turned the ball over. Carlisle urged his presser audience to remember that Luka is just 20 years old, citing his own 20-year-old status of not knowing "whether to s__t or wind my wristwatch." O-kay.
Hardaway (32 min) contributed 22 points, and was Rick's go-to option when Luka was off the floor. Seth (32 min) added 16 points off the bench and was one of the few Mavs to have a decent shooting night (3-6 from three). Curry said after the game that he appreciated Rick taking a stand on the officiating in the absence of an older superstar who can "stand up to the refs," noting that he is getting held a lot off the ball and that the squad is not getting much respect from the officials. Powell (26 min) and Maxi (23 min) were stifled, combining for 9 points and 6 boards.
Boban (10 min) was a bright spot of sorts. He didn't protect the rim any better than the other bigs, but at least he provided some offense, with 14 points and 10 rebounds (7 offensive) in short minutes. Always a crowd-pleaser, the gentle giant drew cheers from the arena. I expect we will hear more from dahlsim on the matter.
Lakers. LeBron was a man on a mission, determined to put his stamp on this game. None of the Mavs could begin to guard him one-on-one, and for most of the game, the team elected not to double-team. The big wing imposed his will, and obliterated the Mavs in the paint. Yikes. Kyle Kuzma also left his imprint, scoring 26 points.
Remarks
The NBATV crew didn't think the Mavs got shown up. More that the game exposed the critical role of KP, noting that Luka's game went to another level this season with KP on the floor, and experienced some reversion without him. They also noted that the offense featured a lot of standing around by the other Mavs. Another learning opportunity for the young team.
I'm not sure how much there is to gain from a detailed analysis. There were some big-picture items that have been rearing their heads lately.
The Mavs desperately missed KP on both ends of the court. They needed his rim protection, floor spacing, and skills on both ends of the floor. This stretch of games has certainly made us appreciate the importance of the big man.
The Mavs lacked the size, strength, and length to contend with the Lakers' big men and wings, especially LeBron. They also lacked a defensive presence at all in the first half.
What's with the Mavs and free throws? After missing 8 attempts against Denver, they upped the ante to 12 versus the Lakers. There is no blaming refs, Lakers, or coaching for that -- it's on the players.
Luka, despite a good line, had an off night. He admitted after the game that he had played "very bad," and said that he is only 20 years old, and has a lot to learn. During the game, he appeared perhaps a little too conscious that he didn't have a lot of firepower around him. The Mavs depend on synergy to deliver, with few impressive individual performers outside of the two stars, and when the other guys are playing a passive role, the team tends to deteriorate into chaos.
The game was very choppy, with the teams combining for 69 free-throw attempts. It resulted in a not-very-pleasing show, even apart from the result, as far as entertainment quality. The uneven officiating even had Mark Jackson calling the refs out for favoring the Lakers -- you know it's bad, at that point. However, the refs weren't the reason the Mavs lost the game, so I'll leave it at that.
I know this will not be a popular view, but this match had all the marks of the Mavs' being beaten by a better team. Carlisle noted that his squad finally started showing some fight in the third quarter, which they won by 8 points, but it was far from enough. I think the contest reminded us that this is still a very inexperienced group, with a very young star, and they still have a lot of room to grow. Should be fun witnessing their progress, and nights like this are likely to be a part of it every now and then.
Next. Philadelphia, at the AAC on Saturday. KP will still be out, but so will Embiid. With the Mavs in relative free fall (lost five of last seven), they are clinging to sixth place by a game. Hopefully, something will click against the Sixers.
Bounce back, young Mavs!
What a beatdown. Mavericks lay an egg at home in a contest with a hated opponent.
Game Story
KP and Broekhoff were out for the Mavs. The Lakers were missing AD and Cousins.
Basically, the Lakers reached a double-digit lead within a few minutes, and never surrendered it.
For further gory details, Carlisle put Wright in for KP in the starting lineup, choosing to go small for much of the game. The Mavs came out flat (as they often do at home), while LeBron was in beast mode and his team followed his example. The Lakers had a season-high in points in a quarter, with a 45-27 lead at the end of the first period. The LA team waltzed to the rim at will. The Mavs were 2-11 on 3PTAs and gave up 14 points off turnovers.
Around three minutes into the second, Carlisle called a timeout and gave his team a tongue-lashing in the huddle regarding their poor defense, according to a sideline reporter. Late in the period, Luka went to the line, missed both free throws, and ripped his jersey, playing the remainder of the half with a split-shirt look. At the interval, the scoreline stood at 58-79, constituting a season-high for points in a half for the Lakers, and a second-worst franchise record for the Mavs for points given up in a half.
At halftime, perhaps the coach gave a motivating speech, as the home team returned with more energy. Eventually, Howard and McGee both made their ways to the bench with five fouls each, and Dallas took advantage pf the opportunity, attacking the basket and going on a 10-2 run to draw within ten. However, the Lakers resumed their 20-point edge within a few minutes. Carlisle was ejected with a second technical in the fourth, when he went ballistic over the refs awarding the Lakers a timeout after the Mavs had inbounded the ball. The Mavericks continued to flail, and the benches were emptied with about 4 minutes remaining.
The Lakers set a number of minor records, including a season-high in points for Kuzma (26), and a season-high in rebounds for LeBron (16). A game to forget for MFFLs.
Analytics
As much as anything, this was a game of missed opportunities. The Mavs got seven more attempts up than the Lakers, but shot too poorly to capitalize. They had 14 more 3PTAs, but only one more made three than their opponent, hitting 11 of 38 from long range. The boys in blue even had 5 more FTAs than the purple-and-gold, but failed to take advantage, missing a staggering 12 foul shots. Dallas had 17 offensive rebounds, but went 6 of 18 on second-chance opportunities. They gave up 60 PIP to the Lakers, and surrendered 21 points off turnovers, along with 26 fast-break points. Non-existent rim protection, poor shooting, a terrible performance at the line, and a Laker team in the mood to play doomed the Mavs, although at least they gave themselves chances.
Players
Luka (32 min) had a 25-10-7 line, but took 19 shots to get there, missed 5 free throws, had 6 turnovers, and looked off for much of the night. The Lakers were taking liberties with him physically, and the officiating left a lot to be desired. The young man appeared to let it take him out of the game, and he spent the first half in an evident state of frustration. He recovered his composure to a degree in the third, but by then, the horse had bolted the barn. One of the analysts commented that Luka appeared to lack confidence in his teammates, tried to do too much, played very aggressively, and turned the ball over. Carlisle urged his presser audience to remember that Luka is just 20 years old, citing his own 20-year-old status of not knowing "whether to s__t or wind my wristwatch." O-kay.
Hardaway (32 min) contributed 22 points, and was Rick's go-to option when Luka was off the floor. Seth (32 min) added 16 points off the bench and was one of the few Mavs to have a decent shooting night (3-6 from three). Curry said after the game that he appreciated Rick taking a stand on the officiating in the absence of an older superstar who can "stand up to the refs," noting that he is getting held a lot off the ball and that the squad is not getting much respect from the officials. Powell (26 min) and Maxi (23 min) were stifled, combining for 9 points and 6 boards.
Boban (10 min) was a bright spot of sorts. He didn't protect the rim any better than the other bigs, but at least he provided some offense, with 14 points and 10 rebounds (7 offensive) in short minutes. Always a crowd-pleaser, the gentle giant drew cheers from the arena. I expect we will hear more from dahlsim on the matter.
Lakers. LeBron was a man on a mission, determined to put his stamp on this game. None of the Mavs could begin to guard him one-on-one, and for most of the game, the team elected not to double-team. The big wing imposed his will, and obliterated the Mavs in the paint. Yikes. Kyle Kuzma also left his imprint, scoring 26 points.
Remarks
The NBATV crew didn't think the Mavs got shown up. More that the game exposed the critical role of KP, noting that Luka's game went to another level this season with KP on the floor, and experienced some reversion without him. They also noted that the offense featured a lot of standing around by the other Mavs. Another learning opportunity for the young team.
I'm not sure how much there is to gain from a detailed analysis. There were some big-picture items that have been rearing their heads lately.
The Mavs desperately missed KP on both ends of the court. They needed his rim protection, floor spacing, and skills on both ends of the floor. This stretch of games has certainly made us appreciate the importance of the big man.
The Mavs lacked the size, strength, and length to contend with the Lakers' big men and wings, especially LeBron. They also lacked a defensive presence at all in the first half.
What's with the Mavs and free throws? After missing 8 attempts against Denver, they upped the ante to 12 versus the Lakers. There is no blaming refs, Lakers, or coaching for that -- it's on the players.
Luka, despite a good line, had an off night. He admitted after the game that he had played "very bad," and said that he is only 20 years old, and has a lot to learn. During the game, he appeared perhaps a little too conscious that he didn't have a lot of firepower around him. The Mavs depend on synergy to deliver, with few impressive individual performers outside of the two stars, and when the other guys are playing a passive role, the team tends to deteriorate into chaos.
The game was very choppy, with the teams combining for 69 free-throw attempts. It resulted in a not-very-pleasing show, even apart from the result, as far as entertainment quality. The uneven officiating even had Mark Jackson calling the refs out for favoring the Lakers -- you know it's bad, at that point. However, the refs weren't the reason the Mavs lost the game, so I'll leave it at that.
I know this will not be a popular view, but this match had all the marks of the Mavs' being beaten by a better team. Carlisle noted that his squad finally started showing some fight in the third quarter, which they won by 8 points, but it was far from enough. I think the contest reminded us that this is still a very inexperienced group, with a very young star, and they still have a lot of room to grow. Should be fun witnessing their progress, and nights like this are likely to be a part of it every now and then.
Next. Philadelphia, at the AAC on Saturday. KP will still be out, but so will Embiid. With the Mavs in relative free fall (lost five of last seven), they are clinging to sixth place by a game. Hopefully, something will click against the Sixers.
Bounce back, young Mavs!