MAVERICKS HUMBLED IN HOME OPENER
Whoo-ee. That was brutal. Just brutal. Did not see that coming.
The young Hornets humiliated the Mavs on their home floor on a night where pretty much nothing went right for Dallas.
GAME STORY
The Mavs got off to a half-decent start, even beginning the game 6-0. The Hornets fought back, and Dallas took what would turn out to be their last lead of the game on a Hardaway layup with 2:10 left in the first. Charlotte made a little run to close the quarter, and the Mavericks were down 29-36 after twelve minutes.
The game was pretty close in the first half of the second, before the Hornets bench whooped up on the Mavs some, and took a 15-point lead. The home team hit a couple of threes, but gave up a pull-up to Rozier. They entered the locker room trailing 57-68. Some halftime commentators debated about whether the Mavs could climb out of the 11-point hole. They needn’t have worried. The worst was yet to come.
The Hornets started the third with a 5-0 run, prompting Rick to call a timeout 40 seconds in. To no avail. Charlotte put 16 points on the board before the Mavs could score, and then just had a point on 1-4 free throws by Willie. With 5:11 left, Dallas had scored three points in the period and were down by 30. By the 2:56 mark, they reached a game-high 31-point deficit. They ended the frame with an ignominious 12 twelve points scored, as against 30 from their opponents. 69-98.
Dwight Powell and the reserves acquitted themselves decently in the fourth quarter, and the final scoreline of 99-118 actually flattered the Mavs.
NOTABLE ITEMS
3. Shooting. There was a lid on the basket for the Mavs in this one. They shot below 50% from inside the arc, 29% on threes, and a horrendous 58% from the line. This is compared to 56/41/81 from the Hornets. The Mavs got up 3 more shots, 8 more threes, and 12 more free throws than the opponents, but dismally failed to capitalize. The problem was widespread: Richardson 1-10; Burke 1-9; DFS 2-8; Brunson 5-13. Doe-Doe, Richardson, Luka, and Burke combined to go 2-21 from deep. The team took 33 free throws and missed 14. Yikes. I do have to say that the team was getting open shots, at least for a while, but not hitting the basket. So, at least the offense was working to a degree for a time. The leading scorers were: Hardaway 18, Brunson 16, Maxi and Luka 12 each.
4. Possessions. The Hornets had a 50-39 rebounding advantage. Although the Mavs took pretty good care of the ball (14 turnovers) and forced 23 giveaways from Charlotte, their edge in points off turnovers was only 7 points. As for defense, they left it in Los Angeles. The Hornets had numerous open threes, and got to the rim at will.
5. Hardaway. If there was a bright spot for the Mavs, it would have to be Tim. He was 7-10 from the floor, including 3-6 from three. He had a team-high 18 points, and also led the team in minutes (28). In his post-game interview, he said he thought the key to winning was to defend hard on every defensive possession and secure the rebound if one is available, which they didn't. He said they can’t control the score, but they can get out there and do their best every night, and they didn’t do that on this night. Said he can’t think of an excuse for the performance.
6. Doncic. Luka had a 12/2/5 line with 3 turnovers, which is terrible by his high standards. Rick reminded us that he played only 24 minutes, but I don’t think Luka would want excuses made for him. It was painful to see him struggle. He was 0-5 from three, which brings him to 2-21 for the season. A couple of those were airballs. After the game, while people were giving their interviews, he was out on the court putting up shots. Afterward, he admitted that his legs are so “very tired.” Reporters peppered Rick with questions about what was wrong with Luka, and Rick became impatient at what he viewed as scapegoating. He acknowledged that Luka “doesn’t have his rhythm yet,” and predicts that his young star will be fine. In spite of a slow start, I agree with that.
7. Centers. The big men were underwhelming, despite the fact that they were opposing a smallish team. They combined for 28 points and a lame 14 rebounds. Powell had 9 points and 4 boards, but did most of his damage when the game was already out of reach. At one point, he went up for a dunk, but got fouled and had a wedgie, sending chills and thrills through wedgie aficionado Mark Followill. Maxi hit 4-5 threes in the first quarter, but never took another shot. WCS had 5 points and 3 rebounds in 9 minutes, was 1-4 from the line, and had 4 fouls in his brief time on the floor. Bobi had a mere cameo at the end.
8. Bench. Brunson did a good job leading the reserves in the fourth, and scored 11 points in the frame. Burke had 4 assists and 2 steals in 20 minutes, but was 1-9 from the floor. James Johnson was ejected after his second technical in the last three minutes of the game. He was T’d up before for some infraction on the bench. His second T was called as a result of a fracas with the Martin twins involving elbows, head butts, jawing, and scowls. Perhaps it’s just a small bump in the road in the context of the game, but technical fouls should be spent wisely, and one has to wonder whether they should be used on the bench and in the dying minutes of a game that has already been decided. Of course, I don't know the details of the provocations, and we may never find out.
9. Hornets. The Hornets were substantial underdogs before the game started, and were supposed to be one of a couple of teams that the Mavs “should” beat in their first ten games. Coming off their 51-point slaughter of the Clippers, perhaps the Mavericks underestimated this young team. The Hornets, to their credit, played very hard on both ends of the court, and put together a respectable performance. Bench players LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges destroyed the Mavs, combining for 42 points and 24 rebounds.
OBSERVATIONS
Rick termed the contest an “ugly game” and a “disappointing loss.” He thought his team got dominated in the first three quarters, and was proud of their fight back in the fourth. His takeaway was that you can’t play for 12 minutes of a 48-minute game and expect to win. He noted that the Mavs didn’t match the Hornets’ aggressiveness and physicality, and didn’t adjust by attacking the rim when their threes weren’t falling. He was very defensive of Luka, and I got the impression he was very much not enjoying the interview.
I don’t want to make any excuses for this lukewarm performance, and I don’t. I do note, however, that there is a lot of this going around the league. Lower-tier teams decisively beating favorites, blowouts everywhere you look, and very little consistency. I think, from an overall league perspective, this may just be what you get with a very short training camp and almost no offseason. A lot of bad basketball, as teams play their way into shape.
This was a disappointing loss, and although we should take it seriously, I don’t think we should overreact and go jumping off bridges over it. The team looked very good just a few days ago, and that is something to build on. It is clear from the first four games that this group are a ways off from having settled into an identity at this point, and over the next few weeks, we’ll be a witness to seeing them become who they are — a process that usually takes place behind the curtain in pre-season.
I don’t take too much away from this game, one way or another. Better times are coming. They have to be.
The Mavs play the Heat next, on Friday. Meanwhile, HAPPY NEW YEAR to all the MFFLs!!!
Whoo-ee. That was brutal. Just brutal. Did not see that coming.
The young Hornets humiliated the Mavs on their home floor on a night where pretty much nothing went right for Dallas.
GAME STORY
The Mavs got off to a half-decent start, even beginning the game 6-0. The Hornets fought back, and Dallas took what would turn out to be their last lead of the game on a Hardaway layup with 2:10 left in the first. Charlotte made a little run to close the quarter, and the Mavericks were down 29-36 after twelve minutes.
The game was pretty close in the first half of the second, before the Hornets bench whooped up on the Mavs some, and took a 15-point lead. The home team hit a couple of threes, but gave up a pull-up to Rozier. They entered the locker room trailing 57-68. Some halftime commentators debated about whether the Mavs could climb out of the 11-point hole. They needn’t have worried. The worst was yet to come.
The Hornets started the third with a 5-0 run, prompting Rick to call a timeout 40 seconds in. To no avail. Charlotte put 16 points on the board before the Mavs could score, and then just had a point on 1-4 free throws by Willie. With 5:11 left, Dallas had scored three points in the period and were down by 30. By the 2:56 mark, they reached a game-high 31-point deficit. They ended the frame with an ignominious 12 twelve points scored, as against 30 from their opponents. 69-98.
Dwight Powell and the reserves acquitted themselves decently in the fourth quarter, and the final scoreline of 99-118 actually flattered the Mavs.
NOTABLE ITEMS
- General performance. I hardly know what to say. The Mavs just looked bad in every aspect of the game. Nothing like the team that blew out the Clippers on Sunday. Out of sync, poor body language, lack of attention to detail, looked like a pick-up game. I thought they might have turned a corner in Los Angeles, but it looks like they’re still trying to play themselves into a rhythm. After the game, one of the players said something to the effect that they are still working the kinks out, and that in a normal athletic year, they would still be in pre-season at this point. Probably something to that. It seems to be a factor around the league.
3. Shooting. There was a lid on the basket for the Mavs in this one. They shot below 50% from inside the arc, 29% on threes, and a horrendous 58% from the line. This is compared to 56/41/81 from the Hornets. The Mavs got up 3 more shots, 8 more threes, and 12 more free throws than the opponents, but dismally failed to capitalize. The problem was widespread: Richardson 1-10; Burke 1-9; DFS 2-8; Brunson 5-13. Doe-Doe, Richardson, Luka, and Burke combined to go 2-21 from deep. The team took 33 free throws and missed 14. Yikes. I do have to say that the team was getting open shots, at least for a while, but not hitting the basket. So, at least the offense was working to a degree for a time. The leading scorers were: Hardaway 18, Brunson 16, Maxi and Luka 12 each.
4. Possessions. The Hornets had a 50-39 rebounding advantage. Although the Mavs took pretty good care of the ball (14 turnovers) and forced 23 giveaways from Charlotte, their edge in points off turnovers was only 7 points. As for defense, they left it in Los Angeles. The Hornets had numerous open threes, and got to the rim at will.
5. Hardaway. If there was a bright spot for the Mavs, it would have to be Tim. He was 7-10 from the floor, including 3-6 from three. He had a team-high 18 points, and also led the team in minutes (28). In his post-game interview, he said he thought the key to winning was to defend hard on every defensive possession and secure the rebound if one is available, which they didn't. He said they can’t control the score, but they can get out there and do their best every night, and they didn’t do that on this night. Said he can’t think of an excuse for the performance.
6. Doncic. Luka had a 12/2/5 line with 3 turnovers, which is terrible by his high standards. Rick reminded us that he played only 24 minutes, but I don’t think Luka would want excuses made for him. It was painful to see him struggle. He was 0-5 from three, which brings him to 2-21 for the season. A couple of those were airballs. After the game, while people were giving their interviews, he was out on the court putting up shots. Afterward, he admitted that his legs are so “very tired.” Reporters peppered Rick with questions about what was wrong with Luka, and Rick became impatient at what he viewed as scapegoating. He acknowledged that Luka “doesn’t have his rhythm yet,” and predicts that his young star will be fine. In spite of a slow start, I agree with that.
7. Centers. The big men were underwhelming, despite the fact that they were opposing a smallish team. They combined for 28 points and a lame 14 rebounds. Powell had 9 points and 4 boards, but did most of his damage when the game was already out of reach. At one point, he went up for a dunk, but got fouled and had a wedgie, sending chills and thrills through wedgie aficionado Mark Followill. Maxi hit 4-5 threes in the first quarter, but never took another shot. WCS had 5 points and 3 rebounds in 9 minutes, was 1-4 from the line, and had 4 fouls in his brief time on the floor. Bobi had a mere cameo at the end.
8. Bench. Brunson did a good job leading the reserves in the fourth, and scored 11 points in the frame. Burke had 4 assists and 2 steals in 20 minutes, but was 1-9 from the floor. James Johnson was ejected after his second technical in the last three minutes of the game. He was T’d up before for some infraction on the bench. His second T was called as a result of a fracas with the Martin twins involving elbows, head butts, jawing, and scowls. Perhaps it’s just a small bump in the road in the context of the game, but technical fouls should be spent wisely, and one has to wonder whether they should be used on the bench and in the dying minutes of a game that has already been decided. Of course, I don't know the details of the provocations, and we may never find out.
9. Hornets. The Hornets were substantial underdogs before the game started, and were supposed to be one of a couple of teams that the Mavs “should” beat in their first ten games. Coming off their 51-point slaughter of the Clippers, perhaps the Mavericks underestimated this young team. The Hornets, to their credit, played very hard on both ends of the court, and put together a respectable performance. Bench players LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges destroyed the Mavs, combining for 42 points and 24 rebounds.
OBSERVATIONS
Rick termed the contest an “ugly game” and a “disappointing loss.” He thought his team got dominated in the first three quarters, and was proud of their fight back in the fourth. His takeaway was that you can’t play for 12 minutes of a 48-minute game and expect to win. He noted that the Mavs didn’t match the Hornets’ aggressiveness and physicality, and didn’t adjust by attacking the rim when their threes weren’t falling. He was very defensive of Luka, and I got the impression he was very much not enjoying the interview.
I don’t want to make any excuses for this lukewarm performance, and I don’t. I do note, however, that there is a lot of this going around the league. Lower-tier teams decisively beating favorites, blowouts everywhere you look, and very little consistency. I think, from an overall league perspective, this may just be what you get with a very short training camp and almost no offseason. A lot of bad basketball, as teams play their way into shape.
This was a disappointing loss, and although we should take it seriously, I don’t think we should overreact and go jumping off bridges over it. The team looked very good just a few days ago, and that is something to build on. It is clear from the first four games that this group are a ways off from having settled into an identity at this point, and over the next few weeks, we’ll be a witness to seeing them become who they are — a process that usually takes place behind the curtain in pre-season.
I don’t take too much away from this game, one way or another. Better times are coming. They have to be.
The Mavs play the Heat next, on Friday. Meanwhile, HAPPY NEW YEAR to all the MFFLs!!!