MAVERICKS 105, KINGS 99

[mavsluvr]

MAVS PUT KINGS AWAY ON HALLOWEEN 

The Mavericks faced last season’s nemesis, the Kings, in a matinee Halloween match at the AAC. They salted away another win, leading wire-to-wire but for a brief interval in the third quarter. 


GAME NOTES

Sterling Brown returned to the active roster, but Porzingis was declared out for his third consecutive game with back tightness. Some of the Mavs players showed up in costume, with Bobi sporting long hair, a headband, and sunglasses in a hysterical impersonation of Axl Rose. Kidd went with a new starting lineup, selecting Luka-THJ-DFS-Maxi-Powell, substituting Maxi for Bullock. 

FIRST QUARTER

Luka-DP full downcourt pass results in a bucket. Woo-hoo! Powell hits his second three of the season! THJ sails one in from the corner. 12-3 9:28. Now this is more like it for a start. 

Maxi from three! The treys are raining down! DFS from way downtown! Maxi lay-up following two offensive rebounds by the Mavs! 5:48 22-9. This Mavs team looks nothing like the sluggish squad in Denver. This is a high-energy scoring extravaganza!

Brunson and Willie have come in. Maxi throws it down, but then motions that he needs to come out. Hope he’s okay. Bullock enters. Frankie makes an appearance, scores immediately. Ntlikina with a l-o-n-g three. Sterling Brown enters the game. 31-22 after one. Mavs achieve their first twelve-minute lead of the season. 

SECOND QUARTER

Maxi reported questionable to return after a back strain. Dang. Mavs leave Harrison Barnes open in the corner. Bad idea. Luka back in, draws a foul, misses both freebies. Then, has an impressive drive to the basket. 37-32 6:49. Dallas managing to keep a little separation. Bobby Karalla suggests that Dallas’ 22-9 early run was followed by a 23-11 run by the Kings. I believe it. 

Hardaway bombs in a three, followed by a Dorian dunk. The crowd loves it. Hardaway for three again! Sac scoring well in the paint, but 2-16 from three. Frankie takes a charge. Luka signature drive and and-one. Misses the free throw, but still. Mavs force a shot-clock violation. Luka earns two points on a Kings goal tend. Luka from downtown! Sac forces a shot violation with very aggressive D on three Mavs. Luka forces a Barnes turnover. 53-47 at halftime.  

Luka leads the team with 16 points, but has missed 4 of his six FTAs. The fourth miss brought on a frustrated scream. Maxi has been ruled out for the rest of the game. Mavs will miss him. All the starters are in double-digit positive figures, while all the bench boys are negative, confirming the eye test. The crowd is filled with beasties, lol. Looks very festive. 

THIRD QUARTER

Reggie Bullock comes out in Maxi’s place. A second goaltended shot from Luka. Maybe the Kings should take a look at the rule book re hands in the cylinder. Bullock to a cutting DFS for a dunk! Bullock scores on a baseline cut. Luka teed up for sassing the ref. Sac takes their first lead of the game. Mavs are unable to stop them in the paint. Both teams miserable from three. 61-60  6:28. Mavs holding on. 

Timmy from long-range. DFS blocks a Barnes dunk attempt. Moses in for a couple of possessions. Frank looking good. 70-68 2:52.

Bullock tips in a Kings shot. Yikes. Then Kings called for basket interference. Again? This is an NBA team, right? Mavs closing the half with an all-bench unit. Bullock dunks on a fast break. Reggie from the corner! 82-72 after three. The bench stretched the lead from 2 to 10!

FOURTH QUARTER

Kidd continues with on-fire bench unit — FN-JB-SB-RB-WCS.  Luka checks back in with less than two minutes played. Luka-WCS! S Brown with a three in transition! 89-77 8:44.

DFS and Powell back in. The Luka-Powell connection strikes again! 91-83 8:38. Kidd calls time to nip this Kings run in the bud. DP drive-and-dish to DFS (yes, you read that right) draws free throws for Doe-Doe. Sac making a run here. Two offensive fouls on DFS and DP. Kings within three. Luka loses the ball, runs to the backcourt, and hits from the center! Then a transition jam by DFS! 97-89 3:50. 

DFS with a huge hustle play to keep a rebound inbounds. THJ runs the floor and dunks with authority! Dallas closes with the starting unit, using Brunson in place of Maxi. Mavs put Kings on free-throw line with 30 seconds left. Well, it won’t matter. 105-99 FT. Nice finish!


ANALYSIS

The Mavs were not impressive beyond the arc at 32%, but the Kings’ putrid 19% performance gave Dallas the advantage. The Mavs also had a pretty insipid night from the line, earning 20 attempts and hitting only 13. Sac’s 17 offensive rebounds and 29 second-chance points kept them in it. They were also very good inside, with 60 PIP. The Mavs, however, almost matched with 52. Dallas had a rare substantial advantage in fast-break points (13-1), which made for a lot of shock and awe in the arena. 


PLAYER NOTES

DONCIC. Luka returned to his old form with 23 points and 10 boards, and took charge of the game like his usual self. Best performance of the young season! He led the Mavs in scoring despite going 1-7 from three (but the one being from the logo!) and 2-6 from the line. Was able to get to the rim, recovering from Friday night. Another entertaining show from the Slovenian! 

DFS. Dorian still hasn’t quite gotten into his offensive groove, but showed a little improvement at 12 points (5-13, 1-6 from three). He was a critical part of the defense, however, and joined Luka in co-leading the Mavs in minutes (35). 

THJ. Timmy didn’t have a great shooting night (5-14, 4-11 from range), but still put up a team-second 16 points. He also had 3 assists and a couple of steals, and was one of the most energetic guys on the court. The Mavs haven’t been getting him the best looks this season, but I imagine that will be on their priority list. 

POWELL. Dwight and Timmy both played 33 minutes tonight, with Powell getting extended run with Maxi and KP out. He and Luka were cooking, and DP ended the game with 12 points (4-5) and 8 rebounds (4 offensive). Luka really likes playing with the Canadian, and this game was a good example of the tandem working.

FRANK. The French Prince earned the post-game interview, and looked tres bien on the court.  He got an extended runout of 21 minutes, and was the leading scorer off the bench with 12 points (4-6). He also showed off some  of the ball handling and defensive skills in his repertoire. Very impressive! It wouldn’t shock me to see this guy graduate to the rotation this season. Whatever his shooting issues were, he appears to have worked on them. Looked nothing like the player we saw in NY (and that’s a good thing!). Kidd commended him for having a well-rounded game (scoring, playmaking, and defense), and ventured that, as hard as he works, you just have to play him. 

BENCH. Brunson had a little trouble finishing tonight (3-10), but led a bench run and spent some time playing off Luka. Bullock had 7 points on 3-9 shooting in 22 minutes as a reserve, and was the only Mav playing more than a minute who was in negative figures (-6).  Seems like he is still working his way into the system. Willie was the backup center, and had 4 points and 6 boards in 14 minutes. He also appears to be working his way back to being a high-impact player. Sterling made one shot, a three, in 12 minutes. Meh. Moses appeared for a couple of possessions. 

Maxi had to retire with his back strain after playing only 7 minutes. Let's hope he is back in action soon. The team needs him. Omoruyi, Boban, Burke, and Green were DNP-CDs, and KP was sidelined with injury. Boban, however, was the star of the costume show, with his campy appearance as a huge Axl Rose, lol. 

KINGS. Sac had six guys in double figures, led by Richaun Holmes with 22 points and 13 boards. Former Mav Harrison Barnes did himself proud with 15-10-5, despite being targeted by Dallas. Their 7-36 performance from three really killed their chances. I was not especially impressed by this group. Horrible long-range shooting, airballs, reaching in over the rim, mistakes all over the place. But, give them credit, they made a game of it. 


OBSERVATIONS 

Kidd started the game at a fast pace in honor of Halloween (?!). Was proud of the defensive effort. Thought good attention to detail resulted in a fine start. The absence of two bigs gave some of the smaller players (Reggie, S Brown, for example) a chance for some minutes. Thinks the guys were great in transition defense. Also said the Luka-Powell duo was instrumental in enabling them to play faster, and they want to get back to doing more of that. 

One could probably argue that a six-point win was not that much of a statement, but we aren’t going to look any gift horses in the mouth, and we have to remember they were playing without two of their big guys. The win leaves Dallas with a 4-2 record, which is a pret-ty good win-loss number to start the season. 

NEXT. Dallas will face Miami on Tuesday night at the AAC. I think a win is doable.

[Hypermav]

Frank is working his way up the roatation.  His offense is smooth compared to Green and defense is equal or better.  

I think Green is expendable in a trade scenario now.  Frank and Omoruyi will have to represent the failed draft year going forward.

[Omega_Supreme]

Frank is working his way up the roatation.  His offense is smooth compared to Green and defense is equal or better.  

I think Green is expendable in a trade scenario now.  Frank and Omoruyi will have to represent the failed draft year going forward.

I posted this on Twitter but I think Frank knows what he is now which is a 3 and D wing with secondary ball handling skills. I think Kidd has put him in a role he can excel in which is deferring point guard to Brunson. 

That Brunson / Frank N. lineup with the second unit has a lot of chemistry. 

We need a few more things to add to this team but I love the addition of Frank. He makes Green expendable.

[Kammrath]

Frank and Omoruyi will have to represent the failed draft year going forward.

Honestly if this is the FN we see most of the time it makes the DSJ miss almost irrelevant now.

[Mak]

“Luka really likes playing with [Dwight Powell]”


It seems like a good idea to have / keep guys Luka really likes playing with, imho tbh. 

[mavsluvr]

“Luka really likes playing with [Dwight Powell]”


It seems like a good idea to have / keep guys Luka really likes playing with, imho tbh. 

Mak! Is it really you?

Your boy takes more scapegoating than he probably should. If Luka wants to play with him, we should at least keep our eye on why that is. He even got some props from Captain Kidd tonight.

[SleepingHero]

“Luka really likes playing with [Dwight Powell]”


It seems like a good idea to have / keep guys Luka really likes playing with, imho tbh. 

I think Powell is a great bench big. His role is too big right now. We need a Jarrett Allen/Holmes/Capela type. Someone that can not only bring the vertical threat Powell brings, but also a big defensive impact as well.

[Kammrath]

We need a Jarrett Allen/Holmes/Capela type.

He was right there for the taking!!!

[burekemde]

Luka is putting Dwight in position so close around the basket, what he gets out of that is simply not good enough for a big. I appreciate his great movements on defense, as well as his roll ability and is well liked character it seems. Often it is mentioned he is bad on defense. This is mostly true, but not fully. For a big, he is not bringing any rim protection and is not a great defender. But he does some things on defense that are valuable - he can move well within the team defense. But again, that is because he is not that big, he is playing sometimes like a larger SF,  he has that good movement and can stay in front of other big players. But they outpower him many times in the paint. 

Other than that, like others write, his role is too big right now for the level of play and skills that he adds to the team. He should be a bench player.

Pairing Luka with someone with great inside presence would be key for teams success. Someone that can score close to the basket when given the ball there. Obviously this is Bobi, but he has serious flaws on defensive side to keep him in games. So in my view Mavs need to find that player. Vucevic would have been great, he can score in these situations consistently that Powell has had in the first 6 games. Someone with that touch to score close to basket. Yet enough size and athleticism to defend and not be a huge liability. Who is that player?

[ItsGoTime]

Luka is putting Dwight in position so close around the basket, what he gets out of that is simply not good enough for a big. I appreciate his great movements on defense, as well as his roll ability and is well liked character it seems. Often it is mentioned he is bad on defense. This is mostly true, but not fully. For a big, he is not bringing any rim protection and is not a great defender. But he does some things on defense that are valuable - he can move well within the team defense. But again, that is because he is not that big, he is playing sometimes like a larger SF,  he has that good movement and can stay in front of other big players. But they outpower him many times in the paint. 

Other than that, like others write, his role is too big right now for the level of play and skills that he adds to the team. He should be a bench player.

Pairing Luka with someone with great inside presence would be key for teams success. Someone that can score close to the basket when given the ball there. Obviously this is Bobi, but he has serious flaws on defensive side to keep him in games. So in my view Mavs need to find that player. Vucevic would have been great, he can score in these situations consistently that Powell has had in the first 6 games. Someone with that touch to score close to basket. Yet enough size and athleticism to defend and not be a huge liability. Who is that player?

Richaun Holmes

[hakeemfaan]

Green is young, athletic and can defend. His offense also seems ahead of when Frank first started. Not that is saying much. Instead of it being Frank or Green, why not both?  This team has sorely lacked athletic defenders who could hold their own.

[Tyler]

I posted this on Twitter but I think Frank knows what he is now which is a 3 and D wing with secondary ball handling skills.

Right now I see Frank as basically a DFS clone with ballhandling skills. Which is a really valuable player to have. If I squint, I can also see the player they always wanted Delon Wright to be playing next to Luka. I'm not sure if he's really a starter on the roster or more of a DFS backup glue-guy, but I really like what I've seen so far. I definitely think he has earned a consistent role.

[Omega_Supreme]

Green is young, athletic and can defend. His offense also seems ahead of when Frank first started. Not that is saying much. Instead of it being Frank or Green, why not both?  This team has sorely lacked athletic defenders who could hold their own.

You're right he is and I really love Josh Green as a player. He is one of those guys that is a year away from being a year away. 

I am now either way but if we do trade him I want it to be for a really good piece otherwise yes that offensive game will begin to pop in the next year or so, likely the last year of his contract.

[dirkfansince1998]

The Mavs, however, almost matched with 52.

That´s what I wanted to see. Mentioned it in another thread. Mavs were dead last in points in the paint prior to this game. Good to see that Luka was getting to the rim. Still not happy with the front court production. Need more than 16pts from 48 minutes of center play (WCS + Powell).

[Chicagojk]

Green is young, athletic and can defend. His offense also seems ahead of when Frank first started. Not that is saying much. Instead of it being Frank or Green, why not both?  This team has sorely lacked athletic defenders who could hold their own.

I haven't watched the second half yet, but if Frank continues this play and if Sterling Brown rounds into form, then I think this is a good opportunity to give Green some G-league games.   Is there a limit how many G-league games he can play not being a two way guy?  I would send him down there and tell him to be aggressive looking to score every time he touches the ball.  

He really has had two years of very little games.   No summer league as a rookie, limited playing time last year, On the Australian team this summer but hardly any PT, and no summer league this summer.  Tell him to look for his shot every time he touches the ball in G-league.

---

It looks like the Mavs had plenty of open three point misses.  Although I can't complain too much because the Kings missed a ton of open looks as well.  

The team looks different when Luka is Luka.   He played with more energy yesterday.   Even with a limited roster when Luka is Luka they can still beat most teams.

[DanSchwartzgan]

That´s what I wanted to see. Mentioned it in another thread. Mavs were dead last in points in the paint prior to this game. Good to see that Luka was getting to the rim. Still not happy with the front court production. Need more than 16pts from 48 minutes of center play (WCS + Powell).

I actually thought Powell 12/8 was one of the unsung heroes of the game.  No KP, no Maxi...DFS not doing anything special as third string PF.  We needed a good night from Powell and he delivered (wish we could see that rebound rate more often...glad the 3's are falling AND that he's not falling in love with the shot).

Where I'm dissatisfied is with our three point shooting.  .324% isn't going to cut it against good teams.  For the season four of our top rotation players are .310 or below.  Bullock is .310, Luka is .238, KP is .235 and DFS is .188.  Luka, Brunson, Bullock, DFS and KP are all sub-.500 on TS%...ON TS PERCENT (and I'm not even showing the abysmal numbers from Sterling Brown).  Normalize those numbers and keep playing the D we are playing and this thing looks dramatically different.

[Hypermav]

Where I'm dissatisfied is with our three point shooting. 

With those numbers, it is remarkable the Mavs are 4-2.  Could you imagine our last years playoff results with the team shooting the three like that.

[Kammrath]

Bullock is .310, Luka is .238, KP is .235 and DFS is .188.

[Kammrath]

With those numbers, it is remarkable the Mavs are 4-2.  Could you imagine our last years playoff results with the team shooting the three like that.

Last year's Mavs might have been 0-6 or 1-5 with that shooting.

The Mavs are shooting 31.2% from three right now. Last year the Mavs shot 32.0% in their 30 losses combined. 

[haveitall]

Right now I see Frank as basically a DFS clone with ballhandling skills. Which is a really valuable player to have. If I squint, I can also see the player they always wanted Delon Wright to be playing next to Luka. I'm not sure if he's really a starter on the roster or more of a DFS backup glue-guy, but I really like what I've seen so far. I definitely think he has earned a consistent role.

Frank's has been really good.  Wonder if he feels more comfortable on a team of international players.  His defense is just elite and he moves the ball.