A Few Thoughts on Mavs 123, Nets 111

[mavsluvr]

Shorthanded Mavs Sink Nets

The Mavericks ended their two-game losing streak with a decisive victory to begin their home stand. Much improved performance, especially in the final quarter. 


Game Story and Analytics

Porzingis (sore knee), Hardaway (hamstring), and Broekhoff (broken fibula) were all on the Mavericks' injured list. The Nets were missing a couple of stars of their own in Kyrie and KD. 

Carlisle started a lineup of Barea-Luka-DFS-Jackson-Powell, in an effort to counter the Nets' small unit. It didn't go well, and your Dallas Mavericks soon found themselves 10 points behind. They gradually worked back into the game, and managed to gain a 31-30 edge to finish the quarter. After amassing a 7-point lead in the second, the squad unravelled, allowing Brooklyn to go on a 17-2 run. DFS had a thundering put back jam off a Luka missed three to reduce the first-half deficit to five. 

Rick started Maxi instead of Powell in the third period to take better advantage of DeAndre Jordan's weak perimeter defense. That unit came out with a bang, and the Mavs were soon back in it. Luka had to exit early with foul trouble, and the Nets were back on top late in the quarter, but Dallas managed to tie the game going into the fourth on the back of a 15-point quarter from Seth. The Mavs ran away with it in the fourth, with Luka going off for 15 points. The boys in blue achieved a double-digit lead at 4:24 and never surrendered it. 

Statistically, this game came down to the Mavericks' superior three-point shooting. Dallas shot a blistering 46% from long range, led by Luka and Seth with five triples apiece. Their hot shooting helped make up for giving up 56 points in the paint and 19 second chance points to the Nets. In truth, the home team didn't look to be much more than hanging in for much of the first three quarters, but they got it together with an excellent final frame. 


Players

Luka (34 min) started the game off the ball and didn't look 100% for some time. But he came back and delivered in the fourth, looking bouncy and refreshed to the end. He ended the game with a 31-13-7 line, and provided some much needed rebounding from the point guard position. 

After the Thunder game, Jason Terry mentioned that Luka looked to be wearing down. Carlisle gave some insight into this, taking responsibility for the "mistake" of playing Doncic for 40 minutes in that contest, leaving him out of juice when Chris Paul went off. He said Luka has been playing too many long stretches of minutes, and it has been affecting him late in games. Tonight, he took corrective measures with a new substitution pattern, and thought Luka looked "spectacular" down the stretch. 

Seth (31 min) was scorching, earning 25 points on 9-13 shooting, including going a perfect 5-5 from beyond the arc. Rick thought his play was "great," and complimented Curry for his shotmaking, playmaking, and solid defense. The guard saved the Mavs' bacon when they were struggling in the third period, putting the team on his shoulders with a scoring burst. Rick also mentioned that Seth's teammates had been good about finding him all night, and that the coach's challenge was to keep Seth rested enough that he could finish the game. Excellent job!

Maxi (31 min) had another excellent game, and impressed on both sides of the court, putting a career-high 18 points and a career-high-tying 3 blocks on the scoresheet. Kleber has been making good progress all season, and may be taking his game to a new level. Stepped up well in KP's absence. The man from Wurzburg said that he has been doing a lot of work on his three-point shot, especially on a quicker release. He had three threes in this contest, and it looks like the reps are paying off. 

DFS (28 min) flies so under the radar that it can be easy to miss his consistent play, but he had another quietly good performance here, and got onto the highlight reel with his dunk to end the first half. He remarked on stepping up in the absence of the team's key rim protector and rebounder, and said the team hopes to improve its home record by "taking care of the crib."

Barea (21 min) was the starting point guard, and put up 10 points and six assists. Rick wanted Barea to start in order to take advantage of his playmaking, to give Luka an opportunity to play off the ball, and to match up with the Net's transition offense. The veteran always provides a steadying hand to his teammates.

Boban (13 min) had an outing in KP's absence, and had 10 points and 7 rebounds in his limited minutes, along with keeping the Nets away from the basket. The gentle giant earned some praise from Rick, who thought he did well. I love it when Bobi just stands there and puts the ball in the basket without even moving his feet off the floor, lol. What a morale-crushing move!

Josh Reaves (1 min) made his NBA debut. Luka ran a play for him. His shot didn't go in, but Luka retrieved the game ball to give to him. Nice moment!

Jackson (26 min) had a starting role and extended minutes, and Rick thought he was "great." It was a bit of a rough night for Powell (23 min), who was two of eight from the field and collected only one rebound. Wright contributed five assists and performed serviceably in 18 minutes. Brunson (11 min) got some late run, and Rick complimented his performance on both ends. Lee had a three-minute cameo. 

Bench. The bench was the story, providing a massive 62 points, led by Seth, Maxi, and Bobi, who were all in double digits. 


Random Observations

This was Harry Potter Night, and there were a lot of costumes in the crowd, along with a sprinkling of Luka Magic on the court. It was also the 20th anniversary of Mark Cuban's acquisition of the team. 


Remarks

Rick said this was a very hard game, having to contend with the absences of Porzingis and Hardaway, and he thought his players stepped up. The first three quarters were especially difficult, and Coach thought it was all going to come down to whether the squad could put together one good defensive quarter. He told the huddle going into the fourth that they needed to limit the Nets to 20 points, and the team cooperated, winning the final period 30-18. He said there was a "lot going on" in the game, including some very aggressive play and a lot of points being scored. The Mavs were struggling with defense, rebounding, and loose balls until they finally got it together to seal the game. He gave off a sense of relief in the postgame presser. 

This was a bit of a strange game, what with the absences and new combinations of players. The match had the atmosphere of throwing a lot of stuff against the wall to see what might stick, and almost had a pick-up game feel at times. But it came together at the end, and proved to be an admirable bounce-back from a couple of lukewarm performances in the last two games. As the bard said, all's well that ends well, and we'll take the W!


Next.  Charlotte, on Saturday at the AAC. 

Go Mavs! 

[j0Shi]

Bullets:

• Big to start off the home stretch with a convincing win. Team pulled away late like a favorite is supposed to. Mavs should have won, but doing this without THJ and KP is nice.
  
• Luka with a big fourth obviously. He had some rough minutes with turnovers and weird foul calls, but played through and came back even stronger. It's what all-stars do. He would have played longer I guess, but pulling off the win with him getting 34 mins only is huge.
  
• Need to highlight Brunson, who played behind JJB with the Mavs shorthanded. I imagine it's frustrating for him, but he hit some big shots late and always tries hard. Tough spot because he's basically Luka's backup and there are only so many minutes.
  
• Good night to praise Maxi as well. Defense, offense, he had everything. Powell has the better +/- numbers (not tonight though), but always feel like Maxi has the bigger potential to impact the game individually.
  
• Last but not least, Curry with 25 points. Hopefully he can somehow find consistency in 2020. Would be big.
  

[Thukydides]

Absolutely loved the line-up patterns. Playing Luka some time with Barea allows him to rest for some possessions, even when it´s painful to watch the team struggling to run offense with Luka not in command of the ball. But it definitely paid off in the end, as Luka looked like a totally different player and destroyed the Nets. I hope we eventually replace JJ with a more capable ball-handler, but for now this should be something that we keep doing.

[SleepingHero]

I actually really liked the rotation last night. Luka looked locked in when he came in with 10 minutes left in the 4th and subsequently scored a quick 15. 

I do think the wear and tear of the season is getting to him though, and Luka hasn't looked 100% since the ankle injury.

[ItsGoTime]

I actually really liked the rotation last night. Luka looked locked in when he came in with 10 minutes left in the 4th and subsequently scored a quick 15. 

I do think the wear and tear of the season is getting to him though, and Luka hasn't looked 100% since the ankle injury.

Ya, he's also getting bumped around throughout the game which has to add some pain and fatigue as well.

[dirkfansince1998]

I actually really liked the rotation last night. Luka looked locked in when he came in with 10 minutes left in the 4th and subsequently scored a quick 15. 

I do think the wear and tear of the season is getting to him though, and Luka hasn't looked 100% since the ankle injury.

The JJB lineups did not work. Starting five had terrible chemistry and was down 10 early. Jackson, JJB, Doncic and Powell on the floor together was an initation for the Nets to score at will. RC made the right adjustments after his early experiments failed. Kleber started the second quarter. Powell wasn´t used as the single big and played most of his minutes next to Kleber. Boban replaced both as the single big for the bench unit.

That said. The Mavs need another option that can play minutes at PF/C.

[mtrot]

I actually really liked the rotation last night. Luka looked locked in when he came in with 10 minutes left in the 4th and subsequently scored a quick 15. 

I do think the wear and tear of the season is getting to him though, and Luka hasn't looked 100% since the ankle injury.

The JJB lineups did not work. Starting five had terrible chemistry and was down 10 early. Jackson, JJB, Doncic and Powell on the floor together was an initation for the Nets to score at will. RC made the right adjustments after his early experiments failed. Kleber started the second quarter. Powell wasn´t used as the single big and played most of his minutes next to Kleber. Boban replaced both as the single big for the bench unit.

That said. The Mavs need another option that can play minutes at PF/C.

Well, I'm not sure that is fair to JJB, because he was getting guys wide open three point attempts.  The problem was Powell kept bricking wide open shots.  If I remember correctly, he bricked two wide open three pointers early in the game while the Nets were building a lead, and he ended up going 2-8.  DFS wasn't much better, going 3-8.  I thought Barea did just fine at what a point guard needs to do.

[dirkfansince1998]

I actually really liked the rotation last night. Luka looked locked in when he came in with 10 minutes left in the 4th and subsequently scored a quick 15. 

I do think the wear and tear of the season is getting to him though, and Luka hasn't looked 100% since the ankle injury.

The JJB lineups did not work. Starting five had terrible chemistry and was down 10 early. Jackson, JJB, Doncic and Powell on the floor together was an initation for the Nets to score at will. RC made the right adjustments after his early experiments failed. Kleber started the second quarter. Powell wasn´t used as the single big and played most of his minutes next to Kleber. Boban replaced both as the single big for the bench unit.

That said. The Mavs need another option that can play minutes at PF/C.

Well, I'm not sure that is fair to JJB, because he was getting guys wide open three point attempts.  The problem was Powell kept bricking wide open shots.  If I remember correctly, he bricked two wide open three pointers early in the game while the Nets were building a lead, and he ended up going 2-8.  DFS wasn't much better, going 3-8.  I thought Barea did just fine at what a point guard needs to do.

Offense wasn´t the problem. The Mavs couldn´t get a stop. Not a suprise with JJB, Jackson, Doncic and Powell sharing the floor. JJBs ability to create of the dribble is as good as it always was. JJB is by far the biggest defensive liability on the roster. Outside of taking a charge he cannot do anything. Cannot contest shots because he is to small. Cannot stay in front of anybody.
Whenever he or Boban enter the floor RC changes the scheme and the Mavs play zone to hide them.

[mtrot]

I actually really liked the rotation last night. Luka looked locked in when he came in with 10 minutes left in the 4th and subsequently scored a quick 15. 

I do think the wear and tear of the season is getting to him though, and Luka hasn't looked 100% since the ankle injury.

The JJB lineups did not work. Starting five had terrible chemistry and was down 10 early. Jackson, JJB, Doncic and Powell on the floor together was an initation for the Nets to score at will. RC made the right adjustments after his early experiments failed. Kleber started the second quarter. Powell wasn´t used as the single big and played most of his minutes next to Kleber. Boban replaced both as the single big for the bench unit.

That said. The Mavs need another option that can play minutes at PF/C.

Well, I'm not sure that is fair to JJB, because he was getting guys wide open three point attempts.  The problem was Powell kept bricking wide open shots.  If I remember correctly, he bricked two wide open three pointers early in the game while the Nets were building a lead, and he ended up going 2-8.  DFS wasn't much better, going 3-8.  I thought Barea did just fine at what a point guard needs to do.

Offense wasn´t the problem. The Mavs couldn´t get a stop. Not a suprise with JJB, Jackson, Doncic and Powell sharing the floor. JJBs ability to create of the dribble is as good as it always was. JJB is by far the biggest defensive liability on the roster. Outside of taking a charge he cannot do anything. Cannot contest shots because he is to small. Cannot stay in front of anybody.
Whenever he or Boban enter the floor RC changes the scheme and the Mavs play zone to hide them.

How can offense not be the problem when you only score 3 points in about 5 minutes of play? The Mavs need to hit wide open shots when they get them.

[dirkfansince1998]

I actually really liked the rotation last night. Luka looked locked in when he came in with 10 minutes left in the 4th and subsequently scored a quick 15. 

I do think the wear and tear of the season is getting to him though, and Luka hasn't looked 100% since the ankle injury.

The JJB lineups did not work. Starting five had terrible chemistry and was down 10 early. Jackson, JJB, Doncic and Powell on the floor together was an initation for the Nets to score at will. RC made the right adjustments after his early experiments failed. Kleber started the second quarter. Powell wasn´t used as the single big and played most of his minutes next to Kleber. Boban replaced both as the single big for the bench unit.

That said. The Mavs need another option that can play minutes at PF/C.

Well, I'm not sure that is fair to JJB, because he was getting guys wide open three point attempts.  The problem was Powell kept bricking wide open shots.  If I remember correctly, he bricked two wide open three pointers early in the game while the Nets were building a lead, and he ended up going 2-8.  DFS wasn't much better, going 3-8.  I thought Barea did just fine at what a point guard needs to do.

Offense wasn´t the problem. The Mavs couldn´t get a stop. Not a suprise with JJB, Jackson, Doncic and Powell sharing the floor. JJBs ability to create of the dribble is as good as it always was. JJB is by far the biggest defensive liability on the roster. Outside of taking a charge he cannot do anything. Cannot contest shots because he is to small. Cannot stay in front of anybody.
Whenever he or Boban enter the floor RC changes the scheme and the Mavs play zone to hide them.

How can offense not be the problem when you only score 3 points in about 5 minutes of play? The Mavs need to hit wide open shots when they get them.

Mavs allowed 65 points in the 1st half. Allowed 28 in the 3rd quarter. Only allowed 18 in the 4th quarter when JJB did not play.
As you pointed out. JJB created good looks and at some point they started to fall. Cold stretches happen and teams can survive them if they play defense. Mavs overall offense was great. Good shooting numbers, offensive rebounds, solid turnover efficiency.

[Dahlsim]

I actually really liked the rotation last night. Luka looked locked in when he came in with 10 minutes left in the 4th and subsequently scored a quick 15. 

I do think the wear and tear of the season is getting to him though, and Luka hasn't looked 100% since the ankle injury.

The JJB lineups did not work. Starting five had terrible chemistry and was down 10 early. Jackson, JJB, Doncic and Powell on the floor together was an initation for the Nets to score at will. RC made the right adjustments after his early experiments failed. Kleber started the second quarter. Powell wasn´t used as the single big and played most of his minutes next to Kleber. Boban replaced both as the single big for the bench unit.

That said. The Mavs need another option that can play minutes at PF/C.

One word.  BOBAN. 

Mavs don't need another big, especially another BIG of the type that Carlisle really doesn't want to play in his system anyway. 

Seems a lot of fans don't recognize how Boban's presence on the floor absolutely changes the game offensively, giving them the other type of scoring they lack against certain defenses.  It presents some defensive challenges but it also gives them rebounding boost and forces at least one opposing big to stay glued to Boban around the rim. 

Dallas commentators mention it several times and Harp seems to really make a point of it.  Boban changes the floor for Dallas on offense in a really good way as a change of pace scoring. 

Thing is, he's only playing because KP is hurt, no matter how well he plays.  Get another bruising big man, its not going to change if history is any indicator.  They won't fit the system.  
At this point Boban has a better chance to get time probably just because he's been a team player and earned some trust.

[ItsGoTime]

One word.  BOBAN. 

Mavs don't need another big, especially another BIG of the type that Carlisle really doesn't want to play in his system anyway. 

Seems a lot of fans don't recognize how Boban's presence on the floor absolutely changes the game offensively, giving them the other type of scoring they lack against certain defenses.  It presents some defensive challenges but it also gives them rebounding boost and forces at least one opposing big to stay glued to Boban around the rim. 

Dallas commentators mention it several times and Harp seems to really make a point of it.  Boban changes the floor for Dallas on offense in a really good way as a change of pace scoring. 

Thing is, he's only playing because KP is hurt, no matter how well he plays.  Get another bruising big man, its not going to change if history is any indicator.  They won't fit the system.  
At this point Boban has a better chance to get time probably just because he's been a team player and earned some trust.

I wonder if that has anything to do with getting the younguns reps in the primary system. Is he not really trying to fully win games like he will in the second half of the season (esp given the hot start) so as to get the young guys and new to his coaching guys more comfortable with what they need to do primarily? JJB already knows exactly what needs to be done. Boban knows exactly how he impacts a game. We've been talking about the possibility of RC saving JJB for the end of the season so he can light it up being pretty fresh going into the playoffs. Is there a possibility that that is what RC is doing with Boban too?

[Scott41theMavs]

I loved Brunson's play when he was in (aside from stepping out of bounds). Thought he was one of the most important fourth quarter Mavs.

[Dahlsim]

One word.  BOBAN. 

Mavs don't need another big, especially another BIG of the type that Carlisle really doesn't want to play in his system anyway. 

Seems a lot of fans don't recognize how Boban's presence on the floor absolutely changes the game offensively, giving them the other type of scoring they lack against certain defenses.  It presents some defensive challenges but it also gives them rebounding boost and forces at least one opposing big to stay glued to Boban around the rim. 

Dallas commentators mention it several times and Harp seems to really make a point of it.  Boban changes the floor for Dallas on offense in a really good way as a change of pace scoring. 

Thing is, he's only playing because KP is hurt, no matter how well he plays.  Get another bruising big man, its not going to change if history is any indicator.  They won't fit the system.  
At this point Boban has a better chance to get time probably just because he's been a team player and earned some trust.

I wonder if that has anything to do with getting the younguns reps in the primary system. Is he not really trying to fully win games like he will in the second half of the season (esp given the hot start) so as to get the young guys and new to his coaching guys more comfortable with what they need to do primarily? JJB already knows exactly what needs to be done. Boban knows exactly how he impacts a game. We've been talking about the possibility of RC saving JJB for the end of the season so he can light it up being pretty fresh going into the playoffs. Is there a possibility that that is what RC is doing with Boban too?

I'd like to think that is the case and we'll see JJB and Boban get used masterfully on the floor when the stakes get higher and the post season come around.  

Based on history though, I wouldn't hold my breath for that.  I can recall playoff games where Rick Carlisle would inexplicably to anyone else but himself, sit down hot players even when it seemed clear to everyone they could potentially be the difference in winning a big game.  

Roddy Beaubois for example comes to mind and off the top my head I think it might have been a Spurs playoff game where it seems was on FIRE and Carlisle shocked everyone by sitting him down and cooling him off just in the heat of the 4th quarter runs and the Mavs lost.  

Coach has his own reasons for minutes distribution and sometimes it quite the mystery. 
Whatever he sees limiting these guys minutes now, I'd be (pleasantly) surprised if its very different later in the season or the playoffs. 

In the words of a former Mavs center "The only person that stop Salah Mejri is Rick Carlisle". 

[dirkfansince1998]

I actually really liked the rotation last night. Luka looked locked in when he came in with 10 minutes left in the 4th and subsequently scored a quick 15. 

I do think the wear and tear of the season is getting to him though, and Luka hasn't looked 100% since the ankle injury.

The JJB lineups did not work. Starting five had terrible chemistry and was down 10 early. Jackson, JJB, Doncic and Powell on the floor together was an initation for the Nets to score at will. RC made the right adjustments after his early experiments failed. Kleber started the second quarter. Powell wasn´t used as the single big and played most of his minutes next to Kleber. Boban replaced both as the single big for the bench unit.

That said. The Mavs need another option that can play minutes at PF/C.

One word.  BOBAN. 

Mavs don't need another big, especially another BIG of the type that Carlisle really doesn't want to play in his system anyway. 

Seems a lot of fans don't recognize how Boban's presence on the floor absolutely changes the game offensively, giving them the other type of scoring they lack against certain defenses.  It presents some defensive challenges but it also gives them rebounding boost and forces at least one opposing big to stay glued to Boban around the rim. 

Dallas commentators mention it several times and Harp seems to really make a point of it.  Boban changes the floor for Dallas on offense in a really good way as a change of pace scoring. 

Thing is, he's only playing because KP is hurt, no matter how well he plays.  Get another bruising big man, its not going to change if history is any indicator.  They won't fit the system.  
At this point Boban has a better chance to get time probably just because he's been a team player and earned some trust.

Boban is an option but it really depends on the matchup. He can be a big positive or a huge liability. Last game was perfect for him. The Nets don´t have a stretch big and even a big body like Deandre looks like a child next to Boban.
The Mavs need another rim protector that can either shoot or rim run. 6 more fouls and hard defense on a given night. Without KP the only regular rotation bigs that RC will play are Kleber and Powell. Both are not good in single big lineups. Looking at the lineup numbers it seems like the ideal solution is playing both of them together. For no KP cases that leaves Boban as the only remaining big of the bench.
In other words in theory the Mavs have 96 minutes for PFs/Cs. RC likes to play small ball 4s like DFS or Jackson so in reality the Mavs probably have 80 minutes for bigs.

Currently we have:
KP 31 min
Powell 26 min
Maxi 24 min

Boban 10 min

When KP is out the 3 remaining guys aren´t enough to cover his minutes

[Dahlsim]

I actually really liked the rotation last night. Luka looked locked in when he came in with 10 minutes left in the 4th and subsequently scored a quick 15. 

I do think the wear and tear of the season is getting to him though, and Luka hasn't looked 100% since the ankle injury.

The JJB lineups did not work. Starting five had terrible chemistry and was down 10 early. Jackson, JJB, Doncic and Powell on the floor together was an initation for the Nets to score at will. RC made the right adjustments after his early experiments failed. Kleber started the second quarter. Powell wasn´t used as the single big and played most of his minutes next to Kleber. Boban replaced both as the single big for the bench unit.

That said. The Mavs need another option that can play minutes at PF/C.

One word.  BOBAN. 

Mavs don't need another big, especially another BIG of the type that Carlisle really doesn't want to play in his system anyway. 

Seems a lot of fans don't recognize how Boban's presence on the floor absolutely changes the game offensively, giving them the other type of scoring they lack against certain defenses.  It presents some defensive challenges but it also gives them rebounding boost and forces at least one opposing big to stay glued to Boban around the rim. 

Dallas commentators mention it several times and Harp seems to really make a point of it.  Boban changes the floor for Dallas on offense in a really good way as a change of pace scoring. 

Thing is, he's only playing because KP is hurt, no matter how well he plays.  Get another bruising big man, its not going to change if history is any indicator.  They won't fit the system.  
At this point Boban has a better chance to get time probably just because he's been a team player and earned some trust.

Boban is an option but it really depends on the matchup. He can be a big positive or a huge liability. Last game was perfect for him. The Nets don´t have a stretch big and even a big body like Deandre looks like a child next to Boban.
The Mavs need another rim protector that can either shoot or rim run. 6 more fouls and hard defense on a given night. Without KP the only regular rotation bigs that RC will play are Kleber and Powell. Both are not good in single big lineups. Looking at the lineup numbers it seems like the ideal solution is playing both of them together. For no KP cases that leaves Boban as the only remaining big of the bench.
In other words in theory the Mavs have 96 minutes for PFs/Cs. RC likes to play small ball 4s like DFS or Jackson so in reality the Mavs probably have 80 minutes for bigs.

Currently we have:
KP 31 min
Powell 26 min
Maxi 24 min

Boban 10 min

When KP is out the 3 remaining guys aren´t enough to cover his minutes

Good analysis, I like the post but as I've observed, Carlisle is not as likely to play Big all those minutes in replacement of KP as he is to simply go with more small ball minutes.   We're more likely to see minutes go to either a small forward like Jackson or even 2/3 wing or 3 guard lineup to eat up minutes vs. a traditional PF / C.   

Powell and Kleber have achieved the difficult status of being BIG men that Rick Carlisle is actually willing to trust and play.  Boban, not so much but has some trust, as you say depending on matchups.  I happen think he can survive more match ups than Rick Carlisle thinks but that's not going to happen so whatever. 

Your point is valid but I think the solution for Coach is going to be more small ball minutes rather than going out and getting another PF/C or even if they do that they actually play the guy.  I'll be happy to be wrong.