Mavs Escape Kings in Comeback Victory
Luka Dazzles in All Respects
Mavericks earn their first win in the re-start with an overtime triumph over Sacramento. I don’t like to stick pinholes in the team bubble, but I can’t say it was the prettiest of victories.
One-line summary from Luka:
"We played one of the worst games ever and won it."
Yeah, that pretty much describes it, lol.
Game Story
Seth Curry was inactive due to a sore right leg. Trey Burke was listed as his replacement in the starting lineup, but Barea was actually the player who was on the court at tip-off.
Dallas achieved their last lead in regulation at 2-0. Sac ended the first quarter with a 37-27 advantage, thanks to a barrage of threes (9). The Mavs shot poorly (40%), but stayed alive courtesy of 10-14 FTAs.
In the second frame, the Kings’ shooting cooled off (0-8 3PTAs), and the “home team” Mavs continued their parade to the line, hitting 12-13 FTAs. Their performance from the field flagged even further, however (35%), and they still carried a 4-point deficit into the half, with the scoreline reading 56-60 at the interval.
The third quarter was an embarrassment for both teams, with the Mavs scoring a measly 19 points, and the Kings not much better at 22. Dallas was 1-12 from deep, with Luka scoring the only long ball late in the period. Aargh. Our boys trailed 75-82 after three.
The fourth was, from a basketball perspective, maybe even worse than the third, if that is possible. But at least the blue team claimed more points (20-13). On the sunny side, Dallas began to overcome some of their clutch woes, with a 6-0 run (including 7 consecutive stops) to tie the game at the end of regulation.
The Mavs began overtime with Maxi at center, as KP had fouled out at the 3:51 mark in the fourth quarter. A Buddy Hield triple put Sac up three at 3:30. THJ was fouled on a three-point try and hit all of his foul shots to tie the game at 3:10. Luka put the team up for good at 1:57. The remaining time was far from drama-free, as Sac drew within two with six seconds left. Fortunately, Burke was intentionally fouled and hit his free throws, icing the game for the Mavs.
Analytics
What a crazy game. So many outliers in terms of game patterns.
The Mavs were putrid from the floor, knocking down only 9 of their 41 3PTAs and hitting 37% overall. Yikes. However, they earned a remarkable 50 free throws, and completed 39 of them. This wasn’t just a case of the refs being whistle-happy — the Kings had only 12 attempts from the stripe. When the final buzzer sounded, the Mavs were -6 on points from twos, -21 on points from threes, and +31 on free throws. First time I’ve ever seen a score distribution like that. Luke Walton, head coach of the Kings, said he had never seen a game where one team had 50 free-throw attempts (although he personally played in at least two with the Lakers).
Dallas also limited the Kings’ possessions with an insane 61 rebounds, including 17 offensive boards. Luka and DFS combined for 36 off the glass!
What else is there to say?!
Players
Luka (44 min) — Luka turned in a stupendous stat sheet, earning his 16th triple-double of the season. But this was no ordinary, so-so 10/10/10 triple-double. He boasted 34 points, a ridiculous 20 rebounds, 12 assists (despite his teammates shooting so badly), and the only 2 blocks on the team. He limited himself to only 6 three-point shots (completing two), and put in a brilliant performance dancing and weaving to the rim and putting the ball in the basket over a swarm of defenders. He also put in a concerted effort on defense, especially in the fourth quarter and overtime. He said after the game that he has been working hard to be better on the defensive end, and it looked to be paying off.
I must say, I was a little surprised to see Luka’s line after the game. It was about the quietest monster game I can recall. Despite the gaudy box score, there was very little in the way of flashy plays — just an unrelenting grind in the face of a subpar team performance for most of the game. I am so delighted that his shouldering the team like this didn’t turn out to be wasted in a loss. Good job, Luka!
THJ (42 min) — Timmy bounced back from an embarrassing performance against Phoenix, saying that he wanted to redeem himself in this match. His shooting wasn’t amazing (6-14), but he was 7-8 from the line and grabbed five rebounds. Carlisle recognized Hardaway for “busting his butt” on defense, and pointedly complimented him for his “patience and discipline” on the offensive end. Tim himself said that he had made a point not to be overly aggressive, and to let the game come to him, so maybe he just needed a mentality adjustment to get back on track.
DFS (41 min) — Doe-Doe had a pretty terrible shooting night (4-13), but he went 7-9 from the line, and had an amazing career-high 16 rebounds (6 offensive). Rick noted that the small forward has been hobbled with hip troubles, but felt much better today. He complemented Finney-Smith on his rebounding, big free throws down the stretch, big three in the second half, and consistently doing the dirty work. Dorian hit three of four free throws after being intentionally fouled in the last 18 seconds of overtime, and hit a three early in the fourth quarter. Luka thought DFS did an amazing job of rebounding, and noted that, despite the fact that Doe-Doe doesn’t often have a big stat line, he is a very important player in the team.
Maxi (30 min) — Maxi didn’t have a showy line (8/6/1, with 4 turnovers), but Coach praised him for sticking with his effort even when he got some easy shots that didn’t go in. He liked Kleber’s “huge three” in overtime, and noted that Maxi displayed persistence, which is “the name of the game.” Maxi’s three in overtime gave the Mavs their biggest lead of the game to that point (5), with 1:22 left to play. Maxi performed some rather lax defending in most of regulation, but he should be recognized for filling in for KP in the last ten minutes of the game.
KP (27 min) -- Kristaps was 6-18 from the field, and 0-7 from three. However, he got to the line for 11 FTAs and completed 10 of them. He also contributed 7 boards. Although he had three turnovers and fouled out in regulation, he was still, imo, the second-best Mav on the court, and tied THJ for second-highest scorer on the team with 22 points. As always, he was instrumental on defense. Just one of those weird situations where the stat sheet doesn't seem to reflect the player's contributions.
Kings — De’Aaron Fox stood out for Sac with 28 points and 9 assists, along with Buddy Hield, who had 21 points off the bench. Bjelica torched Dallas with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Bazemore added sixteen points, and Richaun Holmes grabbed 12 boards, but ultimately fouled out. Sacramento won the bench battle 56-19. Ouch!
Remarks
Rick acknowledged that his team had a lot of mistakes in regulation, along with many missed open shots and layups, but commended them for their “grit” and considered this a “very special win.” Luka thought the team played poorly in the victory, and said their challenges have been rebuilding their chemistry after four months not playing together, along with defense, especially in transition.
Not to be a downer, but this really was a pretty terrible display of basketball from both teams, and the Mavs can consider themselves lucky that the refs were not hesitant to use their whistles. If the team had gone on to lose, I was going to describe some of the worst parts, but given the win, I think it’s best to just put it behind us.
One of the best things about this somewhat grotesque game was that Dallas appeared to find their clutch genes again. That is reason enough for a smile, and maybe it will give them a little confidence to know they can pull it out despite not playing their best.
As we await the next game, we can take satisfaction that Luka is the youngest player in NBA history to have a 30/20/10 stat line, and the first guard to do so since Oscar Robertson in 1965. Truly incredible player!
Next. A potential preview of a playoff match between the Mavs and Clippers will take place on Thursday. Fasten your seat belts, Mavs fans! See you then!
Luka Dazzles in All Respects
Mavericks earn their first win in the re-start with an overtime triumph over Sacramento. I don’t like to stick pinholes in the team bubble, but I can’t say it was the prettiest of victories.
One-line summary from Luka:
"We played one of the worst games ever and won it."
Yeah, that pretty much describes it, lol.
Game Story
Seth Curry was inactive due to a sore right leg. Trey Burke was listed as his replacement in the starting lineup, but Barea was actually the player who was on the court at tip-off.
Dallas achieved their last lead in regulation at 2-0. Sac ended the first quarter with a 37-27 advantage, thanks to a barrage of threes (9). The Mavs shot poorly (40%), but stayed alive courtesy of 10-14 FTAs.
In the second frame, the Kings’ shooting cooled off (0-8 3PTAs), and the “home team” Mavs continued their parade to the line, hitting 12-13 FTAs. Their performance from the field flagged even further, however (35%), and they still carried a 4-point deficit into the half, with the scoreline reading 56-60 at the interval.
The third quarter was an embarrassment for both teams, with the Mavs scoring a measly 19 points, and the Kings not much better at 22. Dallas was 1-12 from deep, with Luka scoring the only long ball late in the period. Aargh. Our boys trailed 75-82 after three.
The fourth was, from a basketball perspective, maybe even worse than the third, if that is possible. But at least the blue team claimed more points (20-13). On the sunny side, Dallas began to overcome some of their clutch woes, with a 6-0 run (including 7 consecutive stops) to tie the game at the end of regulation.
The Mavs began overtime with Maxi at center, as KP had fouled out at the 3:51 mark in the fourth quarter. A Buddy Hield triple put Sac up three at 3:30. THJ was fouled on a three-point try and hit all of his foul shots to tie the game at 3:10. Luka put the team up for good at 1:57. The remaining time was far from drama-free, as Sac drew within two with six seconds left. Fortunately, Burke was intentionally fouled and hit his free throws, icing the game for the Mavs.
Analytics
What a crazy game. So many outliers in terms of game patterns.
The Mavs were putrid from the floor, knocking down only 9 of their 41 3PTAs and hitting 37% overall. Yikes. However, they earned a remarkable 50 free throws, and completed 39 of them. This wasn’t just a case of the refs being whistle-happy — the Kings had only 12 attempts from the stripe. When the final buzzer sounded, the Mavs were -6 on points from twos, -21 on points from threes, and +31 on free throws. First time I’ve ever seen a score distribution like that. Luke Walton, head coach of the Kings, said he had never seen a game where one team had 50 free-throw attempts (although he personally played in at least two with the Lakers).
Dallas also limited the Kings’ possessions with an insane 61 rebounds, including 17 offensive boards. Luka and DFS combined for 36 off the glass!
What else is there to say?!
Players
Luka (44 min) — Luka turned in a stupendous stat sheet, earning his 16th triple-double of the season. But this was no ordinary, so-so 10/10/10 triple-double. He boasted 34 points, a ridiculous 20 rebounds, 12 assists (despite his teammates shooting so badly), and the only 2 blocks on the team. He limited himself to only 6 three-point shots (completing two), and put in a brilliant performance dancing and weaving to the rim and putting the ball in the basket over a swarm of defenders. He also put in a concerted effort on defense, especially in the fourth quarter and overtime. He said after the game that he has been working hard to be better on the defensive end, and it looked to be paying off.
I must say, I was a little surprised to see Luka’s line after the game. It was about the quietest monster game I can recall. Despite the gaudy box score, there was very little in the way of flashy plays — just an unrelenting grind in the face of a subpar team performance for most of the game. I am so delighted that his shouldering the team like this didn’t turn out to be wasted in a loss. Good job, Luka!
THJ (42 min) — Timmy bounced back from an embarrassing performance against Phoenix, saying that he wanted to redeem himself in this match. His shooting wasn’t amazing (6-14), but he was 7-8 from the line and grabbed five rebounds. Carlisle recognized Hardaway for “busting his butt” on defense, and pointedly complimented him for his “patience and discipline” on the offensive end. Tim himself said that he had made a point not to be overly aggressive, and to let the game come to him, so maybe he just needed a mentality adjustment to get back on track.
DFS (41 min) — Doe-Doe had a pretty terrible shooting night (4-13), but he went 7-9 from the line, and had an amazing career-high 16 rebounds (6 offensive). Rick noted that the small forward has been hobbled with hip troubles, but felt much better today. He complemented Finney-Smith on his rebounding, big free throws down the stretch, big three in the second half, and consistently doing the dirty work. Dorian hit three of four free throws after being intentionally fouled in the last 18 seconds of overtime, and hit a three early in the fourth quarter. Luka thought DFS did an amazing job of rebounding, and noted that, despite the fact that Doe-Doe doesn’t often have a big stat line, he is a very important player in the team.
Maxi (30 min) — Maxi didn’t have a showy line (8/6/1, with 4 turnovers), but Coach praised him for sticking with his effort even when he got some easy shots that didn’t go in. He liked Kleber’s “huge three” in overtime, and noted that Maxi displayed persistence, which is “the name of the game.” Maxi’s three in overtime gave the Mavs their biggest lead of the game to that point (5), with 1:22 left to play. Maxi performed some rather lax defending in most of regulation, but he should be recognized for filling in for KP in the last ten minutes of the game.
KP (27 min) -- Kristaps was 6-18 from the field, and 0-7 from three. However, he got to the line for 11 FTAs and completed 10 of them. He also contributed 7 boards. Although he had three turnovers and fouled out in regulation, he was still, imo, the second-best Mav on the court, and tied THJ for second-highest scorer on the team with 22 points. As always, he was instrumental on defense. Just one of those weird situations where the stat sheet doesn't seem to reflect the player's contributions.
Kings — De’Aaron Fox stood out for Sac with 28 points and 9 assists, along with Buddy Hield, who had 21 points off the bench. Bjelica torched Dallas with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Bazemore added sixteen points, and Richaun Holmes grabbed 12 boards, but ultimately fouled out. Sacramento won the bench battle 56-19. Ouch!
Remarks
Rick acknowledged that his team had a lot of mistakes in regulation, along with many missed open shots and layups, but commended them for their “grit” and considered this a “very special win.” Luka thought the team played poorly in the victory, and said their challenges have been rebuilding their chemistry after four months not playing together, along with defense, especially in transition.
Not to be a downer, but this really was a pretty terrible display of basketball from both teams, and the Mavs can consider themselves lucky that the refs were not hesitant to use their whistles. If the team had gone on to lose, I was going to describe some of the worst parts, but given the win, I think it’s best to just put it behind us.
One of the best things about this somewhat grotesque game was that Dallas appeared to find their clutch genes again. That is reason enough for a smile, and maybe it will give them a little confidence to know they can pull it out despite not playing their best.
As we await the next game, we can take satisfaction that Luka is the youngest player in NBA history to have a 30/20/10 stat line, and the first guard to do so since Oscar Robertson in 1965. Truly incredible player!
Next. A potential preview of a playoff match between the Mavs and Clippers will take place on Thursday. Fasten your seat belts, Mavs fans! See you then!
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