MAVERICKS WIN BATTLE OF THE SHORTHANDED
Mavs put an end to their three-game losing slide in Indiana. Hooray!
GAME STORY
The four Mavs who actually tested positive were still out — DFS, Richardson, Maxi, and DP. Brunson and Hardaway were once again available. The Pacers had their own availability issue, missing Warren (foot fracture), Turner (hand fracture), and LeVert (medical condition). A mass was discovered on LeVert’s kidney in the process of the physical involved in his trade to Indiana, and he is out indefinitely. Best wishes for his recovery.
With Myles Turner out, Rick was able to start a smaller lineup, consisting of Luka, Brunson, THJ, Green, and KP.
The offensive improvement was immediately obvious. The Mavs quickly got out to a lead, and found themselves up 15 with 48 seconds remaining in the first. Back-to-back threes from the Pacers to close the quarter left Dallas leading 37-28 after one. Burke (12) and KP (10) had great scoring performances. However, Luka was grimacing and grabbing his knee, requiring attention on the bench at one point, and going to the locker room after the first period.
Dallas saw its advantage whittled to 3 by the time Luka was able to return at the 7:17 mark. Then, they gradually built their lead back to 10. Unfortunately, Indy went on a 10-2 run in the last 2:30, and the Mavs clung to a 65-63 edge going into the break. They were 0-7 from range in the frame, and were perhaps lucky to have survived.
The Pacers pulled out to a small early lead in the third, but the Mavs fought back and were up by 8 at 5:52. Indiana was not going down easily, and they put together a 16-9 run to finish the frame. The Mavs’ margin had slipped to a 93-92 sliver when the buzzer sounded. KP kept the Mavs in the game with 12 points in the frame.
Dallas blew the game open in the fourth, maintaining a double-digit lead from the 7:27 mark on. THJ and Brunson found their shooting boots, and combined for 18 of their team’s 31 points.
STATISTICS
The Mavericks survived an 8-27 night from three by killing it in the paint. They had a season-high 68 PIP, compared to 48 from the opponent, and shot 61% on two-point attempts. The point differentials were very un-Mavs-like, at +36 on points from twos, -24 on points from threes, and even-steven on made free throws. The opposition defense was designed to stop Luka, and this time, the Mavs made them pay. Our boys were cold as ice from deep, aside from Burke and Hardaway, who combined for seven of the team’s 8 makes. Six Mavericks scored in double figures, led by KP with 27 points and Burke with 22 off the bench. The Dallas players were active on the glass, out-rebounding Indiana 49-38. A good hustle performance from Rick’s men.
PLAYERS
DONCIC. Luka had his 30th triple-double, with a 13/12/12 line and only 3 turnovers. He had some MFFL hearts in mouths when he was back in the locker room in the second, but he managed to finish the game with a team-high 38 minutes. With the Pacer defense doubling Luka on almost every possession, he put on an absolute passing clinic, finding the open man and making the right play over and over and over. Luka admitted that the defense had limited him personally (5-15), but left the paint open in the process, and he was able to take advantage. He mentioned that the team was better prepared for the box-and-one after Toronto stopped them with it last game. What an incredibly smart and skilled player!
HARDAWAY. After dragging a bit against Toronto, Tim looked to be back to his feisty self, especially as the game wore on. He had 19 points on 6-13 shooting, and especially impressed in the fourth, when he put up 10 points on 4-5 shooting, hitting both of his 3PTAs. He had a nice mix of threes and paint shots, even flushing a dunk at one juncture. Good to see Timmy bounce back — this team needs him in order to compete.
BRUNSON. Jalen played so quietly and matter-of-factly that I was a little surprised to look at the box score and see that he had 19 points and 4 assists, on 8-13 shooting. He is a good foil for Luka, as he can score and play off the ball, as well as facilitate. As a collateral consequence of being in quarantine, he comes in with fresh legs and serves as an energy guy, as well.
PORZINGIS. KP had a superb night, leading the team with 27 points on incredible 12-15 shooting. He also recorded 13 boards, five offensive, and had 4 assists. The defensive focus on Luka unchained Kris, who danced through the lane almost at will. The Luka-KP connection was a well-oiled machine, with Luka finding him at every opportunity, and the two put on a dunk-fest. The big man showed off his versatility, scoring in a variety of ways, including cuts, rolls, pops, and post-ups. Kris himself felt that he is still a step slow on the defensive end, and is working to regain his explosiveness. Be that as it may, he dazzled in this display.
BURKE. Trey was out there throwing flames off the bench, with 22 points on 9-16 shooting and a team-high 4 threes. He said they had formulated a plan for dealing with the box-and-one, and that he had been encouraged not to hesitate in stepping into shots. He revealed that a losing streak can tend to bring on a certain amount of finger-pointing, especially with everyone cooped up on protocols, and he thought the team had made a successful effort to stay unified.
CAULEY-STEIN. Willie had a balanced stat line, with 10 points, 5 boards, and 2 each in the assists, steals, and blocks columns, all in 19 minutes on the court. He had some difficulties on the offensive end, missing 5 of his nine attempts, mostly from point-blank range. After the game, Trey noted that the team discerned that Trill was down on himself for missing all those alley-oops.
Carlisle announced a new team award — Defensive Player of the Game, to be awarded only after wins. Willie was the proud winner of the inaugural DPOG award, and Trey advised that when Rick announced that Willie was the recipient, it totally changed Willie’s outlook. He had not realized he had had such an impact defensively. Rick said that WCS made “the difference in the game,” blocking shots, protecting the rim, and enabling the team to string stops together in the fourth quarter.
I don’t know whether Rick truly chose Willie solely on merit, or whether it was partly a way to boost Willie’s confidence, but it doesn’t really matter. Either way, it was a heartwarming story.
HONORABLE MENTIONS. Johnson put up 6 and 6 in 26 minutes off the bench. Green appeared to be getting more comfortable on the floor, and recorded 8 points, 6 boards, and 3 dimes in 23 minutes. At one point, he even did a Dirk impression, hitting a one-legged fadeaway over his defender! Rick went with an 8-man rotation in this game, giving Iwundu a two-minute cameo.
PACERS. Indiana was struggling, having to play with a depleted roster themselves. They had six players in double figures, led by Malcolm Brogdon with 26 points, and Domantas Sabonis with 25 points and 10 rebounds. They had a good night shooting threes (16-39), but were undone by their inability to defend the paint.
OBSERVATIONS
Rick thought this was a great win, and was particularly proud of his squad’s fourth quarter. He said that Myles Turner being out had enabled him to start a smaller lineup, with KP as the sole big. He felt that had a huge impact on the offense. If Turner had been playing, Coach said he would have stuck with the bigger starting lineup, but would have gone to the smaller one early. KP, in turn, said playing the 5 is much easier for him, and he thought that had contributed to his effectiveness.
I particularly like this game, compared to the most recent ones, because the offense was flowing freely again, and they weren’t turning the ball over all the time (8 total turnovers). They played with energy and joy, and I thought the guys entertained. It was also a great illustration of how the team can win, even without Luka scoring 25-30 points. Kudos to Luka for having the vision and discipline to steer his team in the right direction!
With this win, the Mavs are back to .500, at 7-7. They have a back-to-back against the Spurs and Rockets coming up on Friday/Saturday, and those promise to be interesting rivalry matches.
Go Mavs!
Mavs put an end to their three-game losing slide in Indiana. Hooray!
GAME STORY
The four Mavs who actually tested positive were still out — DFS, Richardson, Maxi, and DP. Brunson and Hardaway were once again available. The Pacers had their own availability issue, missing Warren (foot fracture), Turner (hand fracture), and LeVert (medical condition). A mass was discovered on LeVert’s kidney in the process of the physical involved in his trade to Indiana, and he is out indefinitely. Best wishes for his recovery.
With Myles Turner out, Rick was able to start a smaller lineup, consisting of Luka, Brunson, THJ, Green, and KP.
The offensive improvement was immediately obvious. The Mavs quickly got out to a lead, and found themselves up 15 with 48 seconds remaining in the first. Back-to-back threes from the Pacers to close the quarter left Dallas leading 37-28 after one. Burke (12) and KP (10) had great scoring performances. However, Luka was grimacing and grabbing his knee, requiring attention on the bench at one point, and going to the locker room after the first period.
Dallas saw its advantage whittled to 3 by the time Luka was able to return at the 7:17 mark. Then, they gradually built their lead back to 10. Unfortunately, Indy went on a 10-2 run in the last 2:30, and the Mavs clung to a 65-63 edge going into the break. They were 0-7 from range in the frame, and were perhaps lucky to have survived.
The Pacers pulled out to a small early lead in the third, but the Mavs fought back and were up by 8 at 5:52. Indiana was not going down easily, and they put together a 16-9 run to finish the frame. The Mavs’ margin had slipped to a 93-92 sliver when the buzzer sounded. KP kept the Mavs in the game with 12 points in the frame.
Dallas blew the game open in the fourth, maintaining a double-digit lead from the 7:27 mark on. THJ and Brunson found their shooting boots, and combined for 18 of their team’s 31 points.
STATISTICS
The Mavericks survived an 8-27 night from three by killing it in the paint. They had a season-high 68 PIP, compared to 48 from the opponent, and shot 61% on two-point attempts. The point differentials were very un-Mavs-like, at +36 on points from twos, -24 on points from threes, and even-steven on made free throws. The opposition defense was designed to stop Luka, and this time, the Mavs made them pay. Our boys were cold as ice from deep, aside from Burke and Hardaway, who combined for seven of the team’s 8 makes. Six Mavericks scored in double figures, led by KP with 27 points and Burke with 22 off the bench. The Dallas players were active on the glass, out-rebounding Indiana 49-38. A good hustle performance from Rick’s men.
PLAYERS
DONCIC. Luka had his 30th triple-double, with a 13/12/12 line and only 3 turnovers. He had some MFFL hearts in mouths when he was back in the locker room in the second, but he managed to finish the game with a team-high 38 minutes. With the Pacer defense doubling Luka on almost every possession, he put on an absolute passing clinic, finding the open man and making the right play over and over and over. Luka admitted that the defense had limited him personally (5-15), but left the paint open in the process, and he was able to take advantage. He mentioned that the team was better prepared for the box-and-one after Toronto stopped them with it last game. What an incredibly smart and skilled player!
HARDAWAY. After dragging a bit against Toronto, Tim looked to be back to his feisty self, especially as the game wore on. He had 19 points on 6-13 shooting, and especially impressed in the fourth, when he put up 10 points on 4-5 shooting, hitting both of his 3PTAs. He had a nice mix of threes and paint shots, even flushing a dunk at one juncture. Good to see Timmy bounce back — this team needs him in order to compete.
BRUNSON. Jalen played so quietly and matter-of-factly that I was a little surprised to look at the box score and see that he had 19 points and 4 assists, on 8-13 shooting. He is a good foil for Luka, as he can score and play off the ball, as well as facilitate. As a collateral consequence of being in quarantine, he comes in with fresh legs and serves as an energy guy, as well.
PORZINGIS. KP had a superb night, leading the team with 27 points on incredible 12-15 shooting. He also recorded 13 boards, five offensive, and had 4 assists. The defensive focus on Luka unchained Kris, who danced through the lane almost at will. The Luka-KP connection was a well-oiled machine, with Luka finding him at every opportunity, and the two put on a dunk-fest. The big man showed off his versatility, scoring in a variety of ways, including cuts, rolls, pops, and post-ups. Kris himself felt that he is still a step slow on the defensive end, and is working to regain his explosiveness. Be that as it may, he dazzled in this display.
BURKE. Trey was out there throwing flames off the bench, with 22 points on 9-16 shooting and a team-high 4 threes. He said they had formulated a plan for dealing with the box-and-one, and that he had been encouraged not to hesitate in stepping into shots. He revealed that a losing streak can tend to bring on a certain amount of finger-pointing, especially with everyone cooped up on protocols, and he thought the team had made a successful effort to stay unified.
CAULEY-STEIN. Willie had a balanced stat line, with 10 points, 5 boards, and 2 each in the assists, steals, and blocks columns, all in 19 minutes on the court. He had some difficulties on the offensive end, missing 5 of his nine attempts, mostly from point-blank range. After the game, Trey noted that the team discerned that Trill was down on himself for missing all those alley-oops.
Carlisle announced a new team award — Defensive Player of the Game, to be awarded only after wins. Willie was the proud winner of the inaugural DPOG award, and Trey advised that when Rick announced that Willie was the recipient, it totally changed Willie’s outlook. He had not realized he had had such an impact defensively. Rick said that WCS made “the difference in the game,” blocking shots, protecting the rim, and enabling the team to string stops together in the fourth quarter.
I don’t know whether Rick truly chose Willie solely on merit, or whether it was partly a way to boost Willie’s confidence, but it doesn’t really matter. Either way, it was a heartwarming story.
HONORABLE MENTIONS. Johnson put up 6 and 6 in 26 minutes off the bench. Green appeared to be getting more comfortable on the floor, and recorded 8 points, 6 boards, and 3 dimes in 23 minutes. At one point, he even did a Dirk impression, hitting a one-legged fadeaway over his defender! Rick went with an 8-man rotation in this game, giving Iwundu a two-minute cameo.
PACERS. Indiana was struggling, having to play with a depleted roster themselves. They had six players in double figures, led by Malcolm Brogdon with 26 points, and Domantas Sabonis with 25 points and 10 rebounds. They had a good night shooting threes (16-39), but were undone by their inability to defend the paint.
OBSERVATIONS
Rick thought this was a great win, and was particularly proud of his squad’s fourth quarter. He said that Myles Turner being out had enabled him to start a smaller lineup, with KP as the sole big. He felt that had a huge impact on the offense. If Turner had been playing, Coach said he would have stuck with the bigger starting lineup, but would have gone to the smaller one early. KP, in turn, said playing the 5 is much easier for him, and he thought that had contributed to his effectiveness.
I particularly like this game, compared to the most recent ones, because the offense was flowing freely again, and they weren’t turning the ball over all the time (8 total turnovers). They played with energy and joy, and I thought the guys entertained. It was also a great illustration of how the team can win, even without Luka scoring 25-30 points. Kudos to Luka for having the vision and discipline to steer his team in the right direction!
With this win, the Mavs are back to .500, at 7-7. They have a back-to-back against the Spurs and Rockets coming up on Friday/Saturday, and those promise to be interesting rivalry matches.
Go Mavs!
