MAVS BACK IN THE WIN COLUMN AGAINST PISTONS
The Mavericks snapped a 4-game home losing streak, and took away a much-needed victory in their chase for the sixth seed.
GAME STORY
Looking for an infusion of first-quarter energy, Rick substituted Powell for Maxi in the starting lineup.
After going down 2-8 to start the game, the Mavs briefly attained the lead around five minutes in. They were soon down by three possessions, but managed to pull within three points by the end of the first quarter, trailing 33-36. Jerami Grant had a 15-point frame for Detroit. Luka led the Mavs with 11.
Things turned quite physical to begin the second. Tyler Cook barreled over Maxi on an offensive foul that left Kleber lying on the ground trying to catch his breath. Willie was sent to the floor on the next play. Soon, Maxi could be seen heading to the bench grabbing his hip, Luka followed with a bleeding elbow, and WCS asked out of the game, appearing winded. After trying to play through his injury, Maxi went to the locker room for good with a back bruise resulting from the charge.
The Mavs broke out their zone defense, which proved effective in limiting Detroit’s inside game. Jerami Grant exited the floor with his third foul. The Mavericks closed the half on a 12-2 run, leading 67-58 going into the locker room. Brunson was excellent, displaying his versatility with a 13-point period. KP chipped in 9. Detroit was held to 22 points.
The two teams engaged in a lot of basket trading in the third, and the Mavs extended their lead by a point, leading 100-90 after thirty-six minutes.
The Mavs held a double-digit lead for most of the fourth. A scoreless period of over four minutes for Dallas in the middle of the quarter ended with a pair of Luka free throws, a steal and breakaway dunk for KP, and a kickout from Luka to THJ for a corner three. Three players fouled out in the last couple minutes — KP, WCS, and Plumlee. Aside from that, Dallas closed the game comfortably.
STATISTICS
The Mavericks dominated many of the stat categories. They put up 13 more attempts than the Pistons, and 11 more 3PTAs. Both teams had respectable nights from three — Pistons 41%, Mavs 37%. Dallas had only 6 turnovers in the entire game, and had advantages of 52-40 in PIP, 21-12 in second-chance points, and 13-4 in fast-break points. The second quarter was the clincher for the home team Mavs, who were a combined -2 in the other three periods. Going to the zone and getting Grant into foul trouble enabled the Mavericks to gain control.
PLAYERS
BRUNSON. Jalen had a remarkable game, with 20 points and 5 assists in a 29-minute sixth-man role, on 8-12 shooting. Someone besides the stars needed to step up in a big way, and in this contest, it was JB.
DONCIC. Luka was one assist shy of a triple-double, with 30 points, 10 boards, 9 dimes, and 2 steals. If one wanted to be picky about it, he was 4-11 from three and 6-10 from the line, but OTOH, he had only 3 turnovers and was able to keep his minutes to 33. He played a part in keeping Grant in foul trouble, drawing a second on him late in the first. Toward the end of the second, he had a spectacular Eurostep-lob for a DFS dunk. The What-A-Burger Play of the Day was his looooong three off the glass in the third.
PORZINGIS. KP had a solid outing, recording a 19/7/4 line, to go with three steals. He was 6-13 from the field and 2-5 from distance. His offense was balanced, as he scored in a variety of ways. He fouled out on an ill-advised hack of a jump shooter (at least his second such foul in the match), but the game was more or less in hand by that point anyway. The other Mavs seemed to be making a concerted effort to involve him. Toward the middle of the second, he had a fast-break jumper from Redick, followed by a fadeaway bank shot from Brunson. Perhaps one of his most important statistics was his minutes, considering the coming back-to-back -- a moderate 33.
POWELL. Dwight had 6 points and three boards in 11 minutes as a starter, including a highlight-reel put back after a chase-down block of a Luka shot. I think his brief outing was attributable to his being rendered irrelevant defensively by Jerami Grant. As to why he was out there so early, Rick said he thought the starting lineup needed a change, and he put Dwight in because #7 had changed the Sac game with hard physical play and had some history playing as a starter with the rest of the group. He further observed that Powell’s ethic represents everything the Mavs want to be as a team. THJ further complimented Dwight as being a hard worker and always giving his best.
STARTERS. Dorian had 11 points, including three triples, and won the DPOG award for limiting Grant in the second half. I thought Richardson bounced back to a degree from the Sac game, and registered 12 points in 28 minutes. He had an exciting moment in the first with a stumble through a double team for a circus-shot and-one, although he missed the free throw.
BENCH. THJ had a decent showing, especially considering that he was playing through an illness, with 15 points on 6-13 shooting in 26 minutes. Maxi had 5 rebounds in a night cut short by injury. Rick reported after the game that Kleber has a pretty bad bruise, and they will assess his ability to get back on the court in the morning. Willie got a runout, filling in for the injured Maxi. He had 8 points and 4 rebounds in 13 minutes, and fouled out in the last minute of the game. Redick had a couple of threes to give the team a lift in a 12-minute showing. I wouldn’t mind seeing a little more of JJ, although I understand that his heel is still bothersome, so I don’t know how realistic that is. Melli recorded a rebound and a steal in 6 minutes.
PISTONS. Jerami Grant and Cory Joseph combined to lay 50 points on the Mavs. Fortunately for the home team, foul trouble for Grant limited him to 27 minutes overall, and a combined three minutes in the second and third quarters. Mason Plumlee registered a 13/16/7 line and fouled out near the end of the game. Josh Jackson had 12 points on 5-10 shooting. Saddiq Bey and former Mav Wayne Ellington put up 11 apiece. Although the Pistons have a poor record, they were far from pushovers.
OBSERVATIONS
Carlisle noted the rough start, but was proud of his guys for maintaining their poise, getting back on track in the second quarter, and staying with Detroit in the second half. He denied that he has gone to a new starting unit going forward, and said lineups will remain fluid, depending on matchups.
It was great to see the Mavericks with a win at home, even if it was against one of the league’s cellar dwellers. They face the Lakers Thursday night, for the second game of a back-to-back. Anthony Davis has said he will return to the court if he is feeling all right, and he is a handful for the Mavs, or any other team, to deal with. Maxi may or may not be available. It will not be a scheduled rest game for Porzingis, but whether he plays will depend on how he feels. Rick hopes he can go, and most fans probably join him in that desire.
With Portland’s loss to Denver, the Mavs are half a game behind Portland. However, the next two games are against the Lakers, and that is a team that can never be taken lightly, with or without AD.
The Mavericks' overall energy was on an uptick, and hopefully, this contest represents a step in the right direction for the team.
The Mavericks snapped a 4-game home losing streak, and took away a much-needed victory in their chase for the sixth seed.
GAME STORY
Looking for an infusion of first-quarter energy, Rick substituted Powell for Maxi in the starting lineup.
After going down 2-8 to start the game, the Mavs briefly attained the lead around five minutes in. They were soon down by three possessions, but managed to pull within three points by the end of the first quarter, trailing 33-36. Jerami Grant had a 15-point frame for Detroit. Luka led the Mavs with 11.
Things turned quite physical to begin the second. Tyler Cook barreled over Maxi on an offensive foul that left Kleber lying on the ground trying to catch his breath. Willie was sent to the floor on the next play. Soon, Maxi could be seen heading to the bench grabbing his hip, Luka followed with a bleeding elbow, and WCS asked out of the game, appearing winded. After trying to play through his injury, Maxi went to the locker room for good with a back bruise resulting from the charge.
The Mavs broke out their zone defense, which proved effective in limiting Detroit’s inside game. Jerami Grant exited the floor with his third foul. The Mavericks closed the half on a 12-2 run, leading 67-58 going into the locker room. Brunson was excellent, displaying his versatility with a 13-point period. KP chipped in 9. Detroit was held to 22 points.
The two teams engaged in a lot of basket trading in the third, and the Mavs extended their lead by a point, leading 100-90 after thirty-six minutes.
The Mavs held a double-digit lead for most of the fourth. A scoreless period of over four minutes for Dallas in the middle of the quarter ended with a pair of Luka free throws, a steal and breakaway dunk for KP, and a kickout from Luka to THJ for a corner three. Three players fouled out in the last couple minutes — KP, WCS, and Plumlee. Aside from that, Dallas closed the game comfortably.
STATISTICS
The Mavericks dominated many of the stat categories. They put up 13 more attempts than the Pistons, and 11 more 3PTAs. Both teams had respectable nights from three — Pistons 41%, Mavs 37%. Dallas had only 6 turnovers in the entire game, and had advantages of 52-40 in PIP, 21-12 in second-chance points, and 13-4 in fast-break points. The second quarter was the clincher for the home team Mavs, who were a combined -2 in the other three periods. Going to the zone and getting Grant into foul trouble enabled the Mavericks to gain control.
PLAYERS
BRUNSON. Jalen had a remarkable game, with 20 points and 5 assists in a 29-minute sixth-man role, on 8-12 shooting. Someone besides the stars needed to step up in a big way, and in this contest, it was JB.
DONCIC. Luka was one assist shy of a triple-double, with 30 points, 10 boards, 9 dimes, and 2 steals. If one wanted to be picky about it, he was 4-11 from three and 6-10 from the line, but OTOH, he had only 3 turnovers and was able to keep his minutes to 33. He played a part in keeping Grant in foul trouble, drawing a second on him late in the first. Toward the end of the second, he had a spectacular Eurostep-lob for a DFS dunk. The What-A-Burger Play of the Day was his looooong three off the glass in the third.
PORZINGIS. KP had a solid outing, recording a 19/7/4 line, to go with three steals. He was 6-13 from the field and 2-5 from distance. His offense was balanced, as he scored in a variety of ways. He fouled out on an ill-advised hack of a jump shooter (at least his second such foul in the match), but the game was more or less in hand by that point anyway. The other Mavs seemed to be making a concerted effort to involve him. Toward the middle of the second, he had a fast-break jumper from Redick, followed by a fadeaway bank shot from Brunson. Perhaps one of his most important statistics was his minutes, considering the coming back-to-back -- a moderate 33.
POWELL. Dwight had 6 points and three boards in 11 minutes as a starter, including a highlight-reel put back after a chase-down block of a Luka shot. I think his brief outing was attributable to his being rendered irrelevant defensively by Jerami Grant. As to why he was out there so early, Rick said he thought the starting lineup needed a change, and he put Dwight in because #7 had changed the Sac game with hard physical play and had some history playing as a starter with the rest of the group. He further observed that Powell’s ethic represents everything the Mavs want to be as a team. THJ further complimented Dwight as being a hard worker and always giving his best.
STARTERS. Dorian had 11 points, including three triples, and won the DPOG award for limiting Grant in the second half. I thought Richardson bounced back to a degree from the Sac game, and registered 12 points in 28 minutes. He had an exciting moment in the first with a stumble through a double team for a circus-shot and-one, although he missed the free throw.
BENCH. THJ had a decent showing, especially considering that he was playing through an illness, with 15 points on 6-13 shooting in 26 minutes. Maxi had 5 rebounds in a night cut short by injury. Rick reported after the game that Kleber has a pretty bad bruise, and they will assess his ability to get back on the court in the morning. Willie got a runout, filling in for the injured Maxi. He had 8 points and 4 rebounds in 13 minutes, and fouled out in the last minute of the game. Redick had a couple of threes to give the team a lift in a 12-minute showing. I wouldn’t mind seeing a little more of JJ, although I understand that his heel is still bothersome, so I don’t know how realistic that is. Melli recorded a rebound and a steal in 6 minutes.
PISTONS. Jerami Grant and Cory Joseph combined to lay 50 points on the Mavs. Fortunately for the home team, foul trouble for Grant limited him to 27 minutes overall, and a combined three minutes in the second and third quarters. Mason Plumlee registered a 13/16/7 line and fouled out near the end of the game. Josh Jackson had 12 points on 5-10 shooting. Saddiq Bey and former Mav Wayne Ellington put up 11 apiece. Although the Pistons have a poor record, they were far from pushovers.
OBSERVATIONS
Carlisle noted the rough start, but was proud of his guys for maintaining their poise, getting back on track in the second quarter, and staying with Detroit in the second half. He denied that he has gone to a new starting unit going forward, and said lineups will remain fluid, depending on matchups.
It was great to see the Mavericks with a win at home, even if it was against one of the league’s cellar dwellers. They face the Lakers Thursday night, for the second game of a back-to-back. Anthony Davis has said he will return to the court if he is feeling all right, and he is a handful for the Mavs, or any other team, to deal with. Maxi may or may not be available. It will not be a scheduled rest game for Porzingis, but whether he plays will depend on how he feels. Rick hopes he can go, and most fans probably join him in that desire.
With Portland’s loss to Denver, the Mavs are half a game behind Portland. However, the next two games are against the Lakers, and that is a team that can never be taken lightly, with or without AD.
The Mavericks' overall energy was on an uptick, and hopefully, this contest represents a step in the right direction for the team.