MAVS TOP NETS AT AAC
The Mavericks overcame a 45-point night from Kyrie Irving to get past the favored Nets and delight their home fans.
GAME STORY
Porzingis and Kleber were both on the injured list. James Harden was out for Brooklyn, but Kyrie and Durant were on tap. Dirk and Jessica Nowitzki made an appearance in the courtside seats, along with George and Laura Bush. Bush has just completed a book on immigrants to America, and Dirk was included as a shining example of an immigrant who has made the US a better place.
Rick went with a starting lineup of Luka, J Rich, Timmy, DFS, and Willie.
The Mavs appeared focused to start the game, and were soon out to a 8-point lead. The Nets recovered a bit, but Dallas was ahead by 10 with 1:03 left in the period. However, Brooklyn closed on a 5-0 run, and the Mavericks went into the second with a 37-32 lead.
By the time the first half of the second quarter had elapsed, the Nets re-took the lead. The two teams spent the rest of the period exchanging baskets, with the margin never reaching more than a possession on either side, and your boys headed into the locker room with a 63-62 edge.
Kyrie torched the Mavs in the first half with 25 points on 10-14 shooting, as he drove to the basket and scored at will, and also had four threes. Durant was also 6-11 around the basket for 16 points. Luka and Tim combined for 31.
After the bucket-fest in the first half, a lid was on the basket in the third, with the Mavs opening at 0-10 from the flooor and the Nets 1-7. The remaining minutes were a dogfight, with neither side able to gain any traction. The Mavs were up 4 with 1:32 left, but closed the quarter poorly, and the Nets led 83-82 after three. The two teams combined for 40 points in the period.
The Mavs went on a 13-2 run toward the middle of the fourth to go up by 7. The Nets closed their deficit to 4 a couple of times thereafter, but Dallas was up 8 with 15 seconds left. The home team faffed up the next couple of possessions with a turnover and a shooting foul, resulting in the Nets drawing within three with seven seconds on the clock. The Nets intentionally fouled Timmy, who missed the first free throw, but fortunately hit the second to salvage the victory. Rick put his trust in a clutch unit of Luka-Brunson-Hardaway-DFS-Powell. Kyrie had 15 of his team’s 26 points in the frame. Durant was 1-7.
STATISTICS
The point differentials for the Mavs were -6 on points from twos, +6 on points from threes, and +4 on made free throws. This state of affairs reflected shooting percentages from those areas of the court of 45/44/69 for Dallas and 48/35/93 for LA. The Mavericks had a 26-15 advantage in FTAs. Although the 11-attempt margin translated to only a 4-point edge, that turned out to be critical.
PLAYERS
DFS. Doe-Doe led the team in minutes (39), as usual, and had a lovely night. He put up 17 points on 6-11 shooting with three triples, recorded 8 rebounds and 3 assists, played a strong role in limiting Durant, and was a team-high +23. Now that Dorian’s offense has taken such a bound, he is a critical two-way player on the roster. He is moving around with a lot of confidence and making smart decisions. I can’t emphasize enough how big that development is for the Mavericks.
HARDAWAY. Tim had another fine evening, putting in 37 minutes in a starting role. He had 23 points and 6 rebounds, and shot 50% from the floor. As expected, he scored in a variety of ways, with 4 treys in the mix. He also played some surprisingly effective defense against Kevin Durant when they went one-on-one in the fourth. At one point, he went down with what looked like it might be a high ankle sprain, causing consternation among Mavs fans, but fortunately he was able to get up and shake it off. Whew!
DONCIC. The Nets’ double-teams and length frustrated Luka to the point of distraction. He still had 24 points, but was 7-22 from the field, missed 5 of his 10 free-throw attempts, and committed 6 turnovers. Even with all that, he still narrowly missed a triple-double, posting 10 boards and 8 assists. He was limited to 4 points in the fourth quarter, as the Nets were swarming him at every opportunity, but fortunately, he was able to get rid of the ball effectively, and the other Mavs were able to make the Nets pay. I was actually impressed that, at some point, he appeared to realize that he was pretty much stymied, and devoted his efforts to getting the ball to his teammates.
He was clearly annoyed at the refs and was conversing with them for most of the game, but with 15 technicals, he had to strike a pleading attitude rather than an angry one. He said after the game that he knows he has complained too much this season, and has spent too much time talking to the refs, and hopes to learn from the experience and remain calm.
POWELL. Dwight had another impressive showing, and served as the primary big man despite coming off the bench, playing 27 minutes and assuming clutch duties. He had a 12/10/5 line, and was a perfect 4-4 from both the field and the line. He combined admirably well with Luka in the pick-and-roll, and was an active defender. This man’s rounding into form again is such an important addition to the Mavericks’ toolbox.
GUARDS. Richardson had 10 points and 3 steals, and had a tough assignment against Kyrie. He faded in the second half, playing only 2 minutes in the fourth and scoring only 3 points in the last twenty-four. Brunson had an impactful performance despite being at a size disadvantage, putting up 15 points on 6-10 shooting, and taking part in the closing lineup. He played the entire fourth period, and led the team with 8 points in the frame. Green saw 8 minutes of action, and again acquitted himself well, leaping high for a couple of rebounds, showing active hands for two steals, and even claiming 2 baskets. Glad to see him continue to be trusted with some game time. Burke had two points and 2 boards in 11 minutes.
FRONTCOURT. Wille had a really good start to the game on both ends of the court, and ended up with 6 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks. All of his points came in the first period. Melli had two boards in six minutes.
NETS. The flat-earther was a beast, terrorizing the Mavericks from soup to nuts with 45 points. Yikes! Durant had 20 points and 9 boards, but was 7-21 from the field, and had to sit for the second half of the third quarter with foul trouble. Jeff Green had 11 points off the bench. Blake Griffin put up 10 points and 10 rebounds, but the Mavericks were able to take advantage of his limitations on defense.
OBSERVATIONS
It would have been no shame to lose to the high-powered Nets, especially with two of their three superstars on the court, but the Mavs did not have to accept a moral victory by just keeping it competitive. Even without KP and Maxi, with a muted scoring night from Luka, and with some boneheaded faff-ups here and there, they were able to hold their own for a W against the Eastern Conference’s #2 seed. Despite giving up 109 points, the defense was better than advertised, and was a factor in the victory. All in all, a night to be proud!
With the win, the Mavericks keep their position in fifth place, a game ahead of the Lakers and Blazers, who play each other tomorrow night. The Mavs face Cleveland tomorrow on the second night of the back-to-back. Maxi is still dealing with his lower leg issue, and Rick reports that KP is expected back during the regular season, but he is not sure when. For anyone keeping track of the rookies, Dalton Trigg reported in his podcast that Tyrell Terry is progressing well with his personal situation, but is not expected back this season. Hopefully, the Mavs will keep up the good work and not have a letdown against the Cavaliers.
Good times, MFFLs!
The Mavericks overcame a 45-point night from Kyrie Irving to get past the favored Nets and delight their home fans.
GAME STORY
Porzingis and Kleber were both on the injured list. James Harden was out for Brooklyn, but Kyrie and Durant were on tap. Dirk and Jessica Nowitzki made an appearance in the courtside seats, along with George and Laura Bush. Bush has just completed a book on immigrants to America, and Dirk was included as a shining example of an immigrant who has made the US a better place.
Rick went with a starting lineup of Luka, J Rich, Timmy, DFS, and Willie.
The Mavs appeared focused to start the game, and were soon out to a 8-point lead. The Nets recovered a bit, but Dallas was ahead by 10 with 1:03 left in the period. However, Brooklyn closed on a 5-0 run, and the Mavericks went into the second with a 37-32 lead.
By the time the first half of the second quarter had elapsed, the Nets re-took the lead. The two teams spent the rest of the period exchanging baskets, with the margin never reaching more than a possession on either side, and your boys headed into the locker room with a 63-62 edge.
Kyrie torched the Mavs in the first half with 25 points on 10-14 shooting, as he drove to the basket and scored at will, and also had four threes. Durant was also 6-11 around the basket for 16 points. Luka and Tim combined for 31.
After the bucket-fest in the first half, a lid was on the basket in the third, with the Mavs opening at 0-10 from the flooor and the Nets 1-7. The remaining minutes were a dogfight, with neither side able to gain any traction. The Mavs were up 4 with 1:32 left, but closed the quarter poorly, and the Nets led 83-82 after three. The two teams combined for 40 points in the period.
The Mavs went on a 13-2 run toward the middle of the fourth to go up by 7. The Nets closed their deficit to 4 a couple of times thereafter, but Dallas was up 8 with 15 seconds left. The home team faffed up the next couple of possessions with a turnover and a shooting foul, resulting in the Nets drawing within three with seven seconds on the clock. The Nets intentionally fouled Timmy, who missed the first free throw, but fortunately hit the second to salvage the victory. Rick put his trust in a clutch unit of Luka-Brunson-Hardaway-DFS-Powell. Kyrie had 15 of his team’s 26 points in the frame. Durant was 1-7.
STATISTICS
The point differentials for the Mavs were -6 on points from twos, +6 on points from threes, and +4 on made free throws. This state of affairs reflected shooting percentages from those areas of the court of 45/44/69 for Dallas and 48/35/93 for LA. The Mavericks had a 26-15 advantage in FTAs. Although the 11-attempt margin translated to only a 4-point edge, that turned out to be critical.
PLAYERS
DFS. Doe-Doe led the team in minutes (39), as usual, and had a lovely night. He put up 17 points on 6-11 shooting with three triples, recorded 8 rebounds and 3 assists, played a strong role in limiting Durant, and was a team-high +23. Now that Dorian’s offense has taken such a bound, he is a critical two-way player on the roster. He is moving around with a lot of confidence and making smart decisions. I can’t emphasize enough how big that development is for the Mavericks.
HARDAWAY. Tim had another fine evening, putting in 37 minutes in a starting role. He had 23 points and 6 rebounds, and shot 50% from the floor. As expected, he scored in a variety of ways, with 4 treys in the mix. He also played some surprisingly effective defense against Kevin Durant when they went one-on-one in the fourth. At one point, he went down with what looked like it might be a high ankle sprain, causing consternation among Mavs fans, but fortunately he was able to get up and shake it off. Whew!
DONCIC. The Nets’ double-teams and length frustrated Luka to the point of distraction. He still had 24 points, but was 7-22 from the field, missed 5 of his 10 free-throw attempts, and committed 6 turnovers. Even with all that, he still narrowly missed a triple-double, posting 10 boards and 8 assists. He was limited to 4 points in the fourth quarter, as the Nets were swarming him at every opportunity, but fortunately, he was able to get rid of the ball effectively, and the other Mavs were able to make the Nets pay. I was actually impressed that, at some point, he appeared to realize that he was pretty much stymied, and devoted his efforts to getting the ball to his teammates.
He was clearly annoyed at the refs and was conversing with them for most of the game, but with 15 technicals, he had to strike a pleading attitude rather than an angry one. He said after the game that he knows he has complained too much this season, and has spent too much time talking to the refs, and hopes to learn from the experience and remain calm.
POWELL. Dwight had another impressive showing, and served as the primary big man despite coming off the bench, playing 27 minutes and assuming clutch duties. He had a 12/10/5 line, and was a perfect 4-4 from both the field and the line. He combined admirably well with Luka in the pick-and-roll, and was an active defender. This man’s rounding into form again is such an important addition to the Mavericks’ toolbox.
GUARDS. Richardson had 10 points and 3 steals, and had a tough assignment against Kyrie. He faded in the second half, playing only 2 minutes in the fourth and scoring only 3 points in the last twenty-four. Brunson had an impactful performance despite being at a size disadvantage, putting up 15 points on 6-10 shooting, and taking part in the closing lineup. He played the entire fourth period, and led the team with 8 points in the frame. Green saw 8 minutes of action, and again acquitted himself well, leaping high for a couple of rebounds, showing active hands for two steals, and even claiming 2 baskets. Glad to see him continue to be trusted with some game time. Burke had two points and 2 boards in 11 minutes.
FRONTCOURT. Wille had a really good start to the game on both ends of the court, and ended up with 6 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks. All of his points came in the first period. Melli had two boards in six minutes.
NETS. The flat-earther was a beast, terrorizing the Mavericks from soup to nuts with 45 points. Yikes! Durant had 20 points and 9 boards, but was 7-21 from the field, and had to sit for the second half of the third quarter with foul trouble. Jeff Green had 11 points off the bench. Blake Griffin put up 10 points and 10 rebounds, but the Mavericks were able to take advantage of his limitations on defense.
OBSERVATIONS
It would have been no shame to lose to the high-powered Nets, especially with two of their three superstars on the court, but the Mavs did not have to accept a moral victory by just keeping it competitive. Even without KP and Maxi, with a muted scoring night from Luka, and with some boneheaded faff-ups here and there, they were able to hold their own for a W against the Eastern Conference’s #2 seed. Despite giving up 109 points, the defense was better than advertised, and was a factor in the victory. All in all, a night to be proud!
With the win, the Mavericks keep their position in fifth place, a game ahead of the Lakers and Blazers, who play each other tomorrow night. The Mavs face Cleveland tomorrow on the second night of the back-to-back. Maxi is still dealing with his lower leg issue, and Rick reports that KP is expected back during the regular season, but he is not sure when. For anyone keeping track of the rookies, Dalton Trigg reported in his podcast that Tyrell Terry is progressing well with his personal situation, but is not expected back this season. Hopefully, the Mavs will keep up the good work and not have a letdown against the Cavaliers.
Good times, MFFLs!