MAVS SURRENDER FOURTH IN LAST SIX
In a game which the Mavericks were favored to win, they were instead stymied by a very good Knicks team, crumpling under the dominant force that was Julius Randle.
GAME STORY
Alec Burks was out for the Knicks. The Mavericks had their full complement of players, except for a couple of rooks.
The Mavs got out to a lackluster start, fading to a 25-34 deficit by the end of the first quarter. Julius Randle seemed determined to redeem himself from his previous 5-20 no-show against the Mavs, laying 15 points on Dallas and completing 6 of his 8 shot attempts. The Knicks shot 70% from the floor, while the Mavericks were at 42%. KP was 1-6. The Dallas defense was poor.
The Knicks’ lead quickly ballooned to 12 in the second. Hardaway was due for a positive regression, and fought back with a sizzling 14-point quarter to lead a Dallas rally. The Mavs were within one at 2:32, but back to five behind at 1:46. A KP three and two THJ free throws tied the game with 47 seconds left in the period. Unfortunately, a KP technical foul and an RJ Barrett three left Dallas trailing 52-56 at halftime. Julius Randle led all scorers with 21 points. Timmy and KP combined for 26.
A Richardson three gave the Mavs a brief lead inside three minutes in the third. Luka free throws put the team ahead again about five minutes in. Dallas reached a quarter-high lead of 4 halfway through the period, and were up 1 with 1:06 remaining. However, a Gibson fadeaway and a Randle three put the scoreline at 79-83 going into the fourth. Randle continued to torch Dallas with a 14-point frame.
Three minutes into the fourth, the Knicks were back up 12 against a Luka-less, KP-less lineup. Luka and Kris re-entered at 7:56, but Dallas never came closer than six again. With more defensive attention focused on Randle, RJ Barrett made them pay with 13 points. Late-game execution left much to be desired.
STATISTICS
We need look no further than the shooting stats to see what accounted for the loss of this match. The Mavs got five more shots up, and had an incredible 17-shot advantage in 3PTAs, but their poor shooting made that translate into only one more made three than NY.
The Knicks shot 52% inside the arc, 50% from deep, and 71% from the line, whereas the Mavs had comparable percentages of 54/33/73, taking a much higher portion of their shots from outside. Point differentials were -10 on points from twos, +3 on points from threes, and -1 on made free throws. It didn’t help that team snipers KP, Luka, THJ, and Brunson combined for 6-25 (24%) beyond the arc. The closing unit consisted of the starters, with Redick and Hardaway coming in for situational substitutions.
PLAYERS
DONCIC. The Knicks made it a point not to let Luka beat them, and he responded with a stunning line of 22 points, a career-high-tying 19 assists, and 8 boards. He did go 2-9 from long range, and 6-10 from the line, but had only three turnovers. He had some incredible passes, including some oops to KP and DFS, and made a dive in front of Randle for a steal in the third. He and KP both played 38 minutes, and it is too bad they didn't come away with something to show for it.
PORZINGIS. KP led the team with 23 points, although he was 8-20 from the field and 2-8 from deep. He also had a team-high 12 rebounds, and recorded a couple of blocks. He had a relatively frustrating first half, including missing a couple of dunks (possibly on uncalled fouls) and committing a technical foul right after the team had struggled to tie the game. We needn't even mention the defense. Despite the fairly impressive line, he needed to be better.
DFS. Dorian had a 13 and 7 night. After the game, he allowed that NY had been the better team. He was very impressed with Randle and said that after Randle made his first three triples, the Mavs changed how they guarded him, but he kept hitting them from everywhere, and found shooters and cutters when they cut him off. He also noted that D Rose hurt them off the bench. Doe-Doe feels that the team needs to start coming out of the gate better and step up defensively. I imagine that Coach agrees.
THJ. Hardaway had an outstanding second quarter — a drive and spin floater, a post-up hook shot over a double team, a transition layup on a downcourt pass from Luka, two threes, and two free throws, along with diving on the floor to fight Taj Gibson for a jump ball. However, after a 16-point first half, the Knicks adjusted, and Tim did not score again. In fact, he took only one shot in the entire second half. Something is wrong with that.
REDICK. JJ gave a good account of himself in 17 minutes off the bench, scoring 9 points on 3-6 shooting (2-4 3PTAs). He also had 4 rebounds and a steal. At one point, he did well to draw a shooting foul, but completed only one of his free throws. He is a very accurate shooter, and looks to be helping the team, even in modest minutes. It seemed to me that he was exhibiting some leadership, trying to keep his young teammates calm and focused when they were letting their emotions get the better of them. If so, that can only endear him to Carlisle.
STARTERS. Richardson had a pretty good line, with 14 points, 6-12 shooting, 2-5 from three, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. In the first quarter, he exhibited some much-needed hustle, wrestling on the floor in an attempt to save an offensive rebound, and hitting a floater after grabbing an offensive board late in the period. Maxi, who was so effective against Randle in New York a couple of weeks ago, had a strangely quiet night with 6 points and 1 rebound, although he did have 2 blocks and a steal. It wasn't just Kleber -- all of the Mavericks big men looked outright impotent defensively on the night.
RESERVES. It was a terrible night for Brunson, who was 3-9, and had only 6 points and 1 assist. He was limited to 17 minutes of action, as Carlisle reacted to his evening by giving Redick some of his PT. It was an even worse night for Powell, who did not score or even attempt a shot, and had 2 boards and 2 turnovers in 10 minutes. Luka made an outstanding pass to him in the second quarter, but he traveled on his way to the basket. It didn’t help when he fought for an offensive rebound in the fourth, and then passed the ball into the back court for a violation. Yikes.
KNICKS. It was a heck of a night from Julius Randle, who had an amazing 44 points, 6 threes, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists. Whoa, mama! The Mavs never had a whisper of an answer for him. When Randle wasn’t crushing Dallas, RJ Barrett was. He recorded 24 points, 9-18 shooting, 8 rebounds, and a 13-point fourth quarter. Derrick Rose had 15 points and 5 dimes off the bench. Former Mav Nerlens Noel also was a thorn in Dallas' side.
OSERVATIONS
Carlisle opined, as per usual, that the poor first quarter really hurt the team. He noted the Knicks’ very coordinated, physical defense, and observed that the Mavs had been unable to match it. He admitted that Randle’s performance had been very difficult to counter, but thought that his players needed to do more to make it harder on the entire visiting team, and rued the fact that his squad didn’t take much of anything away from NY.
Devin Harris offered the comment that the team’s defense has been slipping, and that they need to get it back together, despite the compressed schedule. Harp criticized Dallas for not closing out better, leaving too many shots unchallenged, playing in a flat, energy-less manner, and displaying a lack of leadership.
These are not your older brother’s Knicks. Thibodeau has them playing at a very high defensive level, and, although they are not considered a particularly powerful offensive team, they had no trouble laying 117 points on the Mavs. I don’t see this contest as an example of stupidly throwing away a game against a team like OKC or Houston. The better team on the night won, and tbh, the Mavericks struggled to even compete.
Unfortunately, Portland edged the Spurs with a one-point victory, despite Dame being out with a hammy, so the Mavs find themselves 2 games back of the 6th seed again — 2.5 effectively, since the Blazers have the tiebreaker, with a couple of games against the Lakers looming.
Hopefully, our boys will at least be able to defeat Sac on Sunday, but they can’t take anything for granted at this point. These latest performances, including the Memphis win, don’t bode well. The Bally crew suggested that maybe the guys are just dragging from exhaustion, and it’s true that there’s no rest for the weary in this COVID season, but here we are.
The Kings are up on Sunday.
In a game which the Mavericks were favored to win, they were instead stymied by a very good Knicks team, crumpling under the dominant force that was Julius Randle.
GAME STORY
Alec Burks was out for the Knicks. The Mavericks had their full complement of players, except for a couple of rooks.
The Mavs got out to a lackluster start, fading to a 25-34 deficit by the end of the first quarter. Julius Randle seemed determined to redeem himself from his previous 5-20 no-show against the Mavs, laying 15 points on Dallas and completing 6 of his 8 shot attempts. The Knicks shot 70% from the floor, while the Mavericks were at 42%. KP was 1-6. The Dallas defense was poor.
The Knicks’ lead quickly ballooned to 12 in the second. Hardaway was due for a positive regression, and fought back with a sizzling 14-point quarter to lead a Dallas rally. The Mavs were within one at 2:32, but back to five behind at 1:46. A KP three and two THJ free throws tied the game with 47 seconds left in the period. Unfortunately, a KP technical foul and an RJ Barrett three left Dallas trailing 52-56 at halftime. Julius Randle led all scorers with 21 points. Timmy and KP combined for 26.
A Richardson three gave the Mavs a brief lead inside three minutes in the third. Luka free throws put the team ahead again about five minutes in. Dallas reached a quarter-high lead of 4 halfway through the period, and were up 1 with 1:06 remaining. However, a Gibson fadeaway and a Randle three put the scoreline at 79-83 going into the fourth. Randle continued to torch Dallas with a 14-point frame.
Three minutes into the fourth, the Knicks were back up 12 against a Luka-less, KP-less lineup. Luka and Kris re-entered at 7:56, but Dallas never came closer than six again. With more defensive attention focused on Randle, RJ Barrett made them pay with 13 points. Late-game execution left much to be desired.
STATISTICS
We need look no further than the shooting stats to see what accounted for the loss of this match. The Mavs got five more shots up, and had an incredible 17-shot advantage in 3PTAs, but their poor shooting made that translate into only one more made three than NY.
The Knicks shot 52% inside the arc, 50% from deep, and 71% from the line, whereas the Mavs had comparable percentages of 54/33/73, taking a much higher portion of their shots from outside. Point differentials were -10 on points from twos, +3 on points from threes, and -1 on made free throws. It didn’t help that team snipers KP, Luka, THJ, and Brunson combined for 6-25 (24%) beyond the arc. The closing unit consisted of the starters, with Redick and Hardaway coming in for situational substitutions.
PLAYERS
DONCIC. The Knicks made it a point not to let Luka beat them, and he responded with a stunning line of 22 points, a career-high-tying 19 assists, and 8 boards. He did go 2-9 from long range, and 6-10 from the line, but had only three turnovers. He had some incredible passes, including some oops to KP and DFS, and made a dive in front of Randle for a steal in the third. He and KP both played 38 minutes, and it is too bad they didn't come away with something to show for it.
PORZINGIS. KP led the team with 23 points, although he was 8-20 from the field and 2-8 from deep. He also had a team-high 12 rebounds, and recorded a couple of blocks. He had a relatively frustrating first half, including missing a couple of dunks (possibly on uncalled fouls) and committing a technical foul right after the team had struggled to tie the game. We needn't even mention the defense. Despite the fairly impressive line, he needed to be better.
DFS. Dorian had a 13 and 7 night. After the game, he allowed that NY had been the better team. He was very impressed with Randle and said that after Randle made his first three triples, the Mavs changed how they guarded him, but he kept hitting them from everywhere, and found shooters and cutters when they cut him off. He also noted that D Rose hurt them off the bench. Doe-Doe feels that the team needs to start coming out of the gate better and step up defensively. I imagine that Coach agrees.
THJ. Hardaway had an outstanding second quarter — a drive and spin floater, a post-up hook shot over a double team, a transition layup on a downcourt pass from Luka, two threes, and two free throws, along with diving on the floor to fight Taj Gibson for a jump ball. However, after a 16-point first half, the Knicks adjusted, and Tim did not score again. In fact, he took only one shot in the entire second half. Something is wrong with that.
REDICK. JJ gave a good account of himself in 17 minutes off the bench, scoring 9 points on 3-6 shooting (2-4 3PTAs). He also had 4 rebounds and a steal. At one point, he did well to draw a shooting foul, but completed only one of his free throws. He is a very accurate shooter, and looks to be helping the team, even in modest minutes. It seemed to me that he was exhibiting some leadership, trying to keep his young teammates calm and focused when they were letting their emotions get the better of them. If so, that can only endear him to Carlisle.
STARTERS. Richardson had a pretty good line, with 14 points, 6-12 shooting, 2-5 from three, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. In the first quarter, he exhibited some much-needed hustle, wrestling on the floor in an attempt to save an offensive rebound, and hitting a floater after grabbing an offensive board late in the period. Maxi, who was so effective against Randle in New York a couple of weeks ago, had a strangely quiet night with 6 points and 1 rebound, although he did have 2 blocks and a steal. It wasn't just Kleber -- all of the Mavericks big men looked outright impotent defensively on the night.
RESERVES. It was a terrible night for Brunson, who was 3-9, and had only 6 points and 1 assist. He was limited to 17 minutes of action, as Carlisle reacted to his evening by giving Redick some of his PT. It was an even worse night for Powell, who did not score or even attempt a shot, and had 2 boards and 2 turnovers in 10 minutes. Luka made an outstanding pass to him in the second quarter, but he traveled on his way to the basket. It didn’t help when he fought for an offensive rebound in the fourth, and then passed the ball into the back court for a violation. Yikes.
KNICKS. It was a heck of a night from Julius Randle, who had an amazing 44 points, 6 threes, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists. Whoa, mama! The Mavs never had a whisper of an answer for him. When Randle wasn’t crushing Dallas, RJ Barrett was. He recorded 24 points, 9-18 shooting, 8 rebounds, and a 13-point fourth quarter. Derrick Rose had 15 points and 5 dimes off the bench. Former Mav Nerlens Noel also was a thorn in Dallas' side.
OSERVATIONS
Carlisle opined, as per usual, that the poor first quarter really hurt the team. He noted the Knicks’ very coordinated, physical defense, and observed that the Mavs had been unable to match it. He admitted that Randle’s performance had been very difficult to counter, but thought that his players needed to do more to make it harder on the entire visiting team, and rued the fact that his squad didn’t take much of anything away from NY.
Devin Harris offered the comment that the team’s defense has been slipping, and that they need to get it back together, despite the compressed schedule. Harp criticized Dallas for not closing out better, leaving too many shots unchallenged, playing in a flat, energy-less manner, and displaying a lack of leadership.
These are not your older brother’s Knicks. Thibodeau has them playing at a very high defensive level, and, although they are not considered a particularly powerful offensive team, they had no trouble laying 117 points on the Mavs. I don’t see this contest as an example of stupidly throwing away a game against a team like OKC or Houston. The better team on the night won, and tbh, the Mavericks struggled to even compete.
Unfortunately, Portland edged the Spurs with a one-point victory, despite Dame being out with a hammy, so the Mavs find themselves 2 games back of the 6th seed again — 2.5 effectively, since the Blazers have the tiebreaker, with a couple of games against the Lakers looming.
Hopefully, our boys will at least be able to defeat Sac on Sunday, but they can’t take anything for granted at this point. These latest performances, including the Memphis win, don’t bode well. The Bally crew suggested that maybe the guys are just dragging from exhaustion, and it’s true that there’s no rest for the weary in this COVID season, but here we are.
The Kings are up on Sunday.