MAVS SMASH WIZARDS IN DC
This contest was predicted to be a high-scoring affair, and turned out to be anything but. The visitors got another chance to shine with their defense, which has to warm our coaches’ hearts.
NOTABLE ITEMS
PERSONNEL. Carlisle was back on the bench, the mystery regarding his positive COVID test being resolved. After what turned out to be a false positive, the NBA required that he return three negative tests before returning to “unmasked activities,” like coaching. The results of the third test did not come back in time for him to take the bench against the Celtics. However, two negative tests were enough to clear him for “masked activities,” like travelling, so he was able to fly with the team to DC. In the meantime, the team surprised Mosely with a champagne shower in the locker room to celebrate his first win.
As far as players go, the Mavs had a veritable crowd on the injured list this game, with WCS-Redick-Terry still out for the usual reasons, and Josh (left calf), Maxi (left leg contusion), and KP (knee recovery) included. Beal, Hachimura, Bryant, and Gafford were absent for the Wiz.
With 60% of the starting lineup missing, Rick treated us to an amuse-bouche of Luka, THJ, DFS, Melli, and Boban as the new unit.
GAME FLOW. The game was close-fought in the first quarter, and the Mavericks came out leading 24-19 after one, on the strength of a 10-point frame by Luka. The intensity increased in the second period, and the two teams battled to a 28-28 draw, with Melli leading the Mavs with 8 points. The score was 52-47 going into the locker room.
The Mavericks started creating some separation in the third, building a lead of as much as 13, and ending a 23-20 frame 75-67. Ya boys ran away with all the cookies in the fourth, leaving the Wiz wondering what happened.
STATISTICS. Maverick point differentials were even on points from twos, +15 on points from threes, and +7 on made free throws. Although the visitors did not shoot well behind the arc (10-30), the Wiz were even worse (5-25). The Wiz had a 48-36 advantage in points in the paint, but the Mavs countered with a 24-15 edge in free throw attempts. The Dallas defense was very persistent, and the team earned 23 points off 14 Wizard turnovers.
DFS. Doe-Doe led the team with 37 minutes, and chipped in 11 points on efficient 4-8 shooting, in addition to defending well and playing with energy. With three triples, he was one of only two Mavs, along with Tim, to hit multiple threes. His defensive assignment was triple-double machine Russell Westbrook, whom he held to 11-24 shooting, zero made threes, and only five assists. We all enjoyed watching Doe's rim-rocker from Powell in the fourth.
DONCIC. Luka recorded a 26/8/6 line, although he was 1-8 from range. Westbrook knocked him to the floor late on his way up to the basket, causing consternation among Luka's faithful fans. However, after the game, Doncic indicated that he didn’t blame Westy for fouling him, since he was about to deliver the “dunk of the year.” Luka, what a card, haha. Perhaps one of his most important stats was his 32 minutes of playing time. He went out halfway through the fourth quarter and never had to return, allowing the Mavs to sneak a few additional minutes of rest for him in this crowded schedule of games.
HARDAWAY. Tim had 16 points in a starting role. Although it was not a particularly efficient effort (6-19), Carlisle pointed out that he had a couple of “huge” threes late to put the game away. A couple of his more exciting moments involved the rare and-one on a goaltended basket, and an acrobatic leaner over an opponent.
BRUNSON. Jalen continues to exceed expectations, and was the second-leading scorer with 19 points in 30 minutes off the bench. Not sure he has ever fouled out before, but he exited with his sixth when the game was already in hand. Feisty little rascal. Rick praised his consistency after the game. He drew a couple of charges against Hutchinson, and his highlight reel will doubtless include an and-one jumper over Lopez in the second, and a three off a pass from Josh Green in the first. He is starting to look almost Luka-like with some of his dances to the rim and fancy passes.
MELLI. Nicolo had a lovely evening in his first start with the Mavs, with 10 points on perfect shooting from the field and the line, in addition to 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Luka noted that the team is undefeated with Melli on the floor. Coach was extremely complimentary, calling attention to Melli’s defensive versatility, ability to guard both the perimeter and the post, rebounding, and quickness on his feet. Rick was pleased with his defense on Bertans, who was held to 11 points. He had a noteworthy trio of plays late in the second quarter — a blow-by for a made basket at the rim, a fly-in over the Wiz for a tip-in and-one, and a three.
MARJANOVIC. Boban contributed 15 points and 12 boards as starting center. Rick observed his team-high +/- of 22, acknowledging that the stat is not an especially accurate measure of a player’s performance, but serves as a general indicator of what happened when the player was on the floor. He praised Bobi’s rebounding, block, free-throw shooting (5-6), and force around the basket. In general, he said that Boban is a productive guy, tireless worker, and as a person, has a great deal of gratitude, a positive vibe, and is great to be around. Boban exhibited some versatility in this match, showing that an elbow jumper and a free-throw line jumper are included in his repertoire.
Boban is a heartwarming player to watch, and the fans aren’t the only ones who like him. Eleven different countries were represented between these two teams, and it appeared that they were all friends of Bobi’s, as Marjanovic was late for his post-game interview due to so many players wanting to greet him on the sideline. In Luka’s interview, the reporter commented that she knew Bobi and Luka were friends off the court, whereupon Luka wagged his finger at her and told her not to spread fake media stories about him, grinning all the while. The gentle giant has to be one of the most beloved players in the NBA. For all his smiles and goofiness, he says he approaches his career with the utmost professionalism and seriousness, and who would doubt ti?
MENTIONS. Powell served as the third big, and had 7 boards and 2 assists off the bench. Rick commented that Dwight and Boban make a good one-two punch in the middle, with Powell being a little quicker guarding the perimeter, and Bobi more of an inside presence. Green got some meaningful PT tonight, playing 20 “solid, quality” minutes off the bench, per Rick, and grabbing 7 rebounds. Although, if we were nitpicking, we would mention that he airbailed a wide open three. Burke had an unremarkable 10 minutes.
WIZARDS. Westbrook played his usual frenetic game, and had 26 points and 14 rebounds. Lopez and Neto did a pretty good job carving up the Mavs off the bench, combining for 34 points. Davis Bertans put up 11 in his return to the court.
OBSERVATIONS
Carlisle thought his team got off to a good start, and, although the game never had “much of a rhythm,” they played “the right way,” and improved as the contest went along. He particularly liked the defense, adding that the 8-day snowpocalypse break had enabled the team to steal enough practice time to take their defense to a higher level, emphasizing physicality and attention to detail.
The Mavs caught a break in this one, with Beal and Hachimura being late scratches, but they also had important players out themselves, and it was reassuring to see them win so decisively with KP resting and Luka cold from deep. I especially liked the energy, the focus, the defense, and the cohesion in the back-to-back. An encouraging step forward.
On Monday at the AAC, the Mavericks face one of the league’s best in the Utah Jazz. KP is expected to be available, and Maxi and J Rich are considered day-to-day. Should be a good test for the home team, as they try to move up the standings.
Home again, home again, jiggety-jog!
This contest was predicted to be a high-scoring affair, and turned out to be anything but. The visitors got another chance to shine with their defense, which has to warm our coaches’ hearts.
NOTABLE ITEMS
PERSONNEL. Carlisle was back on the bench, the mystery regarding his positive COVID test being resolved. After what turned out to be a false positive, the NBA required that he return three negative tests before returning to “unmasked activities,” like coaching. The results of the third test did not come back in time for him to take the bench against the Celtics. However, two negative tests were enough to clear him for “masked activities,” like travelling, so he was able to fly with the team to DC. In the meantime, the team surprised Mosely with a champagne shower in the locker room to celebrate his first win.
As far as players go, the Mavs had a veritable crowd on the injured list this game, with WCS-Redick-Terry still out for the usual reasons, and Josh (left calf), Maxi (left leg contusion), and KP (knee recovery) included. Beal, Hachimura, Bryant, and Gafford were absent for the Wiz.
With 60% of the starting lineup missing, Rick treated us to an amuse-bouche of Luka, THJ, DFS, Melli, and Boban as the new unit.
GAME FLOW. The game was close-fought in the first quarter, and the Mavericks came out leading 24-19 after one, on the strength of a 10-point frame by Luka. The intensity increased in the second period, and the two teams battled to a 28-28 draw, with Melli leading the Mavs with 8 points. The score was 52-47 going into the locker room.
The Mavericks started creating some separation in the third, building a lead of as much as 13, and ending a 23-20 frame 75-67. Ya boys ran away with all the cookies in the fourth, leaving the Wiz wondering what happened.
STATISTICS. Maverick point differentials were even on points from twos, +15 on points from threes, and +7 on made free throws. Although the visitors did not shoot well behind the arc (10-30), the Wiz were even worse (5-25). The Wiz had a 48-36 advantage in points in the paint, but the Mavs countered with a 24-15 edge in free throw attempts. The Dallas defense was very persistent, and the team earned 23 points off 14 Wizard turnovers.
DFS. Doe-Doe led the team with 37 minutes, and chipped in 11 points on efficient 4-8 shooting, in addition to defending well and playing with energy. With three triples, he was one of only two Mavs, along with Tim, to hit multiple threes. His defensive assignment was triple-double machine Russell Westbrook, whom he held to 11-24 shooting, zero made threes, and only five assists. We all enjoyed watching Doe's rim-rocker from Powell in the fourth.
DONCIC. Luka recorded a 26/8/6 line, although he was 1-8 from range. Westbrook knocked him to the floor late on his way up to the basket, causing consternation among Luka's faithful fans. However, after the game, Doncic indicated that he didn’t blame Westy for fouling him, since he was about to deliver the “dunk of the year.” Luka, what a card, haha. Perhaps one of his most important stats was his 32 minutes of playing time. He went out halfway through the fourth quarter and never had to return, allowing the Mavs to sneak a few additional minutes of rest for him in this crowded schedule of games.
HARDAWAY. Tim had 16 points in a starting role. Although it was not a particularly efficient effort (6-19), Carlisle pointed out that he had a couple of “huge” threes late to put the game away. A couple of his more exciting moments involved the rare and-one on a goaltended basket, and an acrobatic leaner over an opponent.
BRUNSON. Jalen continues to exceed expectations, and was the second-leading scorer with 19 points in 30 minutes off the bench. Not sure he has ever fouled out before, but he exited with his sixth when the game was already in hand. Feisty little rascal. Rick praised his consistency after the game. He drew a couple of charges against Hutchinson, and his highlight reel will doubtless include an and-one jumper over Lopez in the second, and a three off a pass from Josh Green in the first. He is starting to look almost Luka-like with some of his dances to the rim and fancy passes.
MELLI. Nicolo had a lovely evening in his first start with the Mavs, with 10 points on perfect shooting from the field and the line, in addition to 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Luka noted that the team is undefeated with Melli on the floor. Coach was extremely complimentary, calling attention to Melli’s defensive versatility, ability to guard both the perimeter and the post, rebounding, and quickness on his feet. Rick was pleased with his defense on Bertans, who was held to 11 points. He had a noteworthy trio of plays late in the second quarter — a blow-by for a made basket at the rim, a fly-in over the Wiz for a tip-in and-one, and a three.
MARJANOVIC. Boban contributed 15 points and 12 boards as starting center. Rick observed his team-high +/- of 22, acknowledging that the stat is not an especially accurate measure of a player’s performance, but serves as a general indicator of what happened when the player was on the floor. He praised Bobi’s rebounding, block, free-throw shooting (5-6), and force around the basket. In general, he said that Boban is a productive guy, tireless worker, and as a person, has a great deal of gratitude, a positive vibe, and is great to be around. Boban exhibited some versatility in this match, showing that an elbow jumper and a free-throw line jumper are included in his repertoire.
Boban is a heartwarming player to watch, and the fans aren’t the only ones who like him. Eleven different countries were represented between these two teams, and it appeared that they were all friends of Bobi’s, as Marjanovic was late for his post-game interview due to so many players wanting to greet him on the sideline. In Luka’s interview, the reporter commented that she knew Bobi and Luka were friends off the court, whereupon Luka wagged his finger at her and told her not to spread fake media stories about him, grinning all the while. The gentle giant has to be one of the most beloved players in the NBA. For all his smiles and goofiness, he says he approaches his career with the utmost professionalism and seriousness, and who would doubt ti?
MENTIONS. Powell served as the third big, and had 7 boards and 2 assists off the bench. Rick commented that Dwight and Boban make a good one-two punch in the middle, with Powell being a little quicker guarding the perimeter, and Bobi more of an inside presence. Green got some meaningful PT tonight, playing 20 “solid, quality” minutes off the bench, per Rick, and grabbing 7 rebounds. Although, if we were nitpicking, we would mention that he airbailed a wide open three. Burke had an unremarkable 10 minutes.
WIZARDS. Westbrook played his usual frenetic game, and had 26 points and 14 rebounds. Lopez and Neto did a pretty good job carving up the Mavs off the bench, combining for 34 points. Davis Bertans put up 11 in his return to the court.
OBSERVATIONS
Carlisle thought his team got off to a good start, and, although the game never had “much of a rhythm,” they played “the right way,” and improved as the contest went along. He particularly liked the defense, adding that the 8-day snowpocalypse break had enabled the team to steal enough practice time to take their defense to a higher level, emphasizing physicality and attention to detail.
The Mavs caught a break in this one, with Beal and Hachimura being late scratches, but they also had important players out themselves, and it was reassuring to see them win so decisively with KP resting and Luka cold from deep. I especially liked the energy, the focus, the defense, and the cohesion in the back-to-back. An encouraging step forward.
On Monday at the AAC, the Mavericks face one of the league’s best in the Utah Jazz. KP is expected to be available, and Maxi and J Rich are considered day-to-day. Should be a good test for the home team, as they try to move up the standings.
Home again, home again, jiggety-jog!
