04-12-2021, 12:15 AM
MAVS DISAPPOINT IN RIVALRY GAME
The Mavs were out-executed by a Spurs team coming in on a 5-game losing streak. A late-game rally didn’t quite get the job done.
GAME STORY
Willie Cauley-Stein was welcomed back, after missing 12 games. He cleared COVID protocols in the afternoon, but had not practiced with the team for several weeks, so did not end up making an appearance. Redick and Terry remained out, although JJ was able to practice with the team. Maxi joined the injured list with his lingering right leg soreness, appearing on the injured list for 3 of the last five 5 games.
Melli took Maxi’s place in the starting lineup.
The first quarter featured 13 points and 5 rebounds by none other than Kristaps Porzingis. Mavs were favored to win the game, but that didn’t stop the proud Spurs from giving Dallas a run for their money from the outset. San Antonio built a 7-point lead late in the quarter, but your boys came back to tie at 26-26 after one.
The Mavericks came on in the second quarter, eventually putting together a 14-3 run, accumulating a 9-point lead, and closing the period with a 56-51 advantage. KP recorded his third first-half double-double in 7 games, and his career first with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
The Mavs substituted Hardaway for Melli in their post-locker room lineup. The Spurs quickly erased their deficit and took the lead to open the third on a 13-2 run. SA built several multi-possession leads, but the score never got closer than seven. Melli tied the game with a three in the last minute, and then hit a buzzer-beating triple to put the Mavs ahead 89-88 to end the quarter. De Rozan torched our boys with a mid-range clinic for 15 points. Luka had 10 for Dallas.
San Antonio opened their biggest lead at 8 points to begin the fourth. After an exchange of runs, the Spurs went on an 8-0 tear, consisting of a Poetl layup and-one, two DDR free throws, and a DDR and-one, along with a Mavs turnover and two missed threes, to lead by 9 at 3:26. The Mavs fought back with a 9-1 effort to pull within one at 1:26. It was a blow when KP fouled out on a DeRozan and-one at 1:14 . Two free throws and a floater from Luka tied the game with 20 seconds left. Dallas did not double-team De Rozan, who hit a 20' step back over DFS with .5 left. Luka missed a desperation 36’ heave at the buzzer.
STATISTICS
The Mavs got 11 more shots off than the Spurs, and took an incredible 21 more three-point attempts, but had 12 fewer FTAs. Dallas shot poorly from three (13-42, 31%). Both teams were excellent inside the arc, with the Spurs scoring 58 PIP and the Mavs 56. Point differentials were -10 on points from twos, +15 on points from threes, and -7 on made free throws. Dallas had a 6-point edge on second chances, while the Spurs had a 10-point margin in points on fast breaks.
PLAYERS
PORZINGIS. KP had a monster game, with a 31/15/3 line, 12-21 shooting, and 2 blocks. He had a very good all-around match, hitting shots in a variety of ways, and defending with alacrity. He led the team with 7 points in the fourth quarter. It was really too bad he got into foul trouble with three fouls in the final frame, and he looked suitably horrified and chagrined when he fouled out. He played 36 minutes in the first night of a back-to-back, and it’s a shame that the performance was wasted in a loss.
RICHARDSON. Josh had a pretty good showing, with 16 points, 7-14 shooting, five rebounds, and three assists. He was particularly active on the offensive glass, with 4 ORBs. You never really know what you're going to get from Josh from one night to the next, but he gets a passing grade for this one.
DONCIC. Luka also played well for the most part, putting up 29 points on 10-17 shooting, along with 7 assists. He did, on the other hand, have 5 turnovers, including one in the clutch, was 2-8 from deep, and grabbed only three rebounds. The big point guard posted up quite a bit in this match, and his strong body proved too much for the Spurs’ mini-guards time after time. He had a three in the first when the Spurs inexplicably left him open, resulting in Pop running onto the court with lava spouting from his ears. Luka said after the game that he was very disappointed with the loss, but declined to elaborate.
DFS. Doe-Doe had a 9/7/3 line, but was 1-4 from three, and was eviscerated by De Rozan. I guess the Mavs aren’t used to defending old-school guys who make their living from mid-range, and the Spurs took advantage. One could question the coaching for not giving DDR more defensive attention in the second half, although San Antonio has plenty of shooters who can make defenders pay for that approach. The Mavericks just kept using the same approach with Doe-Doe, seeming to be firmly convinced that DeMar just couldn't keep hitting those contested mid-rangers. But he did. Dorian did have a highlight moment, with a thundering dunk over Poetl in the third.
BRUNSON. Jalen served as the sixth man, with 30 minutes off the bench, but didn’t have a great night, scoring 11 points on 4-15 shooting, although he did dish 5 dimes, and the team did well when he was on the floor (+13). If only just one more three had gone in, . . . .
MELLI. Nicolo had 6 points and 5 fouls in 22 minutes. In the second quarter, he had a bad mistake, bailing out Rudy Gay with a foul on an out-of-control drive. However, he had a notable turn in the third quarter, when Lonnie Walker posterized him, and he retaliated with a three to tie the game, followed by another three at the buzzer to give the Mavs a lead going into the fourth. He was in foul trouble for much of the game, being called for his third a few minutes into the second quarter.
MENTIONS. It was a night to forget for THJ, who had 2 points, took only 5 shots in 22 minutes, and turned the ball over twice. One of the analysts after the game speculated that with KP having such a dominant night (21 shots), it may have been hard for Timmy to get his offense going. Powell had nine points (4-4 FGA, 1-1 FTA)) in 15 minutes in his role as third third big. I thought he looked good. He had a rim-rattling dunk off a pass through Poetl’s legs in the second. Burke was the ninth man, with 4 points, 2 assists, and 2 steals in 10 minutes. He and Brunson had an exciting play in the second, when Burke stole the ball, drove to the basket, missed the shot, and Jalen followed up with a putback dunk.
SPURS. DeRozan took over the game, scoring 27 of his 33 points in the second half, hitting 13 of his 25 shots, 7 of his 8 FTAs, and recording 8 assists and 5 boards. He took and missed only one three the whole game, putting on a master class in mid-range offense. Dejounte Murray tormented the Mavs the whole game, putting up 25 points on 11-17 shooting, with 5 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals. Lonnie Walker had 13 points off the bench, hitting 5 of his 8 attempts. Poetl had 12 points, 8 boards and 4 blocks. Whatever their record, this was a Pop team on display— gritty, determined, and infused with competitive drive.
OBSERVATIONS
Rick found the loss very disappointing, and pointed to the Spurs’ 54% shooting, 27 free-throw attempts, and activity on the boards as evidence that his Mavs needed to be more aggressive. He said the game called for a good start, but his players were “just okay.” He acknowledged that his squad had some good stretches, but noted that they did not sustain their effort for 48 minutes. He allowed that they had a good run at the end, but observed that it is hard to make a living on late-game comebacks. Queried about the Spurs’ runs to open the third and fourth quarters, Rick replied that his young team is still learning lessons about how to keep their guard up with a busy schedule of games.
Coach was asked the obvious question — why didn’t they send a double-team at DeRozan on his last shot? Rick said he didn't know -- they discussed it in the timeout, and maybe he didn’t give specific enough instructions, but he would find out. Luka then declined to reveal what happened in the huddle, saying that such matters do not belong in the media. Rick followed that with an unprecedented re-appearance in the media center, and announced that they discussed sending a double in the TO, they elected not to do so, and with the benefit of hindsight, that was a mistake that is on him. Whatever actually happened in the huddle, Carlisle decided to absorb the blame, even in a match where he was disappointed by the overall effort.
Several of the Mavs had very good games, but so did numerous Spurs. This match fell between the Bucks and the Phillies, and perhaps Dallas came in a little overconfident. Maxi was clearly missed. If we get to wondering why the Mavericks have been mired in seventh place for so long, we need only look at games like this. The top half of the Western Conference is brutal, with it not being unusual for teams to win at a 7-3 pace or better. The Mavs just can’t make any progress throwing games away here and there. As the Red Queen told Alice, you have to run as fast as you can just to stay in the same place — you have to run even faster to get ahead.
Dallas faces the Sixers tomorrow. Willie might be ready to get back on the court then. Rick said they have missed his versatility, skill, and knowledge of the game, and deemed him “a better defender than people think.” Coach also said that Redick is a possibility to make his Mavs debut tomorrow, so maybe the team will get an extra boost in the shooting department. Maxi is day-to-day, and his talents would be most welcome.
This may not be the last time that Pop’s Spurs catch the Mavs unawares. However, it’s time to move on, and hopefully, our boys will get their mojo back against Philly for the SEGABABA.
The Mavs were out-executed by a Spurs team coming in on a 5-game losing streak. A late-game rally didn’t quite get the job done.
GAME STORY
Willie Cauley-Stein was welcomed back, after missing 12 games. He cleared COVID protocols in the afternoon, but had not practiced with the team for several weeks, so did not end up making an appearance. Redick and Terry remained out, although JJ was able to practice with the team. Maxi joined the injured list with his lingering right leg soreness, appearing on the injured list for 3 of the last five 5 games.
Melli took Maxi’s place in the starting lineup.
The first quarter featured 13 points and 5 rebounds by none other than Kristaps Porzingis. Mavs were favored to win the game, but that didn’t stop the proud Spurs from giving Dallas a run for their money from the outset. San Antonio built a 7-point lead late in the quarter, but your boys came back to tie at 26-26 after one.
The Mavericks came on in the second quarter, eventually putting together a 14-3 run, accumulating a 9-point lead, and closing the period with a 56-51 advantage. KP recorded his third first-half double-double in 7 games, and his career first with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
The Mavs substituted Hardaway for Melli in their post-locker room lineup. The Spurs quickly erased their deficit and took the lead to open the third on a 13-2 run. SA built several multi-possession leads, but the score never got closer than seven. Melli tied the game with a three in the last minute, and then hit a buzzer-beating triple to put the Mavs ahead 89-88 to end the quarter. De Rozan torched our boys with a mid-range clinic for 15 points. Luka had 10 for Dallas.
San Antonio opened their biggest lead at 8 points to begin the fourth. After an exchange of runs, the Spurs went on an 8-0 tear, consisting of a Poetl layup and-one, two DDR free throws, and a DDR and-one, along with a Mavs turnover and two missed threes, to lead by 9 at 3:26. The Mavs fought back with a 9-1 effort to pull within one at 1:26. It was a blow when KP fouled out on a DeRozan and-one at 1:14 . Two free throws and a floater from Luka tied the game with 20 seconds left. Dallas did not double-team De Rozan, who hit a 20' step back over DFS with .5 left. Luka missed a desperation 36’ heave at the buzzer.
STATISTICS
The Mavs got 11 more shots off than the Spurs, and took an incredible 21 more three-point attempts, but had 12 fewer FTAs. Dallas shot poorly from three (13-42, 31%). Both teams were excellent inside the arc, with the Spurs scoring 58 PIP and the Mavs 56. Point differentials were -10 on points from twos, +15 on points from threes, and -7 on made free throws. Dallas had a 6-point edge on second chances, while the Spurs had a 10-point margin in points on fast breaks.
PLAYERS
PORZINGIS. KP had a monster game, with a 31/15/3 line, 12-21 shooting, and 2 blocks. He had a very good all-around match, hitting shots in a variety of ways, and defending with alacrity. He led the team with 7 points in the fourth quarter. It was really too bad he got into foul trouble with three fouls in the final frame, and he looked suitably horrified and chagrined when he fouled out. He played 36 minutes in the first night of a back-to-back, and it’s a shame that the performance was wasted in a loss.
RICHARDSON. Josh had a pretty good showing, with 16 points, 7-14 shooting, five rebounds, and three assists. He was particularly active on the offensive glass, with 4 ORBs. You never really know what you're going to get from Josh from one night to the next, but he gets a passing grade for this one.
DONCIC. Luka also played well for the most part, putting up 29 points on 10-17 shooting, along with 7 assists. He did, on the other hand, have 5 turnovers, including one in the clutch, was 2-8 from deep, and grabbed only three rebounds. The big point guard posted up quite a bit in this match, and his strong body proved too much for the Spurs’ mini-guards time after time. He had a three in the first when the Spurs inexplicably left him open, resulting in Pop running onto the court with lava spouting from his ears. Luka said after the game that he was very disappointed with the loss, but declined to elaborate.
DFS. Doe-Doe had a 9/7/3 line, but was 1-4 from three, and was eviscerated by De Rozan. I guess the Mavs aren’t used to defending old-school guys who make their living from mid-range, and the Spurs took advantage. One could question the coaching for not giving DDR more defensive attention in the second half, although San Antonio has plenty of shooters who can make defenders pay for that approach. The Mavericks just kept using the same approach with Doe-Doe, seeming to be firmly convinced that DeMar just couldn't keep hitting those contested mid-rangers. But he did. Dorian did have a highlight moment, with a thundering dunk over Poetl in the third.
BRUNSON. Jalen served as the sixth man, with 30 minutes off the bench, but didn’t have a great night, scoring 11 points on 4-15 shooting, although he did dish 5 dimes, and the team did well when he was on the floor (+13). If only just one more three had gone in, . . . .
MELLI. Nicolo had 6 points and 5 fouls in 22 minutes. In the second quarter, he had a bad mistake, bailing out Rudy Gay with a foul on an out-of-control drive. However, he had a notable turn in the third quarter, when Lonnie Walker posterized him, and he retaliated with a three to tie the game, followed by another three at the buzzer to give the Mavs a lead going into the fourth. He was in foul trouble for much of the game, being called for his third a few minutes into the second quarter.
MENTIONS. It was a night to forget for THJ, who had 2 points, took only 5 shots in 22 minutes, and turned the ball over twice. One of the analysts after the game speculated that with KP having such a dominant night (21 shots), it may have been hard for Timmy to get his offense going. Powell had nine points (4-4 FGA, 1-1 FTA)) in 15 minutes in his role as third third big. I thought he looked good. He had a rim-rattling dunk off a pass through Poetl’s legs in the second. Burke was the ninth man, with 4 points, 2 assists, and 2 steals in 10 minutes. He and Brunson had an exciting play in the second, when Burke stole the ball, drove to the basket, missed the shot, and Jalen followed up with a putback dunk.
SPURS. DeRozan took over the game, scoring 27 of his 33 points in the second half, hitting 13 of his 25 shots, 7 of his 8 FTAs, and recording 8 assists and 5 boards. He took and missed only one three the whole game, putting on a master class in mid-range offense. Dejounte Murray tormented the Mavs the whole game, putting up 25 points on 11-17 shooting, with 5 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals. Lonnie Walker had 13 points off the bench, hitting 5 of his 8 attempts. Poetl had 12 points, 8 boards and 4 blocks. Whatever their record, this was a Pop team on display— gritty, determined, and infused with competitive drive.
OBSERVATIONS
Rick found the loss very disappointing, and pointed to the Spurs’ 54% shooting, 27 free-throw attempts, and activity on the boards as evidence that his Mavs needed to be more aggressive. He said the game called for a good start, but his players were “just okay.” He acknowledged that his squad had some good stretches, but noted that they did not sustain their effort for 48 minutes. He allowed that they had a good run at the end, but observed that it is hard to make a living on late-game comebacks. Queried about the Spurs’ runs to open the third and fourth quarters, Rick replied that his young team is still learning lessons about how to keep their guard up with a busy schedule of games.
Coach was asked the obvious question — why didn’t they send a double-team at DeRozan on his last shot? Rick said he didn't know -- they discussed it in the timeout, and maybe he didn’t give specific enough instructions, but he would find out. Luka then declined to reveal what happened in the huddle, saying that such matters do not belong in the media. Rick followed that with an unprecedented re-appearance in the media center, and announced that they discussed sending a double in the TO, they elected not to do so, and with the benefit of hindsight, that was a mistake that is on him. Whatever actually happened in the huddle, Carlisle decided to absorb the blame, even in a match where he was disappointed by the overall effort.
Several of the Mavs had very good games, but so did numerous Spurs. This match fell between the Bucks and the Phillies, and perhaps Dallas came in a little overconfident. Maxi was clearly missed. If we get to wondering why the Mavericks have been mired in seventh place for so long, we need only look at games like this. The top half of the Western Conference is brutal, with it not being unusual for teams to win at a 7-3 pace or better. The Mavs just can’t make any progress throwing games away here and there. As the Red Queen told Alice, you have to run as fast as you can just to stay in the same place — you have to run even faster to get ahead.
Dallas faces the Sixers tomorrow. Willie might be ready to get back on the court then. Rick said they have missed his versatility, skill, and knowledge of the game, and deemed him “a better defender than people think.” Coach also said that Redick is a possibility to make his Mavs debut tomorrow, so maybe the team will get an extra boost in the shooting department. Maxi is day-to-day, and his talents would be most welcome.
This may not be the last time that Pop’s Spurs catch the Mavs unawares. However, it’s time to move on, and hopefully, our boys will get their mojo back against Philly for the SEGABABA.
