Mavs 114, Grizzlies 113

[mavsluvr]

LUKA HEAVES CRAZY COMEBACK BUZZER-BEATER

The Mavericks star saved the team from spiraling into a 4 of 5 losing streak with a dazzling last shot in Memphis to grab a win for a visiting team that hadn’t led since 7:31. Woo-hoo!


GAME STORY

All the rotation players were available for the Mavericks. Jackson, Milton, and Winslow were out for Memphia. 

The first quarter featured excellent offense from both teams, led by 14 points from Grizzly guard Grayson Allen. The Mavs' high scorer was Tim Hardaway, who appeared to be leaving his slump behind with a 4-5 quarter for nine points. Kristaps made an impact with a trailing three and a bank shot. By the first period buzzer, the Mavs had lost a 6-point lead to a late barrage of Memphis triples and trailed 32-34. 

The second quarter began inauspiciously with a Dallas turnover. Less than five minutes in, the Grizz had built a 9-point lead. Redick came in and immediately hit one of his two threes in the frame. Dwight Powell impressed with a team-high 8 points in the period — three dunks, and a floater over Valunciunas. KP had 7 on 3-3 from the floor, but exited with his third foul with a little under four minutes left. There was a bit of a scary moment when Allen fell on Brunson, apparently an old trick of his; no foul was called. Anyway, KP and Redick combined to whittle the nine-point deficit from 9 to 2, and Powell tied the game at 3:25. The Mavs were down 57-60 at the buzzer. Luka was 1-6 and had 4 points in the half, but made some excellent passes for 7 assists. 

Luka came to life in the third, attacking and getting to the rim, and scoring 14 points. However, only two of his teammates scored, KP with 7 and J Rich with 5. Mavs continued to shoot poorly from deep (3-11), and their deficit edged up to six, with Dallas on the wrong side of an 83-89 scoreline after three. 

The Mavs erased their deficit to start the fourth, and a 9-2 run capped by a Redick three gave them a brief lead, but they quickly found themselves six points behind again. 

The Mavs entered the clutch period down 4. The game was tied with 3 minutes left. 

A JV dunk and Kyle Anderson three put the Grizz back to a 5-point lead at 2:07. 

A KP driving floater brought the Mavs within three at 1:02. 

Luka executed a finger roll layup to come within one, but had to intentionally foul Morant, who completed both free throws to put the Grizz up three with 25 seconds left. 

Luka made a puzzling foray into the paint down three, perhaps hoping for an and-one, missed his shot, was fouled, made the first freebie and missed the second. 

With three seconds left and two points behind,  they quickly fouled Grayson Allen, who did the Mavs a solid by missing both free thows. 

The Mavs took their last time out, and Luka threw up a desperate prayer on a one-handed, stumbling, wrong-footed, falling-down floater out of a double team that slipped through the nylon for a three-point winner! What a thrill!!!!


STATISTICS

The Mavericks put up one shot fewer than the Grizz, and had 4 fewer free-throw attempts, but hoisted 6 more 3PTAs than the home team. Although Dallas did not hit well from range (32%), the greater number of attempts enabled them to even the score beyond the arc. Point differentials were +4 on points from twos, a push on points from threes, and -3 in made free throws. The Mavs had a 19-7 disadvantage in fast-break points, but had some good decisions and a big helping of good luck in the last few minutes. The clutch unit consisted of the starters, but with Brunson in for Richardson. A last shot, the likes of which we may never see again, put the cherry on top for Dallas. 


PLAYERS

DONCIC. Luka was Man of the Match, with 20 points and 9 assists. Carlisle remarked after the contest that his superstar was not even having a particular good game, going 3-10 from deep and 6-9 from three, and committing three turnovers. Of course, the famous last shot was the highlight of the game, drawing awe-inspired praise from hither and yon, including a number of NBA celebrities. After the game, the ever-humble youngster said he was “kinda lucky” that the game-winning shot had gone in, and thought he probably didn't deserve the Defensive Player of the Game award, but “will take it.” What an incredible player!!

Fans who have been following Luka’s technical foul saga will be relieved to hear that the NBA has rescinded a T he received for shouting “and-one” after a layup against the Knicks, reducing his total for the season to 11. 

PORZINGIS. KP showed out well in this game, with 21 points and 6 rebounds. He scored in a variety of ways, and fought hard on the glass. Called for his third foul in the second quarter, he successfully avoided foul trouble in the second half, committing only one in last twenty-four. This was about as energetic as I have seen Kris, and he seemed to be relishing the big-man battle with Valanciunas. 

POWELL. Dwight had a very good night, with 12 points and 8 boards in 15 minutes, and boasted a 6-7 shooting evening. He looked to have most of his hops back, with several dunks and a pretty shot over JV in the second.  Would be fabulous if he can bring his vertical game back going forward, even if it's only for 15-20 minutes a night. 

STARTERS. Maxi almost shot his team out of the game, going 3-11, but had 8 rebounds in a team-high 37 minutes, and we have seen proof lately of how important he is on the defensive end. Doe-Doe had 7 points and 6 rebounds in a relaxing 29-minute night. It wasn’t the greatest of nights for J Rich, who recorded 9 points on 3-9 shooting and did not seem impactful defensively.

RESERVES.  Brunson almost had a triple-double in a 28-minute sixth man role, with an 8/8/9 line. He had only 5 shots on the night, but completed 4 of them, and was in the closing unit. Hardaway was one of 4 Mavs in double figures, with 11, but was 1-5 from three. Redick got 15 minutes in a nine-man rotation, and hit three of his four 3PTAs for 9 points, He does appear to still be chipping the rust off, with 4 turnovers, three of the live-ball variety and one for stepping out of bounds. 

GRIZZLIES. The Grizz put up an impressive fight and almost pulled off a victory. Grayson Allen torched the Mavs with 23 points, including six threes, but obligingly missed two critical free throws in the last minute. Jonas Valanciunas recorded 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 7-12 shooting, proving to be a formidable presence in the middle.  Ja Morant had 17 points and 5 assists. His namesake at the Memphis Zoo, Ja Raffe, did not make an appearance at the arena. Dillon Brooks laid 15 on Dallas, but was held to 6-17 attempts. Desmond Bane had 11 points and 5 dimes off the bench. 


OBSERVATIONS

Carlisle did not seem as happy in the post-game interview as his celebrating players, although he did rave about Luka’s last shot. He allowed that his squad could have had a better defensive game, but “Houdini” had provided a “joyous escape.” He admonished that a game-winning shot like that comes along once in a blue moon, and I had the distinct impression that he would have preferred that the Mavericks take home the victory in a less dramatic fashion. He warned that his team was very, very fortunate to have achieved the win, and compared Luka’s will, focus, and belief to various ichi-ban scorers he has known, such as Bird, LeBron, and Kobe, shamefully omitting Dirk from his list. 

Your Dallas Mavericks can heave a sigh of relief after this one. Some criticisms could certainly be made, and surely would have been made in a loss, but tonight, we may as well just revel in a miraculous delivery from defeat, courtesy of our own Mr. Doncic. 

The Knicks are next on the schedule. 

[DanSchwartzgan]

LUKA HEAVES CRAZY COMEBACK BUZZER-BEATER

If I had to guess without looking, I would have said we lost the rebound battle by 10.  I would have lost a bet if someone told me we actually out-rebounded them.  

Redick looks like he's getting the Burke minutes and then some.  Shooting helped.  TO's killed.  The Brunson TO was probably on Redick also.  They really seem to be looking for him.  Maybe some day he can be our Grayson Allen.

We never had more than 3 bench guys on the floor together (and rarely do).  Then we did Maxi plus four bench guys for the first five minutes of the 4th quarter.  Note, it was Maxi with the bench, not Luka or KP.  Very unusual, but kind of necessary after Luka and KP both played the entire 3rd together.

No JRich for the final 13:22 of the game.  Redick got some of his time and of course Brunson was the closer (water bottle trick was kind of cool).

Three man big rotation with no Melli-Cauley-Stein.  Powell came through.  3rd leading scorer and tied for team lead in boards.  His best game of the year against a non-Minnesota opponent.  The TV crew seemed so disappointed they got DP and ESPN got Luka.  I thought it was interesting that Powell subbed in for the second Grayson FT and took the prime rebounding spot from Maxi (and actually got the board).  BTW, I think Brooks fouled him on that rebound which would have had Powell shooting FT's for the tie (good no-call).

I'm impressed by the Play by Play guy for ESPN on the final call.  I watched the Bally broadcast live (always do) and love me some Followill.  But the ESPN guy seemed to know it was a three and on time ("he wins it") and pulled out "Doncic Dagger" to boot.  Hell, I had no idea it was a three until I saw the replay and he had it live while calling it.  Of course, not as good as "Luka Magic" call.  Nothing will ever beat that.

[meistermatze]

Thank you mavsluvr. Well this one was just absolutely crazy. I don't think we played a very good game and a loss against Memphis would have been disastrous standings-wise but they don't take pictures, so we'll take it. But we need to get better, period. We are healthy now, so no more room for excuses.

That being said - and it might sound absurd after Luka heroics saved us once again - to bring up my recent criticism again. I posted it in the other game thread but I guess either nobody read it or nobody agrees. If it is the latter, I would really like to know why.

That's why I copy and paste my observations of the last couple of games, regarding Luka and the Luka/KP-dynamics (which I think took another step in the right direction last night):

On Luka's complaining:

His constant protesting HAS to stop. We have been over this on this board but either the Mavs or Luka did not get the message. I think it's obvious that the refs call fouls less and less and I strongly suspect a connection with him protesting every. damn. time.

Even as a huge fan, it annoys me. He gets fouled A LOT. It's frustrating, I get it. But he yelles and one every time. He raises his arms in disbelief every time. He talks to the ref every time. Look, it is not always a foul, ok? We can't always call it. Deal with it. Complain less and the calls will follow when deserved. Maybe you even get the superstar treatment eventually. But don't try to force us, ok? It's really simple.


Footnote: Maybe he did read my post (haha) but he did not do it against the Grizzlies. If this is the new bar, I will shut up for ever about this.

On Luka and KP:

Firstly, KP played his best basketball of the season in the last 3 games (that he played). After the failure to include him against Houston, I thought the KP-Luka-experiment was done. I was glad to see, they got him more involved in the 4th in the next games. I was also of the impression, that Luka showed more emotion and appreciation towards KP and him making shots (bumping his fist etc.).

What troubles me, is that KP seems pissed. And I totally get it, tbh. Luka can find ANYONE ANYTIME on the court, if he CHOSES to. Best example is Melli, whom he seems to really like. He was celebrating all his baskets and is visibly trying to involve him as much as he can. I think we saw something similar with Redick. We know Luka can dish out any pass. He sees everything. But somehow, he can't "find" KP on a consistent basis, even when he's hot. I just don't buy that.

I have seen KP make all the right plays in the last week or so. He was making all the right plays, not forcing it, not hunting shots. He's on fire numbers-wise. He's moving really well, hustling, blocking shots and rebounding like crazy. I think he's close to being 100% and we can see why he's dubbed the unicorn. I really enjoyed the way he played.

But still, Luka can't involve him on a consistent basis somehow. I mean KP's on fire every first quarter and then can't touch the ball for 12 minutes? I don't buy that at all. It seems to me, as if Luka is "rewarding" players he likes, like Powell (the alley-oop action), Melli (celebrating every play he makes because he knows and likes him from Europe), Redick (because he seems like a great teammate with the right attitude) and finds them with the craziest passes. And he "punished" KP by only finding him when he really can't ignore him (and sometimes even that, 4-5 games back, KP was standing wide open, literally a couple of feet away from Luka with his hands ready to receive the pass and Luka instead went dribble-dribble-stepback-3).

I don't know what the reason is. We speculated if it's Luka not thinking KP deserves special recognition. Which I don't get, especially the way KP plays right now. It got better, I know, but only to some extent. Also - does he think Melli deserves special attention because he's so good? I don't think so. So it has to be something personal.

Don't get me wrong, maybe Luka's right. Maybe KP is a little bitch and a team cancer, I could totally imagine this. I mean he seems disconnected, KP is the elast involved in the huddles, high-fiving and stuff. Maybe it's his nature, Idk.

But something is SO OFF between those two and it will be our downfall at some point.


Footnote: This, also, looked better in the Grizzlies game. They palyed more off each other and when Zinger went down, Luka ran up to him to help him up. KP was a little reluctant to celebrate Lukas game winner like the others did but a) this is just his nature and b) even I was reluctant because I could not believe it at first.

[Kammrath]

No JRich for the final 13:22 of the game.

Yeah pretty significant IMO. It is the right coaching move no doubt.

[Kammrath]

The Mavericks star saved the team from spiraling into a 4 of 5 losing streak

It was a fun win, but I am VERY concerned how this team is playing right now. Not "clicking" at all IMO and lucky to even be where they are.

[KillerLeft]

It was a fun win, but I am VERY concerned how this team is playing right now. Not "clicking" at all IMO and lucky to even be where they are.

Tough to know which version is the real one, at this point. Some of their more recent strong showings were pretty convincing, imo, though I agree that the past few losses have been rough, and last night should have been another of those rough losses.

[omahen]

I think shooting efficiency is the obvious reason, not some sudden lack of chemistry mistery. Last three games Mavs are shooting below 29 % from three. Non Luka/KP starters are shooting 26 % in this frame - needless to say these are mainly wide open threes. These non Luka/KP starters are 12-48 in this three games. 

This bad shooting allows defense to concentrate on two guys and make overall scoring much more difficult. It (probably) also leads to more fast break opportunities. 

Last 5 games 3pt percentage was 30 %. 5 games before that it was 38 %.

[Chicagojk]

Fun game.  Frustrating game.  I too would have thought we were killed on the boards.  Weird.

With the exception of Luka Magic, I left that game more impressed with the Grizzles future.  They have a bright future.  It looks even brighter if Morant becomes a respectable three point shooter and if Jaren Jackson can get healthy and continue his growth of his game.   They already have a nice young rotation, that they can grow together.   I always felt Brooks and Allen were stand ins until either Bane is ready or they upgrade, but maybe both of those guys can be a part of their future.   Nice team.  Nice coaching this year too.   

It will be interesting to see how the Mavs minutes play out over the next few weeks.   Reddick was pretty sloppy with the ball, but he got  good minutes and it appears he is going to get more than just the Burke/Green minutes.   Does this impact both Richardson and Hardaway?   And how does adding another average/below average defender impact us?  Despite his sloppy play, I will say it is a nice feeling seeing JJ get an open three point look.

[Dahlsim]

Carlisle did not seem as happy in the post-game interview as his celebrating players,

Wow!  If there's a tough loss than maybe there's a such thing as tough win?  

After the game, the ever-humble youngster said he was “kinda lucky” that the game-winning shot had gone in,

Old adage comes to mind Better to be lucky than good

POWELL. Dwight had a very good night, with 12 points and 8 boards in 15 minutes, and boasted a 6-7 shooting evening. He looked to have most of his hops back, with several dunks and a pretty shot over JV in the second.  Would be fabulous if he can bring his vertical game back going forward, even if it's only for 15-20 minutes a night. 

Maybe the best indicator of a future uptick possibility was the notable energy, movement and bounce in Powell. 

[Chicagojk]

I think shooting efficiency is the obvious reason, not some sudden lack of chemistry mistery. Last three games Mavs are shooting below 29 % from three. Non Luka/KP starters are shooting 26 % in this frame - needless to say these are mainly wide open threes. These non Luka/KP starters are 12-48 in this three games. 

This bad shooting allows defense to concentrate on two guys and make overall scoring much more difficult. It (probably) also leads to more fast break opportunities. 

Last 5 games 3pt percentage was 30 %. 5 games before that it was 38 %.

I know this is today's NBA and it is something I am still not 100% comfortable with.   Teams that hit their threes, typically win. Teams that don't, typically don't win.   With that being said, I hope this offseason this team looks to have more options to win than shooting better than the other team.   I feel we are too dependent on threes.   I think another creator who can get to the rim and the line would really help.    Right now we have Luka and to a lesser extent Jalen.

I will admit I don't complain much when the shots go in, but man it is frustrating when they are off.

[mavsluvr]

If I had to guess without looking, I would have said we lost the rebound battle by 10.  I would have lost a bet if someone told me we actually out-rebounded them.  

Redick looks like he's getting the Burke minutes and then some.  Shooting helped.  TO's killed.  The Brunson TO was probably on Redick also.  They really seem to be looking for him.  Maybe some day he can be our Grayson Allen.

We never had more than 3 bench guys on the floor together (and rarely do).  Then we did Maxi plus four bench guys for the first five minutes of the 4th quarter.  Note, it was Maxi with the bench, not Luka or KP.  Very unusual, but kind of necessary after Luka and KP both played the entire 3rd together.

No JRich for the final 13:22 of the game.  Redick got some of his time and of course Brunson was the closer (water bottle trick was kind of cool).

Three man big rotation with no Melli-Cauley-Stein.  Powell came through.  3rd leading scorer and tied for team lead in boards.  His best game of the year against a non-Minnesota opponent.  The TV crew seemed so disappointed they got DP and ESPN got Luka.  I thought it was interesting that Powell subbed in for the second Grayson FT and took the prime rebounding spot from Maxi (and actually got the board).  BTW, I think Brooks fouled him on that rebound which would have had Powell shooting FT's for the tie (good no-call).

I'm impressed by the Play by Play guy for ESPN on the final call.  I watched the Bally broadcast live (always do) and love me some Followill.  But the ESPN guy seemed to know it was a three and on time ("he wins it") and pulled out "Doncic Dagger" to boot.  Hell, I had no idea it was a three until I saw the replay and he had it live while calling it.  Of course, not as good as "Luka Magic" call.  Nothing will ever beat that.

Great observations!

[omahen]

Despite his sloppy play, I will say it is a nice feeling seeing JJ get an open three point look.

When he was opened, he scored. Something we didn't see a lot from the rest. I think (hope) those TO will reduce and only good shooting will remain. 

More on bad shooting stretch, first last 5 games and then 5 games before that.

DFS: 9/28 for 32 %, before that 16/35 for 45 %
Brunson: 4/14 for 28 %, before that 8/16 for 50 %
Richardson: 3/23 for 13 % (yikes!), before that 8/18 for 44 %
Maxi: 7/18 for 38 %, before that 1/8 for 12,5 % (only one improved, still below season average in both frames)
THJ: 9/29 for 31 %, before 13/35 for 37 %.

Last 5 games, 23 % of all shots were wide open three pointers. Second best in the league. First in total attempts at 106. So Mavs are getting good looks. Mavs are getting better looks than other teams. Yet, Mavs converted only 32 % of those shots with only Pelicans and Sacramento worse. Similar situation for open three pointers. Once this comes to respectable levels, Mavs will be good. If it doesn't, we need other role players

[omahen]

I know this is today's NBA and it is something I am still not 100% comfortable with.   Teams that hit their threes, typically win. Teams that don't, typically don't win.   With that being said, I hope this offseason this team looks to have more options to win than shooting better than the other team.   I feel we are too dependent on threes.   I think another creator who can get to the rim and the line would really help.    Right now we have Luka and to a lesser extent Jalen.

I will admit I don't complain much when the shots go in, but man it is frustrating when they are off.

Sure it would be nice to mix it. But what can you really do if the opponent chooses to pack the paint and leave your role players to shoot at will? Will you bang your head against the wall in the paint or shoot those open three pointers. I bet teams will not find success against Clippers or Utah many times by leaving their guys open on three. Almost all of them are above 40 % shooters.

[mavsluvr]

Comments from the peanut gallery on the Mavs' late-game execution --


https://twitter.com/johnhollinger/status...98376?s=20

[meistermatze]

Comments from the peanut gallery on the Mavs' late-game execution --


https://twitter.com/johnhollinger/status...98376?s=20

Yeah well I mean it was almost comical, again. I am severely concerned.

[Hypermav]

It will lead to a new Hollinger stat.

Called the L.U.K.A.

Lucky Uber Killer Assassin

[ItsGoTime]

If it doesn't, we need other role players

I don’t think we need new role players. We need better starters and a FO that makes that happen. If better starters have to be gotten by letting go of our role players, I’m sooooo good with that. Good role players are what the FO has proven most of the time to be able to find.

[Scott41theMavs]

I know this is today's NBA and it is something I am still not 100% comfortable with.   Teams that hit their threes, typically win. Teams that don't, typically don't win.   With that being said, I hope this offseason this team looks to have more options to win than shooting better than the other team.   I feel we are too dependent on threes.   I think another creator who can get to the rim and the line would really help.    Right now we have Luka and to a lesser extent Jalen.

I will admit I don't complain much when the shots go in, but man it is frustrating when they are off.

Let me get this straight - on one hand, "Teams that hit their threes typically win. Teams that don't, typically don't win." On the other, "I hope this offseason looks to have more options to win than shooting better than the other team."

Aesthetics aside, your first point leads me to hope they acquire several more-consistent 3-point shooters.

[omahen]

I don’t think we need new role players. We need better starters and a FO that makes that happen.

A bit of missunderstanding. By role players I meant everyone but Luka and Kristaps

---

I think it is very simple. With Luka and KP you basically need 3-D guys around them. Problem with our guys for large stretch of the season is they don't have much 3. And they can't do much else but shoot (wide) open threes on the offensive side. With Brunson as the only exception.

[SkenfromLMF]

On Luka and KP:

Firstly, KP played his best basketball of the season in the last 3 games (that he played). After the failure to include him against Houston, I thought the KP-Luka-experiment was done. I was glad to see, they got him more involved in the 4th in the next games. I was also of the impression, that Luka showed more emotion and appreciation towards KP and him making shots (bumping his fist etc.).

What troubles me, is that KP seems pissed. And I totally get it, tbh. Luka can find ANYONE ANYTIME on the court, if he CHOSES to. Best example is Melli, whom he seems to really like. He was celebrating all his baskets and is visibly trying to involve him as much as he can. I think we saw something similar with Redick. We know Luka can dish out any pass. He sees everything. But somehow, he can't "find" KP on a consistent basis, even when he's hot. I just don't buy that.

I have seen KP make all the right plays in the last week or so. He was making all the right plays, not forcing it, not hunting shots. He's on fire numbers-wise. He's moving really well, hustling, blocking shots and rebounding like crazy. I think he's close to being 100% and we can see why he's dubbed the unicorn. I really enjoyed the way he played.

But still, Luka can't involve him on a consistent basis somehow. I mean KP's on fire every first quarter and then can't touch the ball for 12 minutes? I don't buy that at all. It seems to me, as if Luka is "rewarding" players he likes, like Powell (the alley-oop action), Melli (celebrating every play he makes because he knows and likes him from Europe), Redick (because he seems like a great teammate with the right attitude) and finds them with the craziest passes. And he "punished" KP by only finding him when he really can't ignore him (and sometimes even that, 4-5 games back, KP was standing wide open, literally a couple of feet away from Luka with his hands ready to receive the pass and Luka instead went dribble-dribble-stepback-3).

I don't know what the reason is. We speculated if it's Luka not thinking KP deserves special recognition. Which I don't get, especially the way KP plays right now. It got better, I know, but only to some extent. Also - does he think Melli deserves special attention because he's so good? I don't think so. So it has to be something personal.

Don't get me wrong, maybe Luka's right. Maybe KP is a little bitch and a team cancer, I could totally imagine this. I mean he seems disconnected, KP is the elast involved in the huddles, high-fiving and stuff. Maybe it's his nature, Idk.

But something is SO OFF between those two and it will be our downfall at some point.


Footnote: This, also, looked better in the Grizzlies game. They palyed more off each other and when Zinger went down, Luka ran up to him to help him up. KP was a little reluctant to celebrate Lukas game winner like the others did but a) this is just his nature and b) even I was reluctant because I could not believe it at first.

So I don't have a lot to add regarding Luka/KP, I think you covered it pretty well, but I will go back to the Houston game and how that has affected the huddles.

I commented on the Houston game that THJ was turning into Wes Matthews regarding passing to KP (There were accusations that Wes and DAJ specifically excluded passing to Doncic at times). It almost felt like the guards were hunting their shots as a group to the exclusion of KP. IF KP has the impression that he is getting selectively missed by the guards (you point out Luka), but I also contend that THJ and to a lesser extent Richardson are guilty of this, then it might explain why KP is a bit distanced from more than just Luka...