THE GANG GETS BACK TOGETHER WITH A WIN IN LOUD CITY
The Mavericks begin the new year with a match in OKC. Dallas welcomes back Luka, THJ, and Maxi, who have all exited protocols. Kidd says the three will be on minutes limits for this one. The list of Mavs absences includes Burke, Boban, Willie, McLaughlin, and Thomas. KP is also out for a rest game. OKC has several players out, including SGA and Lu Dort.
OKC is widely assumed to be playing for draft picks, and the Mavs are favorites for a stomp.
The Mavs managed a relatively comfortable win, despite shaking off some rust. The emergency rosters were fun, but it is good to get back to lineups that we have some chance of actually seeing again. An unexpectedly entertaining match!
GAME NOTES
Starting lineup Luka-Brunson-Bullock-Maxi-Powell
This is a new lineup that hasn’t yet played together this season. Luka and Brunson are both in the starting lineup for just the third time this season.
FIRST QUARTER
Brunson looks off Luka calling for the ball, and the possession ends in a turnover and Thunder score in transition. Yikes.
THJ misses his first 3PTA, but later scores an and-one on a drive to the basket. Mavs appear to have Brunson running the offense during this first stretch with Luka.
10-9 6:59
Mavs look like they’re encouraging a lot of ball movement by DFS and THJ during this Luka-less stretch. -- Luka returns from his mid-first quarter rest with 2:00 left in the frame. -- Brown-Brown connection on a Sterling-Mo alley oop.
26-22 after one
Mavs recovered from a six-point deficit to lead by four. Game appears to be pretty evenly balanced thus far. Brunson and Timmy lead the charge for Dallas with six points each. Reggie, Tim, and Mo all played more minutes than Maxi or Powell. We’ll see if that continues to play out.
SECOND QUARTER
Marquese Chriss hits from range! THJ has a good look from the sideline, but passes to Maxi for an even better shot from distance. Boom! In she goes. Mavs pulling away here.
38-29 7:15
THJ hits a contested three while he’s falling down. Woot. -- Dorian blasts past his defender and posterizes a young Thunder. But, a foul is called on on the floor before the shot, no basket. This would be a lovely time to be able to decline the foul, NFL-style, as it disallows an exciting basket and results in no free throws. — Kleber with a flashy block of Ty Jerome, resulting in another slam from Doe-Doe. OKC experiencing a scoring drought of over 3 minutes.
47-34 2:05
Luka drives to the basket, scores, runs back with a big grin on his face. The Luka-Powell combo is active tonight.
51-39 HT
Mavs win the second quarter 25-17, boasting a 16-7 advantage in rebounds. Chriss had 7 points in the period.
For the half, Mavs shooting 47%, with 3PTA constituting less than half of the attempts. Dallas has an advantage of 24-16 in PIP. Timmy leading the team in scoring with 9 points. Mavs looking good. The single best moment might have been that dazzling Luka smile. Great to see our regular guys on the floor again.
THIRD QUARTER
Dorian explodes with a crossover for a flush. — Dorian just keeps driving and dunking. — Brunson tries to take a charge, very unhappy over a dubious blocking call. -- DFS makes the first of his 7 three-point attempts.
61-52 6:23
Thunder making a push.
61-57 4:50
Chriss with a nifty shot under the basket. — Brunson from the top of the key with a hand in his face. — Great save-in by Josh Green, possession ends with a three. — Maledon excites the crowd with a showy transition bucket which was aggressively defended by Chriss.
73-64 after three
Thunder drew within three, but the Mavs quickly rebuilt their cushion. Dorian has 8 of Dallas' 22 points in the period. OKC shoots 50%, going 8-12 in the paint.
FOURTH QUARTER
Chriss with another three. Wow. — Now, Chriss tips in a Luka miss. Good stuff. — THJ with a jump hook. — Chriss hits ANOTHER three. OMG! — Luka one-legged fadeaway!
85-72 6:14
Powell hits a corner three from Maxi! That puts him at 11-27 (41%) for the season, making him one of the team's best shooters percentage-wise (!), albeit on very low volume.
88-78 4:17
Thunder draw within four in the last minute, but Maxi hits a dagger from Luka!
95-86 FT
ANALYSIS
The Mavs had a respectable team shooting line tonight, at 45/36/71. They did a good job of defending without fouling, with no one called for more than three, although tbf the game was loosely officiated, and the teams combined for only 16 FTA. Dallas lost 14 points on an uncharacteristically high 16 turnovers, but I think we can attribute that to trying to assimilate the returning players.
PLAYER NOTES
Returning Mavs
When Josh Green and Reggie exited protocols, the Mavs held them out for a game to give them a chance to recover some of their conditioning. The team elected to go in a different direction with Luka, Tim, and Maxi, putting them in right out of the gate and relying on a minutes limit to ease them back. It was explained that the players were not allowed to come to the facility for conditioning drills until they had turned in two consecutive negative tests, which was only a couple of days before the game, and they are finishing their conditioning on the fly.
By and large, this appeared to be a decent strategy, particularly against the young Thunder. They all started fresh, but by the fourth quarter, were visibly winded to one degree or another. Still, very good for the first game back from COVID.
DONCIC (31 min). Everyone’s eyes were on the young star, and he did not disappoint. He is not fully in condition yet, and he admitted that he was so gassed that it hurt to breathe, but that didn’t stop him from almost achieving a triple-double (14-9-10) in short minutes (by his standards). According to Kidd, he was not able to rehab his ankle as much as they had hoped, and there was a disquieting moment when he tripped over Powell’s foot and seemed like he might have hurt it again, but he was able to stay in the game with a few grimaces. He said after the match that he has been advised that his ankle will probably be sore for the rest of the season, but that it is improved since the last time he was on the court.
Kidd was very pleased with Luka’s performance. Said that after several weeks out, Luka is getting his “feels” back, and attributed his 7 turnovers to that. The coach thought he did an excellent job of setting up his teammates and rebounding.
HARDAWAY (24). Timmy co-led the team in scoring with 15 points, despite playing only 24 minutes. He employed a variety of scoring approaches, and made some key passes. It seemed to me that he was consciously trying to avoid being a black hole, moving the ball along even in some cases when he might have had a shot. He came off the bench, but was included in the closing lineup in place of Powell. He admitted to being short of breath, and did not recommend the COVID experience. Was bedridden for three straight days, and started to improve on Christmas Eve. Thinks it will take him a few days to get back to normal.
KLEBER (24). Maxi was included in the starting lineup, but was successfully kept to his time limit, with 24 minutes. He had 9 points, with all of his attempts being threes. His shots were timely and impactful, including the dagger that sealed the game.
Old Stalwarts
DFS (30). Dorian had ten points and eight boards, and exhibited some ferocious energy. He was 4-13 from the floor (1-8 from three), but the shots he did make all had an excitement factor.
BRUNSON (29). It looked like they had Jalen running point until the fourth quarter, and there were a few hiccups, but he and Luka looked remarkably coherent for not having played together in over three weeks. JB had 12 points and 7 assists, and interestingly, took only one 3PTA. Kidd says that the team is taking a look at the Luka-Brunson starting lineup now, so we should see more of the tandem at least for a while and possibly for the season.
BULLOCK (27). Reggie had only six points, but he was reasonably efficient, taking only 5 shots and completing 2. More importantly, he had some strong defensive plays and led the bench in minutes.
POWELL (25). Dwight was one of the few players with extra minutes tonight, as KP was out for load management. He had 9 points (including a corner three) and 5 boards, and his lob threat was important for Luka. I know it is dangerous to say anything positive about Powell, but I thought he did a pretty good job on the night.
Others
CHRISS (14). Marquese was a wonder, playing on his second ten-day contract. He was the co-leader with THJ in points, with 15 off the bench. This was on 6-9 shooting, including a perfect 3-3 from three! He also had a bench-high 7 boards, and was called for only 3 fouls. Kidd says he has been impressed with Chriss, and thought Cuban would put him under consideration for a roster spot. He liked Chriss’ chemistry with Luka (while also claiming that Luka has good chemistry with anyone who can catch the ball), and thinks the former lottery pick’s vertical threat was helpful to Doncic.
Josh Green (17) got some substantial run, and put up two points and three rebounds. Sterling (10) didn’t score, or even take a shot, but had 3 boards and 2 dimes, and drew some praise from the Bally sports crew. Moses Brown had 3 points in 7 minutes as the third center.
Pinson appeared for 12 seconds. Frank was activated, but did not play, possibly due to his continuing thigh bruise. The only ten-days remaining on the roster are Pinson, Chriss, and Isaiah Thomas, who is still in protocols.
Thunder
Australian sensation Josh Giddey treated his home fans to a brilliant night, as he became the youngest player in NBA history to achieve a triple-double (17-14-13). He was great fun to watch, and I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of him as his career rolls along. Three other Thunders were in double figures, including Ty Jerome, Aaron Wiggins, and former Mav Isaiah Roby. This Thunder team has a very boyish look (not in a bad way), and I doubt if they shed many crocodile tears over the loss.
OBSERVATIONS
Kidd was proud of the performance, being particularly pleased that they succeeded in keeping the returning players' minutes down. Thought the returning players all looked good, considering it was their first game back, and he liked the energy provided by the bench. He also felt okay with the 3-2 road trip, considering all the adversities they faced.
I thought this game might be clunky and boring, but it turned out to be pretty interesting to watch, considering that it was such a low-scoring affair, with the young Thunder adding to the show. It may have been a little closer than was completely comfortable, with the scoreline within 4 in the last minute, but the Mavs never looked in real danger of losing. A big part of the fascination was not so much the match itself, but seeing how the coaching staff is setting up the various roles with almost a full complement of players back.
A feel-good win, for sure, and it’s great to see the team coming back together.
NEXT. There's no time to let the grass grow, as the Mavs will face the Nuggets on Monday back at the AAC, where they will hope to extend their two-game winning streak.
The Mavericks begin the new year with a match in OKC. Dallas welcomes back Luka, THJ, and Maxi, who have all exited protocols. Kidd says the three will be on minutes limits for this one. The list of Mavs absences includes Burke, Boban, Willie, McLaughlin, and Thomas. KP is also out for a rest game. OKC has several players out, including SGA and Lu Dort.
OKC is widely assumed to be playing for draft picks, and the Mavs are favorites for a stomp.
The Mavs managed a relatively comfortable win, despite shaking off some rust. The emergency rosters were fun, but it is good to get back to lineups that we have some chance of actually seeing again. An unexpectedly entertaining match!
GAME NOTES
Starting lineup Luka-Brunson-Bullock-Maxi-Powell
This is a new lineup that hasn’t yet played together this season. Luka and Brunson are both in the starting lineup for just the third time this season.
FIRST QUARTER
Brunson looks off Luka calling for the ball, and the possession ends in a turnover and Thunder score in transition. Yikes.
THJ misses his first 3PTA, but later scores an and-one on a drive to the basket. Mavs appear to have Brunson running the offense during this first stretch with Luka.
10-9 6:59
Mavs look like they’re encouraging a lot of ball movement by DFS and THJ during this Luka-less stretch. -- Luka returns from his mid-first quarter rest with 2:00 left in the frame. -- Brown-Brown connection on a Sterling-Mo alley oop.
26-22 after one
Mavs recovered from a six-point deficit to lead by four. Game appears to be pretty evenly balanced thus far. Brunson and Timmy lead the charge for Dallas with six points each. Reggie, Tim, and Mo all played more minutes than Maxi or Powell. We’ll see if that continues to play out.
SECOND QUARTER
Marquese Chriss hits from range! THJ has a good look from the sideline, but passes to Maxi for an even better shot from distance. Boom! In she goes. Mavs pulling away here.
38-29 7:15
THJ hits a contested three while he’s falling down. Woot. -- Dorian blasts past his defender and posterizes a young Thunder. But, a foul is called on on the floor before the shot, no basket. This would be a lovely time to be able to decline the foul, NFL-style, as it disallows an exciting basket and results in no free throws. — Kleber with a flashy block of Ty Jerome, resulting in another slam from Doe-Doe. OKC experiencing a scoring drought of over 3 minutes.
47-34 2:05
Luka drives to the basket, scores, runs back with a big grin on his face. The Luka-Powell combo is active tonight.
51-39 HT
Mavs win the second quarter 25-17, boasting a 16-7 advantage in rebounds. Chriss had 7 points in the period.
For the half, Mavs shooting 47%, with 3PTA constituting less than half of the attempts. Dallas has an advantage of 24-16 in PIP. Timmy leading the team in scoring with 9 points. Mavs looking good. The single best moment might have been that dazzling Luka smile. Great to see our regular guys on the floor again.
THIRD QUARTER
Dorian explodes with a crossover for a flush. — Dorian just keeps driving and dunking. — Brunson tries to take a charge, very unhappy over a dubious blocking call. -- DFS makes the first of his 7 three-point attempts.
61-52 6:23
Thunder making a push.
61-57 4:50
Chriss with a nifty shot under the basket. — Brunson from the top of the key with a hand in his face. — Great save-in by Josh Green, possession ends with a three. — Maledon excites the crowd with a showy transition bucket which was aggressively defended by Chriss.
73-64 after three
Thunder drew within three, but the Mavs quickly rebuilt their cushion. Dorian has 8 of Dallas' 22 points in the period. OKC shoots 50%, going 8-12 in the paint.
FOURTH QUARTER
Chriss with another three. Wow. — Now, Chriss tips in a Luka miss. Good stuff. — THJ with a jump hook. — Chriss hits ANOTHER three. OMG! — Luka one-legged fadeaway!
85-72 6:14
Powell hits a corner three from Maxi! That puts him at 11-27 (41%) for the season, making him one of the team's best shooters percentage-wise (!), albeit on very low volume.
88-78 4:17
Thunder draw within four in the last minute, but Maxi hits a dagger from Luka!
95-86 FT
ANALYSIS
The Mavs had a respectable team shooting line tonight, at 45/36/71. They did a good job of defending without fouling, with no one called for more than three, although tbf the game was loosely officiated, and the teams combined for only 16 FTA. Dallas lost 14 points on an uncharacteristically high 16 turnovers, but I think we can attribute that to trying to assimilate the returning players.
PLAYER NOTES
Returning Mavs
When Josh Green and Reggie exited protocols, the Mavs held them out for a game to give them a chance to recover some of their conditioning. The team elected to go in a different direction with Luka, Tim, and Maxi, putting them in right out of the gate and relying on a minutes limit to ease them back. It was explained that the players were not allowed to come to the facility for conditioning drills until they had turned in two consecutive negative tests, which was only a couple of days before the game, and they are finishing their conditioning on the fly.
By and large, this appeared to be a decent strategy, particularly against the young Thunder. They all started fresh, but by the fourth quarter, were visibly winded to one degree or another. Still, very good for the first game back from COVID.
DONCIC (31 min). Everyone’s eyes were on the young star, and he did not disappoint. He is not fully in condition yet, and he admitted that he was so gassed that it hurt to breathe, but that didn’t stop him from almost achieving a triple-double (14-9-10) in short minutes (by his standards). According to Kidd, he was not able to rehab his ankle as much as they had hoped, and there was a disquieting moment when he tripped over Powell’s foot and seemed like he might have hurt it again, but he was able to stay in the game with a few grimaces. He said after the match that he has been advised that his ankle will probably be sore for the rest of the season, but that it is improved since the last time he was on the court.
Kidd was very pleased with Luka’s performance. Said that after several weeks out, Luka is getting his “feels” back, and attributed his 7 turnovers to that. The coach thought he did an excellent job of setting up his teammates and rebounding.
HARDAWAY (24). Timmy co-led the team in scoring with 15 points, despite playing only 24 minutes. He employed a variety of scoring approaches, and made some key passes. It seemed to me that he was consciously trying to avoid being a black hole, moving the ball along even in some cases when he might have had a shot. He came off the bench, but was included in the closing lineup in place of Powell. He admitted to being short of breath, and did not recommend the COVID experience. Was bedridden for three straight days, and started to improve on Christmas Eve. Thinks it will take him a few days to get back to normal.
KLEBER (24). Maxi was included in the starting lineup, but was successfully kept to his time limit, with 24 minutes. He had 9 points, with all of his attempts being threes. His shots were timely and impactful, including the dagger that sealed the game.
Old Stalwarts
DFS (30). Dorian had ten points and eight boards, and exhibited some ferocious energy. He was 4-13 from the floor (1-8 from three), but the shots he did make all had an excitement factor.
BRUNSON (29). It looked like they had Jalen running point until the fourth quarter, and there were a few hiccups, but he and Luka looked remarkably coherent for not having played together in over three weeks. JB had 12 points and 7 assists, and interestingly, took only one 3PTA. Kidd says that the team is taking a look at the Luka-Brunson starting lineup now, so we should see more of the tandem at least for a while and possibly for the season.
BULLOCK (27). Reggie had only six points, but he was reasonably efficient, taking only 5 shots and completing 2. More importantly, he had some strong defensive plays and led the bench in minutes.
POWELL (25). Dwight was one of the few players with extra minutes tonight, as KP was out for load management. He had 9 points (including a corner three) and 5 boards, and his lob threat was important for Luka. I know it is dangerous to say anything positive about Powell, but I thought he did a pretty good job on the night.
Others
CHRISS (14). Marquese was a wonder, playing on his second ten-day contract. He was the co-leader with THJ in points, with 15 off the bench. This was on 6-9 shooting, including a perfect 3-3 from three! He also had a bench-high 7 boards, and was called for only 3 fouls. Kidd says he has been impressed with Chriss, and thought Cuban would put him under consideration for a roster spot. He liked Chriss’ chemistry with Luka (while also claiming that Luka has good chemistry with anyone who can catch the ball), and thinks the former lottery pick’s vertical threat was helpful to Doncic.
Josh Green (17) got some substantial run, and put up two points and three rebounds. Sterling (10) didn’t score, or even take a shot, but had 3 boards and 2 dimes, and drew some praise from the Bally sports crew. Moses Brown had 3 points in 7 minutes as the third center.
Pinson appeared for 12 seconds. Frank was activated, but did not play, possibly due to his continuing thigh bruise. The only ten-days remaining on the roster are Pinson, Chriss, and Isaiah Thomas, who is still in protocols.
Thunder
Australian sensation Josh Giddey treated his home fans to a brilliant night, as he became the youngest player in NBA history to achieve a triple-double (17-14-13). He was great fun to watch, and I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of him as his career rolls along. Three other Thunders were in double figures, including Ty Jerome, Aaron Wiggins, and former Mav Isaiah Roby. This Thunder team has a very boyish look (not in a bad way), and I doubt if they shed many crocodile tears over the loss.
OBSERVATIONS
Kidd was proud of the performance, being particularly pleased that they succeeded in keeping the returning players' minutes down. Thought the returning players all looked good, considering it was their first game back, and he liked the energy provided by the bench. He also felt okay with the 3-2 road trip, considering all the adversities they faced.
I thought this game might be clunky and boring, but it turned out to be pretty interesting to watch, considering that it was such a low-scoring affair, with the young Thunder adding to the show. It may have been a little closer than was completely comfortable, with the scoreline within 4 in the last minute, but the Mavs never looked in real danger of losing. A big part of the fascination was not so much the match itself, but seeing how the coaching staff is setting up the various roles with almost a full complement of players back.
A feel-good win, for sure, and it’s great to see the team coming back together.
NEXT. There's no time to let the grass grow, as the Mavs will face the Nuggets on Monday back at the AAC, where they will hope to extend their two-game winning streak.
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