Mavs Quench Depleted Blazers in Rip City Shootout
The Mavericks put their feet on the Blazers' collective necks, holding the lead from one minute into the game onward. The two teams combined for 43 made threes, tying a league record.
Game Story
The Blazers had a long injury list, including McCollum, Nurkic, Collins, Hood, and Labissiere. They welcomed Trevor Ariza in his debut with their team. For the Mavs, Dwight Powell did indeed rupture his Achilles and will be out the rest of the season. Seth Curry took his place in the starting lineup.
The first quarter provided a downpour of three-point shots. The teams combined for 25 attempts, with Dallas hitting a scorching 10 of 16, and the Blazers 6 of 9. Luka was on fire, scoring 16 points in the period on 7 of 10 shooting. MFFLs got a scare when Luka came down awkwardly on his ankle late in the quarter, and had to go to the bench for a heat application. He was okay, and the Mavs were up 45-37 at the end of the frame.
Both teams cooled off a bit in the second period, and the Mavs soon stretched their lead to double digits. The visitors went into the interval with a 78-63 advantage.
Dallas reached a 25-point lead in the third, and it appeared that they had things under control. However, the Mavs like to keep their fans' blood pressure up, and they allowed Portland to go on a 17-0 run. Yikes! Their edge declined to 8, but DFS, Seth and Maxi bailed their teammates out with threes. By the end of the quarter, the score was 103-90.
The Mavs maintained a double-digit lead for the fourth, until Trent hit a meaningless three on the last shot of the game.
Analytics
Dallas won this game by winning the Attempts battle. Although both teams had about the same number of shots taken, the Mavs had 8 more 3PTAs and 9 more FTAs than the Blazers. The Blazers shot better in both categories (54%-47% on threes, 80%-62% on free throws), but the sheer number of attempts gave the Mavericks an edge. The Mavs, however, missed 9 free throws. This free throw situation is really getting on my nerves. The easiest way the team could step up their game would be to shoot a decent free throw percentage. Okay, end of rant. Anyway, the Mavs were +3 on points from threes, +3 on made free throws, and +2 on points from twos.
The blue-and-silver earned 21 points off Portland turnovers, and had 30 fast-break points of their own. The squad didn't offer a lot of resistance in the paint, but Portland failed to capitalize, preferring to play from the perimeter. The bench showed up big in the match, scoring 47 points.
Players
Luka (34 min) had a 27-6-9 line, along with two steals. He was 2-11 from three, and missed three of his six free throws, but was still the star of the show, along with Dame. Luka was named an All-Star starter for the West before the game, and the ESPN callers gushed appropriately over him. I wondered if his ankle was bothering him a little more than he was letting on, as his game fell off somewhat after the fall. Anyhoo, he was a joy to watch, as usual.
DFS (32 min) sparkled, with 11 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal. The young man keeps such a low profile, on and off the court, that it is easy not to fully appreciate him. However, he is consistently one of the highest-minute players, and is arguably the team's best perimeter defender. He is getting to be pretty reliable from the three-point line, especially from the corners, and he had three triples on the night.
Hardaway (29 min). Tim had 11 points and 4 assists, and provided some much-needed help in getting Luka some in-game "rest." He was bringing the ball up and facilitating at times, which appears to be a development the Mavs are encouraging. I love his quick release on threes, and he hit three of them in this contest. He and KP shared the honors of the highest +/- in the game (+14).
Seth (25 min) performed well as a starter, scoring 17 points, including 4 threes. It is great to have an elite shooter on the team. He really stretches the defense.
KP (25 min) had an excellent game in his second runout coming back from injury. He was 6-11 from the field for 20 points, including 3-4 threes and 5-7 FTAs. One of those triples was from the logo. Thrilling! He also had an exciting offensive rebound and put back thunderous jam. Zinger almost always defends well. If he could start becoming a consistent 20 ppg guy as well, that would be big. Even the TNT studio crew had to give him some grudging respect.
Bench. The bench really showed up in Oregon. Wright (28 min) looked very good in this contest. He had a well-rounded game (9-8-4) and keyed the offense in stretches with his drives to the basket. Good to see him stepping up. Jackson (26 min) also looked pretty good, and was the second-leading provider of assists (5). Maxi (23 min) had 15 points on 6-9 shooting. He and KP shared big man duties, with Boban getting a DNP-CD. Brunson (17 min) was excellent. He had 17 points on 6-10 shooting, including 4 threes, and his game management was remarkable. A performance to be proud of!
Blazers. Dame flamed our boys with 47 points and 8 assists. He is trying to carry the team, and it's not the first time he has had a superlative individual performance in a team loss. The Mavs were throwing a lot at him, picking him up in mid-court, and sometimes double-teaming him. However, in the end, he got his, but the other guys couldn't beat Dallas. Ariza was impressive, with 21 points and some determined defense. Trent had 20 points off the bench, and Carmelo was a handful, with 16-11-5. Whiteside put up 14 points and 10 boards.
Remarks
I wouldn't say that the Mavs brought their "A" game, but they were good enough to soundly defeat a wounded Portland team. The Blazers play a somewhat similar style to the Mavs, and the Mavericks had little trouble beating them at their own game. The contest wasn't as close as the final score would indicate. The team played with one big on the floor for much of the game, and it didn't come back to bite them against a jump-shooting team. However, the broadcasters mentioned that Rick had told them before the game that he was somewhat concerned with his squad's lack of size. Changes to come?
Sometimes, "good enough" has to do, and the Mavs have another win under their belts. The difference in the team's sense of urgency on the road, as opposed to home, is staggering. They were focused, by and large, in this one, and got out to a great start. They tailed off some in the second half, but were still the better team. I'm good with this one.
Next. The Mavs face the Jazz on Saturday afternoon in Salt Lake City. Utah are second in the conference now, and that should be a good match.
Go Mavs!
The Mavericks put their feet on the Blazers' collective necks, holding the lead from one minute into the game onward. The two teams combined for 43 made threes, tying a league record.
Game Story
The Blazers had a long injury list, including McCollum, Nurkic, Collins, Hood, and Labissiere. They welcomed Trevor Ariza in his debut with their team. For the Mavs, Dwight Powell did indeed rupture his Achilles and will be out the rest of the season. Seth Curry took his place in the starting lineup.
The first quarter provided a downpour of three-point shots. The teams combined for 25 attempts, with Dallas hitting a scorching 10 of 16, and the Blazers 6 of 9. Luka was on fire, scoring 16 points in the period on 7 of 10 shooting. MFFLs got a scare when Luka came down awkwardly on his ankle late in the quarter, and had to go to the bench for a heat application. He was okay, and the Mavs were up 45-37 at the end of the frame.
Both teams cooled off a bit in the second period, and the Mavs soon stretched their lead to double digits. The visitors went into the interval with a 78-63 advantage.
Dallas reached a 25-point lead in the third, and it appeared that they had things under control. However, the Mavs like to keep their fans' blood pressure up, and they allowed Portland to go on a 17-0 run. Yikes! Their edge declined to 8, but DFS, Seth and Maxi bailed their teammates out with threes. By the end of the quarter, the score was 103-90.
The Mavs maintained a double-digit lead for the fourth, until Trent hit a meaningless three on the last shot of the game.
Analytics
Dallas won this game by winning the Attempts battle. Although both teams had about the same number of shots taken, the Mavs had 8 more 3PTAs and 9 more FTAs than the Blazers. The Blazers shot better in both categories (54%-47% on threes, 80%-62% on free throws), but the sheer number of attempts gave the Mavericks an edge. The Mavs, however, missed 9 free throws. This free throw situation is really getting on my nerves. The easiest way the team could step up their game would be to shoot a decent free throw percentage. Okay, end of rant. Anyway, the Mavs were +3 on points from threes, +3 on made free throws, and +2 on points from twos.
The blue-and-silver earned 21 points off Portland turnovers, and had 30 fast-break points of their own. The squad didn't offer a lot of resistance in the paint, but Portland failed to capitalize, preferring to play from the perimeter. The bench showed up big in the match, scoring 47 points.
Players
Luka (34 min) had a 27-6-9 line, along with two steals. He was 2-11 from three, and missed three of his six free throws, but was still the star of the show, along with Dame. Luka was named an All-Star starter for the West before the game, and the ESPN callers gushed appropriately over him. I wondered if his ankle was bothering him a little more than he was letting on, as his game fell off somewhat after the fall. Anyhoo, he was a joy to watch, as usual.
DFS (32 min) sparkled, with 11 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal. The young man keeps such a low profile, on and off the court, that it is easy not to fully appreciate him. However, he is consistently one of the highest-minute players, and is arguably the team's best perimeter defender. He is getting to be pretty reliable from the three-point line, especially from the corners, and he had three triples on the night.
Hardaway (29 min). Tim had 11 points and 4 assists, and provided some much-needed help in getting Luka some in-game "rest." He was bringing the ball up and facilitating at times, which appears to be a development the Mavs are encouraging. I love his quick release on threes, and he hit three of them in this contest. He and KP shared the honors of the highest +/- in the game (+14).
Seth (25 min) performed well as a starter, scoring 17 points, including 4 threes. It is great to have an elite shooter on the team. He really stretches the defense.
KP (25 min) had an excellent game in his second runout coming back from injury. He was 6-11 from the field for 20 points, including 3-4 threes and 5-7 FTAs. One of those triples was from the logo. Thrilling! He also had an exciting offensive rebound and put back thunderous jam. Zinger almost always defends well. If he could start becoming a consistent 20 ppg guy as well, that would be big. Even the TNT studio crew had to give him some grudging respect.
Bench. The bench really showed up in Oregon. Wright (28 min) looked very good in this contest. He had a well-rounded game (9-8-4) and keyed the offense in stretches with his drives to the basket. Good to see him stepping up. Jackson (26 min) also looked pretty good, and was the second-leading provider of assists (5). Maxi (23 min) had 15 points on 6-9 shooting. He and KP shared big man duties, with Boban getting a DNP-CD. Brunson (17 min) was excellent. He had 17 points on 6-10 shooting, including 4 threes, and his game management was remarkable. A performance to be proud of!
Blazers. Dame flamed our boys with 47 points and 8 assists. He is trying to carry the team, and it's not the first time he has had a superlative individual performance in a team loss. The Mavs were throwing a lot at him, picking him up in mid-court, and sometimes double-teaming him. However, in the end, he got his, but the other guys couldn't beat Dallas. Ariza was impressive, with 21 points and some determined defense. Trent had 20 points off the bench, and Carmelo was a handful, with 16-11-5. Whiteside put up 14 points and 10 boards.
Remarks
I wouldn't say that the Mavs brought their "A" game, but they were good enough to soundly defeat a wounded Portland team. The Blazers play a somewhat similar style to the Mavs, and the Mavericks had little trouble beating them at their own game. The contest wasn't as close as the final score would indicate. The team played with one big on the floor for much of the game, and it didn't come back to bite them against a jump-shooting team. However, the broadcasters mentioned that Rick had told them before the game that he was somewhat concerned with his squad's lack of size. Changes to come?
Sometimes, "good enough" has to do, and the Mavs have another win under their belts. The difference in the team's sense of urgency on the road, as opposed to home, is staggering. They were focused, by and large, in this one, and got out to a great start. They tailed off some in the second half, but were still the better team. I'm good with this one.
Next. The Mavs face the Jazz on Saturday afternoon in Salt Lake City. Utah are second in the conference now, and that should be a good match.
Go Mavs!