COVID-STRICKEN MAVERICKS ROLL PAST CHARLOTTE
KP-LUKA TANDEM MAKES SEASON DEBUT
The Mavs had five rotation players out for this game, and you would never have known it. The next men stepped up, and the team put away the Hornets with a wire-to-wire victory. KP made his return, and looked great in the effort.
NOTABLE ITEMS
Roster. Brunson, Finney-Smith, Richardson, Maxi, and Powell were all out pursuant to the NBA health and safety protocols. It has been reported that four of them have tested positive. With so many important guys out, and Porzee back, Rick broke out another starting lineup — Luka, Burke, Iwundu, KP, and Willie.
Game Flow. The game was really won in the first quarter, as the Mavs were +16 in that period, compared to +1, -2, and -4 in the ensuing periods. Charlotte made a little run in the third quarter, but not enough to seriously threaten. There was a long scoring drought from both teams in the fourth. I was a little surprised that Carlisle kept the main guys out there until almost the end, with the game out of reach, but I imagine he had his reasons.
Numbers. The Mavs’ overall shooting wasn’t great (42/33/56), but it was better than Charlotte’s horrid performance (38/26/50). Dallas had a good defensive performance, and put a whopping 12 blocks on the board. On a dicier front, they survived missing 7 free throws. High scorers for Dallas were Luka with 34 points, Tim 18, and KP 16.
Doncic. Luka was sensational, as he showed off every aspect of his considerable range of skills, and even showed some defensive force. His stat line was spectacular — 34 points, 5-9 threes, 13 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals, to go along with a career-high 4 blocks. Coach’s reaction? The stats didn’t do Luka justice — where are the numbers to illustrate his poise and leadership?
Of those 34 points, only 1 came at the line, with the refs awarding him only two free throw attempts in the entire game. He and Caleb Martin were involved in some sort of tiff at one point, but the Hornet came away with the technical. Asked about his defensive improvements, Luka indicated that he is trying to set a tone defensively as part of his leadership responsibilities. Just a very complete game and outstanding night for the young superstar! One of his more entertaining plays was a pull-up three, after which he stole the ball and ran the floor for a lay-in, only to be razzed by the bench for not dunking, lol.
Porzingis. KP looked good on his return, putting up 16 points (including 4 threes), and adding 4 rebounds and 2 blocks to his line. He had a good mix of inside and outside scoring, and was quite a factor on defense. How great is it to have a rim protector on the court! He was 6-16 from the floor, and he admitted to forcing it a little later in the game, knowing that he was going to get limited minutes. Understandable. Carlisle said before the game that Porzee had a range of minutes available, and that he would avoid playing him in long stretches. He managed to do a fair amount of damage in his 21 minutes, and Rick thought he played exceptionally well, considering the circumstances. One of my favorite sequences was his two consecutive threes from the corner, with a big grin after each.
Cauley-Stein. Willie had 30 minutes on the court, and was a poster child for the proposition that a player can have a great impact without scoring. He took only two shots all night, but they were both entertaining jams on passes from Green and Luka. Perhaps more importantly, he had a game-high 14 boards, which was his highest number in his Mavs career, along with 3 blocks. One of those was a dramatic chase-down block, preventing a transition bucket from Rozier. He pursued loose balls with a vengeance.
Rick commented after the game that Willie has earned his minutes and his starting oppotunity. He noted that Trill makes the team better defensively, observing that with his long stride and light feet, he can chase opponents down and cover a lot of ground. Coach praised the big man for giving the team energy, and says that Willie has really come on this season.
Green. Josh played for 18 minutes, and showed great improvement in assertiveness and decisiveness. He had some pretty plays, including a couple of dunks, running the floor and getting to the line, lobbing one up to Willie, and flying in for rebounds. Rick noted that Josh was part of the teams’s scoring spurts, and liked his contribution.
Honorable mentions. Tim played the second most minutes after Luka (33), and put 18 points on the board. He made a couple of very good drives to the basket, and also had two steals. Burke had a bench-high 32 minutes. He had a poor shooting night (2-12), but the Mavs were +13 when he was on the floor. Iwundu played starter minutes (26), and had a rough night offensively, but Rick described his defensive contribution as “quietly terrific.” Johnson had 26 minutes off the bench, and had several nice plays. He cut from the corner to score a reverse layup off a find from Luka, hit a three from the corner, and had an offensive rebound and dunk in a short stretch in the second quarter. Bobi had 8 points and 5 boards in 15 minutes. He said he likes playing with Luka, because all you have to do is set a screen for him and you’re open, lol.
Hornets. This team whooped up on the Mavs in their previous meeting, but they didn’t have it in this one. I didn’t think they looked good at all. I’m sure our defense was responsible for at least part of that, but they seemed out of sync, especially defensively. Their high scorers were Rozier 18, Hayward and Washington 16, and Graham 12. Hayward had to leave the game in the third quarter with a hip strain — hope he will be okay.
OBSERVATIONS
Rick considered this one of the team’s better games, particularly with respect to concentration and defense. Although the match got “hairy” at times, he was proud of the guys for keeping their poise and fighting through it. He further observed that everyone showed up ready, despite having no practice time, and that the squad is making strides on the defensive end.
Although the opponent was not particularly fierce in this one, I have to say I think it was a pretty remarkable performance, considering that five key guys were missing. It’s good to see the Mavs fight through adversity like this, and, of course, it was wonderful to welcome Porzingis back. I think maybe the most amazing thing for me was that I actually didn't even think about the fact that they were so shorthanded during the game.
This was Carlisle's 800th victory as a coach. Congrats, Rick!
With this triumph, our boys are on a four-game winning streak, Mavs fans! Their next challenge will be Milwaukee. Onward and upward!
KP-LUKA TANDEM MAKES SEASON DEBUT
The Mavs had five rotation players out for this game, and you would never have known it. The next men stepped up, and the team put away the Hornets with a wire-to-wire victory. KP made his return, and looked great in the effort.
NOTABLE ITEMS
Roster. Brunson, Finney-Smith, Richardson, Maxi, and Powell were all out pursuant to the NBA health and safety protocols. It has been reported that four of them have tested positive. With so many important guys out, and Porzee back, Rick broke out another starting lineup — Luka, Burke, Iwundu, KP, and Willie.
Game Flow. The game was really won in the first quarter, as the Mavs were +16 in that period, compared to +1, -2, and -4 in the ensuing periods. Charlotte made a little run in the third quarter, but not enough to seriously threaten. There was a long scoring drought from both teams in the fourth. I was a little surprised that Carlisle kept the main guys out there until almost the end, with the game out of reach, but I imagine he had his reasons.
Numbers. The Mavs’ overall shooting wasn’t great (42/33/56), but it was better than Charlotte’s horrid performance (38/26/50). Dallas had a good defensive performance, and put a whopping 12 blocks on the board. On a dicier front, they survived missing 7 free throws. High scorers for Dallas were Luka with 34 points, Tim 18, and KP 16.
Doncic. Luka was sensational, as he showed off every aspect of his considerable range of skills, and even showed some defensive force. His stat line was spectacular — 34 points, 5-9 threes, 13 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals, to go along with a career-high 4 blocks. Coach’s reaction? The stats didn’t do Luka justice — where are the numbers to illustrate his poise and leadership?
Of those 34 points, only 1 came at the line, with the refs awarding him only two free throw attempts in the entire game. He and Caleb Martin were involved in some sort of tiff at one point, but the Hornet came away with the technical. Asked about his defensive improvements, Luka indicated that he is trying to set a tone defensively as part of his leadership responsibilities. Just a very complete game and outstanding night for the young superstar! One of his more entertaining plays was a pull-up three, after which he stole the ball and ran the floor for a lay-in, only to be razzed by the bench for not dunking, lol.
Porzingis. KP looked good on his return, putting up 16 points (including 4 threes), and adding 4 rebounds and 2 blocks to his line. He had a good mix of inside and outside scoring, and was quite a factor on defense. How great is it to have a rim protector on the court! He was 6-16 from the floor, and he admitted to forcing it a little later in the game, knowing that he was going to get limited minutes. Understandable. Carlisle said before the game that Porzee had a range of minutes available, and that he would avoid playing him in long stretches. He managed to do a fair amount of damage in his 21 minutes, and Rick thought he played exceptionally well, considering the circumstances. One of my favorite sequences was his two consecutive threes from the corner, with a big grin after each.
Cauley-Stein. Willie had 30 minutes on the court, and was a poster child for the proposition that a player can have a great impact without scoring. He took only two shots all night, but they were both entertaining jams on passes from Green and Luka. Perhaps more importantly, he had a game-high 14 boards, which was his highest number in his Mavs career, along with 3 blocks. One of those was a dramatic chase-down block, preventing a transition bucket from Rozier. He pursued loose balls with a vengeance.
Rick commented after the game that Willie has earned his minutes and his starting oppotunity. He noted that Trill makes the team better defensively, observing that with his long stride and light feet, he can chase opponents down and cover a lot of ground. Coach praised the big man for giving the team energy, and says that Willie has really come on this season.
Green. Josh played for 18 minutes, and showed great improvement in assertiveness and decisiveness. He had some pretty plays, including a couple of dunks, running the floor and getting to the line, lobbing one up to Willie, and flying in for rebounds. Rick noted that Josh was part of the teams’s scoring spurts, and liked his contribution.
Honorable mentions. Tim played the second most minutes after Luka (33), and put 18 points on the board. He made a couple of very good drives to the basket, and also had two steals. Burke had a bench-high 32 minutes. He had a poor shooting night (2-12), but the Mavs were +13 when he was on the floor. Iwundu played starter minutes (26), and had a rough night offensively, but Rick described his defensive contribution as “quietly terrific.” Johnson had 26 minutes off the bench, and had several nice plays. He cut from the corner to score a reverse layup off a find from Luka, hit a three from the corner, and had an offensive rebound and dunk in a short stretch in the second quarter. Bobi had 8 points and 5 boards in 15 minutes. He said he likes playing with Luka, because all you have to do is set a screen for him and you’re open, lol.
Hornets. This team whooped up on the Mavs in their previous meeting, but they didn’t have it in this one. I didn’t think they looked good at all. I’m sure our defense was responsible for at least part of that, but they seemed out of sync, especially defensively. Their high scorers were Rozier 18, Hayward and Washington 16, and Graham 12. Hayward had to leave the game in the third quarter with a hip strain — hope he will be okay.
OBSERVATIONS
Rick considered this one of the team’s better games, particularly with respect to concentration and defense. Although the match got “hairy” at times, he was proud of the guys for keeping their poise and fighting through it. He further observed that everyone showed up ready, despite having no practice time, and that the squad is making strides on the defensive end.
Although the opponent was not particularly fierce in this one, I have to say I think it was a pretty remarkable performance, considering that five key guys were missing. It’s good to see the Mavs fight through adversity like this, and, of course, it was wonderful to welcome Porzingis back. I think maybe the most amazing thing for me was that I actually didn't even think about the fact that they were so shorthanded during the game.
This was Carlisle's 800th victory as a coach. Congrats, Rick!
With this triumph, our boys are on a four-game winning streak, Mavs fans! Their next challenge will be Milwaukee. Onward and upward!