MAVERICKS HOLD OFF PUPS' LATE RALLY
Whew! The Mavs had a 23-point lead in the fourth quarter, which dwindled to three with less than a minute to play before they pulled it out. That was a close one!
GAME STORY
Fans made an appearance in the stadium for the first time in forever. Fifteen hundred essential workers attended as Cuban’s guests, all vaccinated, masked, and socially distanced, and offered the Mavs an infusion of energy. Several players commented post-game on how great it was to have the fans back.
The opponent Timberwolves came in as the Western Conference’s basement tenant. In addition, Karl-Anthony Towns was sidelined due to virus protocols, and D’Angelo Russell was able to play only six minutes.
Dallas actually began the game with a dazzling first quarter, shooting 65% from the field and going 6-12 from three. They led 43-22 after one, with 25 of their points being poured in by the hot hands of KP and THJ. Luka delighted with a buzzer-beater to end the frame. It looked like the match might be a laugher.
The second and third quarters were nothing to write home about, but the Mavs held on, and lost only 3 points of their lead.
The fourth quarter was their usual late-game breakdown on steroids. They gave up 45 points, including 8 threes, and had a flurry of miscues in the last two minutes, surrendering a 10-0 run in the space of little over a minute. Richardson redeemed himself after a couple of bad turnovers with a mid-range shot, an important rebound, and two clutch free throws to put the game away. The finishing lineup consisted of the starters, but with Tim in for Maxi.
STATISTICS
The game was almost lost at the three-point line, with the Pups putting up 8 more attempts and hitting them at a 43% clip, compared to the Mavs’ tame 35% showing. It was also a sloppy game from Dallas, who lost 28 points off turnovers. Still, their brilliant first quarter was enough to carry them through. On the plus side, 30 of their 45 baskets were assisted.
PLAYERS
PORZINGIS. KP had a marvelous game, especially in the first half, racking up 27 points, 13 rebounds, 6 blocks, and 4 assists. Rick complimented him for moving the ball beautifully, along with rolling and cutting well, and announced that he had been awarded the DPOG for his six blocks. If we got this KP, or something close to it, every night, he would be the second star the team hoped it was acquiring from the Knicks. Very effective on both ends. After the game, Kris said he “loves protecting the rim,” and that he views rim protection as his primary defensive role on the team.
HARDAWAY. Tim dazzled in the scoring department, putting up 24 points, and doing damage from everywhere on the court. He mixed his game up with four threes, and a combination of layups and mid-range shots. He was also active on the defensive end, drawing three charges, the first two in the space of two minutes. (Technically, the third one was overturned on a coach’s challenge, but the Pup missed both free throws, so it still effectively served as a Wolves dead ball turnover.) He also had an exciting steal and fast break in the first quarter. He appears to be flourishing in his sixth-man role.
DONCIC. Luka had a 26/5/8 line in a team-high 37 minutes, despite not having one of his better games. Of course, he is always terrific in absolute terms, but by his lofty standards, his performance seemed a little sloppy, and his 7 turnovers were costly. Carlisle has adjusted his minutes distribution, having him take a brief 4th quarter break in the middle of the period, rather than coming in at the 6-to-8 minute mark. Luka said after the game that he thinks the adjustment is helping him stay a little fresher at the ends of games. It has seemed to me that Luka is playing with more joy in the last couple of games, which is very good to see.
RICHARDSON. Josh played a very good all-around game, recording 18 points and 8 assists and making plays on both ends of the court. He had a couple of turnovers late, but also exhibited some end-game heroics to help salvage the win. This JRich is the player the Mavs thought they were getting from Philadelphia.
POWELL. Dwight served as the third big again, and put up an efficient 12 points and 7 boards In 17 minutes, getting to the line for 8 FTAs. He was huge in the hustle department, at one time tipping an offensive rebound to Josh, and then immediately setting a screen for Luka, who threw up his arms in jubilation over hitting his only made three of the game.
KLEBER. Maxi had 5 points and 3 boards in 25 minutes. Rick revealed after the game that Maxi is still in the recovery phase of his bout with the virus, and that he wanted to keep Maxi’s minutes in a moderate range. Kleber has remarked recently on still feeling tired and a little slow. He apparently had the worst bout with the virus of the four stricken Mavs. Best wishes for completing his recovery.
TIMBERWOLVES. No one would mistake the Pups for a great team, but they came close to stealing one here. Malik Beasley dropped 30 points on us, with 22 of those coming in the fourth quarter. Anthony Edward was limited to 22 points, thanks to KP’s rain of blocks, and Jaylen Nowell had 18 off the bench. Respect to their team for never giving up.
ODDS AND ENDS. Luka got some welcome help in the assists department, with Josh and Brunson combining for 14 on the night. Very good to see a little playmaking happening from the “others.” Carlisle basically played his eight-man rotation, but gave Iwundu a 5-minute runout in the second quarter. I thought Burke looked pretty good in eight minutes on the floor. In the leadership section, Carlisle has commented several times on how good THJ is in the huddle. Jason Gallagher remarked in the MMB pod on how Tim always makes it a point to build his teammates up out on the floor, and nominated him for emotional team leader to fill the JJB vacuum.
OBSERVATIONS
Rick particularly liked the first quarter, noting that ball movement, defense, really everything, went swimmingly. He deemed the second and third quarters okay, although his team didn’t close them well. His thought on the fourth was that the Mavs are a young team, and they still have much to learn about closing games.
Part of me wants to say that a win is a win, stay in the euphoria zone, and just refrain from mentioning the elephant in the room. After much reflection, I think we have to present the bigger picture. After a very good beginning, they didn’t sustain their level of play, and lost ground in each ensuing quarter. They scored only 24 points in the third. And in the last five or six minutes of the fourth, you had the Pups raining points while the Mavs put up a collection of missed shots, committed turnovers right and left, and surrendered offensive boards. The usual. Their 23-point lead in the quarter was all the way down to 3 with 50 seconds left. This was against one of the worst teams in the league, missing its two best players. Fortunately, the Pups ran out of time, but the Mavs are going to have to play much better than this if they want to get back to relevance.
So, I’m happy for the win, of course. Saw some good individual performances. Glad to see the team picking up the pace a little, after all those long slogs. Good to see Mavs seeming to enjoy the game. Still worried about what this team really is, and think we are going to have to see ten or fifteen more games to get a strong assessment. But starting with a mini-streak of two wins is going in the right direction.
Speaking of, the Mavs have moved out of the 14th spot in the West to 13th, 1.5 games behind New Orleans. Gotta start somewhere. Atlanta is next on the dance card.
Whew! The Mavs had a 23-point lead in the fourth quarter, which dwindled to three with less than a minute to play before they pulled it out. That was a close one!
GAME STORY
Fans made an appearance in the stadium for the first time in forever. Fifteen hundred essential workers attended as Cuban’s guests, all vaccinated, masked, and socially distanced, and offered the Mavs an infusion of energy. Several players commented post-game on how great it was to have the fans back.
The opponent Timberwolves came in as the Western Conference’s basement tenant. In addition, Karl-Anthony Towns was sidelined due to virus protocols, and D’Angelo Russell was able to play only six minutes.
Dallas actually began the game with a dazzling first quarter, shooting 65% from the field and going 6-12 from three. They led 43-22 after one, with 25 of their points being poured in by the hot hands of KP and THJ. Luka delighted with a buzzer-beater to end the frame. It looked like the match might be a laugher.
The second and third quarters were nothing to write home about, but the Mavs held on, and lost only 3 points of their lead.
The fourth quarter was their usual late-game breakdown on steroids. They gave up 45 points, including 8 threes, and had a flurry of miscues in the last two minutes, surrendering a 10-0 run in the space of little over a minute. Richardson redeemed himself after a couple of bad turnovers with a mid-range shot, an important rebound, and two clutch free throws to put the game away. The finishing lineup consisted of the starters, but with Tim in for Maxi.
STATISTICS
The game was almost lost at the three-point line, with the Pups putting up 8 more attempts and hitting them at a 43% clip, compared to the Mavs’ tame 35% showing. It was also a sloppy game from Dallas, who lost 28 points off turnovers. Still, their brilliant first quarter was enough to carry them through. On the plus side, 30 of their 45 baskets were assisted.
PLAYERS
PORZINGIS. KP had a marvelous game, especially in the first half, racking up 27 points, 13 rebounds, 6 blocks, and 4 assists. Rick complimented him for moving the ball beautifully, along with rolling and cutting well, and announced that he had been awarded the DPOG for his six blocks. If we got this KP, or something close to it, every night, he would be the second star the team hoped it was acquiring from the Knicks. Very effective on both ends. After the game, Kris said he “loves protecting the rim,” and that he views rim protection as his primary defensive role on the team.
HARDAWAY. Tim dazzled in the scoring department, putting up 24 points, and doing damage from everywhere on the court. He mixed his game up with four threes, and a combination of layups and mid-range shots. He was also active on the defensive end, drawing three charges, the first two in the space of two minutes. (Technically, the third one was overturned on a coach’s challenge, but the Pup missed both free throws, so it still effectively served as a Wolves dead ball turnover.) He also had an exciting steal and fast break in the first quarter. He appears to be flourishing in his sixth-man role.
DONCIC. Luka had a 26/5/8 line in a team-high 37 minutes, despite not having one of his better games. Of course, he is always terrific in absolute terms, but by his lofty standards, his performance seemed a little sloppy, and his 7 turnovers were costly. Carlisle has adjusted his minutes distribution, having him take a brief 4th quarter break in the middle of the period, rather than coming in at the 6-to-8 minute mark. Luka said after the game that he thinks the adjustment is helping him stay a little fresher at the ends of games. It has seemed to me that Luka is playing with more joy in the last couple of games, which is very good to see.
RICHARDSON. Josh played a very good all-around game, recording 18 points and 8 assists and making plays on both ends of the court. He had a couple of turnovers late, but also exhibited some end-game heroics to help salvage the win. This JRich is the player the Mavs thought they were getting from Philadelphia.
POWELL. Dwight served as the third big again, and put up an efficient 12 points and 7 boards In 17 minutes, getting to the line for 8 FTAs. He was huge in the hustle department, at one time tipping an offensive rebound to Josh, and then immediately setting a screen for Luka, who threw up his arms in jubilation over hitting his only made three of the game.
KLEBER. Maxi had 5 points and 3 boards in 25 minutes. Rick revealed after the game that Maxi is still in the recovery phase of his bout with the virus, and that he wanted to keep Maxi’s minutes in a moderate range. Kleber has remarked recently on still feeling tired and a little slow. He apparently had the worst bout with the virus of the four stricken Mavs. Best wishes for completing his recovery.
TIMBERWOLVES. No one would mistake the Pups for a great team, but they came close to stealing one here. Malik Beasley dropped 30 points on us, with 22 of those coming in the fourth quarter. Anthony Edward was limited to 22 points, thanks to KP’s rain of blocks, and Jaylen Nowell had 18 off the bench. Respect to their team for never giving up.
ODDS AND ENDS. Luka got some welcome help in the assists department, with Josh and Brunson combining for 14 on the night. Very good to see a little playmaking happening from the “others.” Carlisle basically played his eight-man rotation, but gave Iwundu a 5-minute runout in the second quarter. I thought Burke looked pretty good in eight minutes on the floor. In the leadership section, Carlisle has commented several times on how good THJ is in the huddle. Jason Gallagher remarked in the MMB pod on how Tim always makes it a point to build his teammates up out on the floor, and nominated him for emotional team leader to fill the JJB vacuum.
OBSERVATIONS
Rick particularly liked the first quarter, noting that ball movement, defense, really everything, went swimmingly. He deemed the second and third quarters okay, although his team didn’t close them well. His thought on the fourth was that the Mavs are a young team, and they still have much to learn about closing games.
Part of me wants to say that a win is a win, stay in the euphoria zone, and just refrain from mentioning the elephant in the room. After much reflection, I think we have to present the bigger picture. After a very good beginning, they didn’t sustain their level of play, and lost ground in each ensuing quarter. They scored only 24 points in the third. And in the last five or six minutes of the fourth, you had the Pups raining points while the Mavs put up a collection of missed shots, committed turnovers right and left, and surrendered offensive boards. The usual. Their 23-point lead in the quarter was all the way down to 3 with 50 seconds left. This was against one of the worst teams in the league, missing its two best players. Fortunately, the Pups ran out of time, but the Mavs are going to have to play much better than this if they want to get back to relevance.
So, I’m happy for the win, of course. Saw some good individual performances. Glad to see the team picking up the pace a little, after all those long slogs. Good to see Mavs seeming to enjoy the game. Still worried about what this team really is, and think we are going to have to see ten or fifteen more games to get a strong assessment. But starting with a mini-streak of two wins is going in the right direction.
Speaking of, the Mavs have moved out of the 14th spot in the West to 13th, 1.5 games behind New Orleans. Gotta start somewhere. Atlanta is next on the dance card.