MAVERICKS WIN COMEBACK THRILLER
Mavs finish strong to pull out a W over Trae Young and the Hawks.
GAME STORY
There were some handbags over the national anthem before the game, ending with Cuban issuing an official statement asking those who like the pre-game ritual to make an effort to listen to those who haven’t been heard. WCS and Brunson spoke after the game on how much the owner’s support in this matter means to them. Whoever was in the AAC before tip-off was treated to a rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner.
Anyway, both teams pretty much traded baskets in the first quarter, and Dallas led 33-32 after one. The Mavs grew stagnant in the second period, scoring only 19 points and giving up a 14-4 run to close the half. They trailed 52-62 going into the locker room. Our team slogged their way through the third quarter, but made up only one point, and were on the wrong side of an 81-90 scoreline headed to the fourth.
Then, the bench mob exploded. THJ went on a 7-0 run of his own to begin the frame, and had 13 points in the first six minutes. After building a 6-point lead at 5:01, the Mavs surrendered a Hawks mini-run, and the game was tied again at 3:47. A new finishing lineup of Luka, Brunson, Hardaway, DFS, and WCS found a way to hold on for the win. Brunson also sprang to life with an 11-point period, and Luka coolly went with the program, helping his brothers to score, dishing four assists and grabbing 5 boards. WCS anchored the defensive end of the court.
STATS
The home team hit 7 of 26 three-point attempts through three quarters, and 7 of 9 in the fourth. Three-point shooting covers a multitude of sins. The Hawks were awarded 8 more free-throw attempts than the Mavs in the game, but Dallas should be complimented for completing 18 of their 20 tries. They had 50 points in the paint, and were getting to the basket at a good clip in the better parts of the game. On the could-have-been-better side, we gave up 9 offensive rebounds and 19 points off turnovers. Point differentials were +6 on points from twos, even on points from threes, and -5 on made free throws. Whew!
PLAYERS
DONCIC. Luka had his 32nd NBA triple-double with 28/10/10, passing John Havlicek for 13th all time. He didn’t hit as many of his threes as he would probably have liked (2-7), and he had 5 turnovers, but I thought he did a very good job, especially in the clutch, of going with the flow, and not trying to play hero-ball. Luka is always outstanding, but I don’t think he would mind our shining a light on some of his teammates after this one.
BRUNSON. Jalen played an exceptional game, especially at the end, with 21 points (11 in the fourth) and 5 assists. Rick described his performance as “terrific,” and one of his best games of the season. He praised his reserve point guard for taking on Trae Young offensively, making difficult shots, and attacking without disrupting the flow or turning the offense into an iso game. Great way to polish off the game, JB!
HARDAWAY. Tim had 4 shot attempts in the first three quarters. Anytime that happens, you know something is going wrong with the offense. Coach Boucek called that to Rick’s attention, urging him to get Timmy a shot. Carlisle ran a play for him, he hit the three, and the rest is history. Rick thought that was a major turning point in the game. Kudos to Coach Jenny for being alert to the situation! THJ put up 16 points in the contest (13 in the fourth), on 6-10 shooting, 3-5 from deep. The FSSW game crew were commenting that the general impression of Tim when he came from the Knicks was that he was a gunner, but at this point, he is so very much more than that, with reliable scoring and hard-nosed play on both ends. Rick called him the “ultimate gamer.”
WCS. Willie, having not played in the last two games, came off the bench as part of Carlisle’s Be-Ready squad, and delivered 14 points, 6 boards, and some outstanding defense in 23 minutes. Rick gushed over him, calling him the leader of the finishing unit, praising his fourth-quarter defense and rebounding, and announcing that he was named the DPOG for the second time. Trill said that he had tried to think of how he could keep getting better when he wasn’t playing, and had worked with Shamgod before and after practice on ways he could be more aggressive around the basket. Great attitude! Trae Young fell over running into Willie on a screen on the last play of the game, and threw a fit over not getting a call. When asked about it, Willie grinned and said it was probably smart of Trae to try to get a couple of free throws at the end of the game, but he didn’t even see Trae on that play. After the game, one of the refs affirmed that they had taken another look at the incident and deemed the contact incidental.
PORZINGIS. KP played only 19 minutes, and was in foul trouble for much of the game. He still registered 15 points, but it was on 6-14 shooting (1-5 from three). He had only 4 rebounds, and his foul situation totally disrupted his rhythm. He subbed out on being called for his 5th foul at 8:28 and was not seen again. Ced commended him for cheering the team on from the bench, notwithstanding. He had some high-energy plays while he was out there.
HONORABLE MENTIONS. Doe-Doe contributed 8 points and 7 rebounds in a team-high 37 minutes, and hit a clutch three on a kick-out from Brunson with a minute left. Richardson put up 10 points and lent the team some much-needed playmaking, posting 5 assists. Maxi played a full 25 minutes and hit a couple of threes, but looked to be dragging a little. He is still making his recovery from COVID. Burke and Powell each made 5-minute appearances. Ced nominated Powell for DPOG, due to his infusion of energy, excitement, and camaraderie, but WCS beat him out.
HAWKS. The Mavs and Hawks looked like a good match-up in terms of talent and skill levels, and the game was competitive. John Collins laid 33 points on us, and Trae Young dazzled with 25 points and 15 assists. Kevin Huerter put up 23, and Gallinari had 11 off the bench.
OBSERVATIONS
Rick noted that the first three quarters were up and down, with the Mavs showing indifferent defense and not being tied together offensively. He lauded the finishing lineup, which included Brunson and Willie, in addition to regulars Luka, THJ, and DFS. Even though the Hawks had made great adjustments, that group “willed a win,” and “really stayed with it.” The bench mob was good for 51 points in the game. Rick is to be commended for his defensive adjustments on Trae in the second half.
I thought this game was probably a pretty good representation of where the Mavs are at this point in the season, as they are working their way back to relevance. It was very encouraging to see them not fade down the stretch. The match was a nerve-wracker, but we’ll take it.
Don’t look now, but the winning streak has vaulted the Mavs into 11th place in the West, percentage points ahead of New Orleans and one game behind Sacramento. Might they be on their way to a play-in spot?
They’ll get a chance to make up some ground on the Pels Friday. ‘Til then!
Mavs finish strong to pull out a W over Trae Young and the Hawks.
GAME STORY
There were some handbags over the national anthem before the game, ending with Cuban issuing an official statement asking those who like the pre-game ritual to make an effort to listen to those who haven’t been heard. WCS and Brunson spoke after the game on how much the owner’s support in this matter means to them. Whoever was in the AAC before tip-off was treated to a rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner.
Anyway, both teams pretty much traded baskets in the first quarter, and Dallas led 33-32 after one. The Mavs grew stagnant in the second period, scoring only 19 points and giving up a 14-4 run to close the half. They trailed 52-62 going into the locker room. Our team slogged their way through the third quarter, but made up only one point, and were on the wrong side of an 81-90 scoreline headed to the fourth.
Then, the bench mob exploded. THJ went on a 7-0 run of his own to begin the frame, and had 13 points in the first six minutes. After building a 6-point lead at 5:01, the Mavs surrendered a Hawks mini-run, and the game was tied again at 3:47. A new finishing lineup of Luka, Brunson, Hardaway, DFS, and WCS found a way to hold on for the win. Brunson also sprang to life with an 11-point period, and Luka coolly went with the program, helping his brothers to score, dishing four assists and grabbing 5 boards. WCS anchored the defensive end of the court.
STATS
The home team hit 7 of 26 three-point attempts through three quarters, and 7 of 9 in the fourth. Three-point shooting covers a multitude of sins. The Hawks were awarded 8 more free-throw attempts than the Mavs in the game, but Dallas should be complimented for completing 18 of their 20 tries. They had 50 points in the paint, and were getting to the basket at a good clip in the better parts of the game. On the could-have-been-better side, we gave up 9 offensive rebounds and 19 points off turnovers. Point differentials were +6 on points from twos, even on points from threes, and -5 on made free throws. Whew!
PLAYERS
DONCIC. Luka had his 32nd NBA triple-double with 28/10/10, passing John Havlicek for 13th all time. He didn’t hit as many of his threes as he would probably have liked (2-7), and he had 5 turnovers, but I thought he did a very good job, especially in the clutch, of going with the flow, and not trying to play hero-ball. Luka is always outstanding, but I don’t think he would mind our shining a light on some of his teammates after this one.
BRUNSON. Jalen played an exceptional game, especially at the end, with 21 points (11 in the fourth) and 5 assists. Rick described his performance as “terrific,” and one of his best games of the season. He praised his reserve point guard for taking on Trae Young offensively, making difficult shots, and attacking without disrupting the flow or turning the offense into an iso game. Great way to polish off the game, JB!
HARDAWAY. Tim had 4 shot attempts in the first three quarters. Anytime that happens, you know something is going wrong with the offense. Coach Boucek called that to Rick’s attention, urging him to get Timmy a shot. Carlisle ran a play for him, he hit the three, and the rest is history. Rick thought that was a major turning point in the game. Kudos to Coach Jenny for being alert to the situation! THJ put up 16 points in the contest (13 in the fourth), on 6-10 shooting, 3-5 from deep. The FSSW game crew were commenting that the general impression of Tim when he came from the Knicks was that he was a gunner, but at this point, he is so very much more than that, with reliable scoring and hard-nosed play on both ends. Rick called him the “ultimate gamer.”
WCS. Willie, having not played in the last two games, came off the bench as part of Carlisle’s Be-Ready squad, and delivered 14 points, 6 boards, and some outstanding defense in 23 minutes. Rick gushed over him, calling him the leader of the finishing unit, praising his fourth-quarter defense and rebounding, and announcing that he was named the DPOG for the second time. Trill said that he had tried to think of how he could keep getting better when he wasn’t playing, and had worked with Shamgod before and after practice on ways he could be more aggressive around the basket. Great attitude! Trae Young fell over running into Willie on a screen on the last play of the game, and threw a fit over not getting a call. When asked about it, Willie grinned and said it was probably smart of Trae to try to get a couple of free throws at the end of the game, but he didn’t even see Trae on that play. After the game, one of the refs affirmed that they had taken another look at the incident and deemed the contact incidental.
PORZINGIS. KP played only 19 minutes, and was in foul trouble for much of the game. He still registered 15 points, but it was on 6-14 shooting (1-5 from three). He had only 4 rebounds, and his foul situation totally disrupted his rhythm. He subbed out on being called for his 5th foul at 8:28 and was not seen again. Ced commended him for cheering the team on from the bench, notwithstanding. He had some high-energy plays while he was out there.
HONORABLE MENTIONS. Doe-Doe contributed 8 points and 7 rebounds in a team-high 37 minutes, and hit a clutch three on a kick-out from Brunson with a minute left. Richardson put up 10 points and lent the team some much-needed playmaking, posting 5 assists. Maxi played a full 25 minutes and hit a couple of threes, but looked to be dragging a little. He is still making his recovery from COVID. Burke and Powell each made 5-minute appearances. Ced nominated Powell for DPOG, due to his infusion of energy, excitement, and camaraderie, but WCS beat him out.
HAWKS. The Mavs and Hawks looked like a good match-up in terms of talent and skill levels, and the game was competitive. John Collins laid 33 points on us, and Trae Young dazzled with 25 points and 15 assists. Kevin Huerter put up 23, and Gallinari had 11 off the bench.
OBSERVATIONS
Rick noted that the first three quarters were up and down, with the Mavs showing indifferent defense and not being tied together offensively. He lauded the finishing lineup, which included Brunson and Willie, in addition to regulars Luka, THJ, and DFS. Even though the Hawks had made great adjustments, that group “willed a win,” and “really stayed with it.” The bench mob was good for 51 points in the game. Rick is to be commended for his defensive adjustments on Trae in the second half.
I thought this game was probably a pretty good representation of where the Mavs are at this point in the season, as they are working their way back to relevance. It was very encouraging to see them not fade down the stretch. The match was a nerve-wracker, but we’ll take it.
Don’t look now, but the winning streak has vaulted the Mavs into 11th place in the West, percentage points ahead of New Orleans and one game behind Sacramento. Might they be on their way to a play-in spot?
They’ll get a chance to make up some ground on the Pels Friday. ‘Til then!