CLIPPERS EXPOSE MAVS AT AAC
This was a match where the team that played better won. The game was interesting and entertaining, but ultimately a relatively comfortable win for LA.
NOTABLE ITEMS
GAME FLOW. The Clippers were missing Patrick Beverley and Serge Ibaka. For the Mavs, Dwight Powell was listed as ill, and James Johnson was out again for personal reasons. We hope the missing players are okay.
The Mavericks more or less held their own for the first few minutes, but when Luka went out, they rapidly lost traction, going down by double digits. Even when Luka returned, they couldn’t recover quickly, and trailed by 14, before an 8-2 run to close the first brought their deficit to 23-31 at the buzzer. Dallas played pretty well in the second, even achieving a one-point lead several times in advance of the Clippers’ going 6-0 at the end of the second, and the Mavs headed into halftime with a 50-55 disadvantage.
Your boys were able to hang in there for a while in the third, until the Clippers overwhelmed them late. They finished the quarter with a two-point deficit in the period, for a 78-85 margin headed into the fourth. Things got worse before they got better in the final frame, with the Mavs going down by 10 or more several times. About halfway through the fourth, they made a little headway, and were within four at the 3:15 mark. Unfortunately, the Clips finished the game on a 6-0 run, with the Mavs producing six missed shots and two turnovers to close the contest.
NUMBERS. Both teams shot pretty well overall (50/44/82 Clips, 49/41/80 Mavs). However, the Clippers got 7 more shots up, thanks to out-rebounding the Mavs 46-33, earning 13 second-chance points, and winning 15 points off 15 Maverick turnovers. The Clips also had 6 more free-throw attempts, although both teams combined for only 16. Despite some heroic efforts from Luka and THJ, who combined for 15 of the Mavs’ 21 fourth-quarter points, the late-game execution gaffes came out to bite the Mavs again, and they were not able to sustain the momentum they had built toward the end.
DONCIC. Luka had yet another triple double, with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and a season-high 16 assists, which was great. However, he did not shoot especially well (9-23, although he did have a couple of long shots earning him the sobriquet “Logo Luka”), had 7 turnovers, and earned only 4 free-throw attempts. He did have a potential four-point play in which the foul was ruled on the floor; Carlisle tried to challenge it, but the call was not challengeable on that basis, and the team lost a timeout.
Luka said after the game that the loss was on him —he took too many “terrible shots,” “didn’t score,” and “lost too many balls.” The point guard was the recipient of a huge amount of defensive attention, which flustered him a bit and left him without good options too many times. It should be interesting to see what adjustments Carlisle employs to make things a little easier for his star. As for the refs, Luka said he wasn’t looking to get fined, but hopes that the officials do a better job of calling the game on Wednesday, lol. Despite the low number of fouls called in the game (28), Luka was in foul trouble for much of the second half, and played through it.
PORZINGIS. This was a very good game by KP, who put up 22 points on ridiculous 9-14 shooting, along with 7 rebounds and a block. That said, he had only 7 two-point attempts, and did not take much advantage of smaller players guarding him — which, in fairness, looks like it might have been the game plan. We’ll see if Rick tries to get him a few more touches in the rematch. He was attentive and moving well on the defensive end.
HARDAWAY. THJ had a tremendous second-half effort, putting up 16 of his 21 points in the back 24, and going 8-12, and 5-9 from three, for the night. He took DFS’ place in the closing unit, and his minutes were back up to 30. Tim has struggled a bit lately, and it was great to see him doing his thing again. The team needs him to score well.
OTHER STARTERS. Josh, Doe-Doe and Maxi had decidedly meh performances, combining for 17 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 turnovers. J Rich and Maxi anchored the team in +/-, at -20 and -21. I don’t entirely blame the situation on the players — they can only do what they can do, and they looked generally smaller, weaker, slower, and less skilled than their Clipper counterparts. These guys may have pretty well reached their ceilings at this stage, and it will surprise me if they ever reach Paul George-Kawhi Leonard levels. However, it would be nice if they could at least make their open shots — they combined for 3-12 from deep.
OTHER RESERVES. Brunson played pretty well, recording 8 points and 3 assists in 24 minutes, but it wasn’t really a good match up for him, and he accordingly saw more limited time on the court than usual as of late. WCS was on the receiving end of a couple of exciting dunks, including the completion of a Willie-Luka-Willie give-and-go from mid-court, but he missed a couple of rim shots, did some goofy stuff, and ended up with 6 points and 2 rebounds to show for his 16 minutes. Burke did not score in 7 minutes of action.
CLIPPERS. Seven of the Clippers were in double figures, led by Kawhi with 22. Paul George was 5-11, but had some key shots down the stretch. Zubac torched Dallas with 15 points, 7-8 shooting, and 11 boards. Marcus Morris got a rare start and laid 14 points on the Mavs, while Lou Will and Batum combined for 26 off the bench. The Clippers interior defense was stifling, holding the Mavericks to 30 points in the paint.
OBSERVATIONS
Rick thought his team responded well after a “tough start,” but allowed that it was hard to win having to be in a reactive mode. While admitting that not many fouls had been called, he denied that this loss was about the officiating. Rather, it was because the Mavs did not quite achieve the level they needed to compete in terms of spacing, ball movement, execution, poise, and aggression. They will watch film, make some adjustments, and try again on Wednesday.
My fear for this team is that we might be getting seduced by some regular-season wins lately into thinking they are readier for playoff basketball than they are. I think this is the level of play they are likely to see in the postseason, and while it kept looking like they were in a position to string enough possessions together to go on a run, they were really never able to do much more than hang around. Granted, this game wasn’t their high-water mark in terms of playing or coaching, but it wasn’t un-representative, either. For this season, they may be able to achieve their goals by further refining what they are doing, but ultimately, I think they’re going to need an upgrade in at least a couple of positions if they want to be a factor. The Clippers just brutally exposed their weaknesses. Something to keep an eye on.
That's not to say they can't win another game. The Mavs have a chance at revenge Wednesday evening at the AAC. It looks within the realm of the possible!
This was a match where the team that played better won. The game was interesting and entertaining, but ultimately a relatively comfortable win for LA.
NOTABLE ITEMS
GAME FLOW. The Clippers were missing Patrick Beverley and Serge Ibaka. For the Mavs, Dwight Powell was listed as ill, and James Johnson was out again for personal reasons. We hope the missing players are okay.
The Mavericks more or less held their own for the first few minutes, but when Luka went out, they rapidly lost traction, going down by double digits. Even when Luka returned, they couldn’t recover quickly, and trailed by 14, before an 8-2 run to close the first brought their deficit to 23-31 at the buzzer. Dallas played pretty well in the second, even achieving a one-point lead several times in advance of the Clippers’ going 6-0 at the end of the second, and the Mavs headed into halftime with a 50-55 disadvantage.
Your boys were able to hang in there for a while in the third, until the Clippers overwhelmed them late. They finished the quarter with a two-point deficit in the period, for a 78-85 margin headed into the fourth. Things got worse before they got better in the final frame, with the Mavs going down by 10 or more several times. About halfway through the fourth, they made a little headway, and were within four at the 3:15 mark. Unfortunately, the Clips finished the game on a 6-0 run, with the Mavs producing six missed shots and two turnovers to close the contest.
NUMBERS. Both teams shot pretty well overall (50/44/82 Clips, 49/41/80 Mavs). However, the Clippers got 7 more shots up, thanks to out-rebounding the Mavs 46-33, earning 13 second-chance points, and winning 15 points off 15 Maverick turnovers. The Clips also had 6 more free-throw attempts, although both teams combined for only 16. Despite some heroic efforts from Luka and THJ, who combined for 15 of the Mavs’ 21 fourth-quarter points, the late-game execution gaffes came out to bite the Mavs again, and they were not able to sustain the momentum they had built toward the end.
DONCIC. Luka had yet another triple double, with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and a season-high 16 assists, which was great. However, he did not shoot especially well (9-23, although he did have a couple of long shots earning him the sobriquet “Logo Luka”), had 7 turnovers, and earned only 4 free-throw attempts. He did have a potential four-point play in which the foul was ruled on the floor; Carlisle tried to challenge it, but the call was not challengeable on that basis, and the team lost a timeout.
Luka said after the game that the loss was on him —he took too many “terrible shots,” “didn’t score,” and “lost too many balls.” The point guard was the recipient of a huge amount of defensive attention, which flustered him a bit and left him without good options too many times. It should be interesting to see what adjustments Carlisle employs to make things a little easier for his star. As for the refs, Luka said he wasn’t looking to get fined, but hopes that the officials do a better job of calling the game on Wednesday, lol. Despite the low number of fouls called in the game (28), Luka was in foul trouble for much of the second half, and played through it.
PORZINGIS. This was a very good game by KP, who put up 22 points on ridiculous 9-14 shooting, along with 7 rebounds and a block. That said, he had only 7 two-point attempts, and did not take much advantage of smaller players guarding him — which, in fairness, looks like it might have been the game plan. We’ll see if Rick tries to get him a few more touches in the rematch. He was attentive and moving well on the defensive end.
HARDAWAY. THJ had a tremendous second-half effort, putting up 16 of his 21 points in the back 24, and going 8-12, and 5-9 from three, for the night. He took DFS’ place in the closing unit, and his minutes were back up to 30. Tim has struggled a bit lately, and it was great to see him doing his thing again. The team needs him to score well.
OTHER STARTERS. Josh, Doe-Doe and Maxi had decidedly meh performances, combining for 17 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 turnovers. J Rich and Maxi anchored the team in +/-, at -20 and -21. I don’t entirely blame the situation on the players — they can only do what they can do, and they looked generally smaller, weaker, slower, and less skilled than their Clipper counterparts. These guys may have pretty well reached their ceilings at this stage, and it will surprise me if they ever reach Paul George-Kawhi Leonard levels. However, it would be nice if they could at least make their open shots — they combined for 3-12 from deep.
OTHER RESERVES. Brunson played pretty well, recording 8 points and 3 assists in 24 minutes, but it wasn’t really a good match up for him, and he accordingly saw more limited time on the court than usual as of late. WCS was on the receiving end of a couple of exciting dunks, including the completion of a Willie-Luka-Willie give-and-go from mid-court, but he missed a couple of rim shots, did some goofy stuff, and ended up with 6 points and 2 rebounds to show for his 16 minutes. Burke did not score in 7 minutes of action.
CLIPPERS. Seven of the Clippers were in double figures, led by Kawhi with 22. Paul George was 5-11, but had some key shots down the stretch. Zubac torched Dallas with 15 points, 7-8 shooting, and 11 boards. Marcus Morris got a rare start and laid 14 points on the Mavs, while Lou Will and Batum combined for 26 off the bench. The Clippers interior defense was stifling, holding the Mavericks to 30 points in the paint.
OBSERVATIONS
Rick thought his team responded well after a “tough start,” but allowed that it was hard to win having to be in a reactive mode. While admitting that not many fouls had been called, he denied that this loss was about the officiating. Rather, it was because the Mavs did not quite achieve the level they needed to compete in terms of spacing, ball movement, execution, poise, and aggression. They will watch film, make some adjustments, and try again on Wednesday.
My fear for this team is that we might be getting seduced by some regular-season wins lately into thinking they are readier for playoff basketball than they are. I think this is the level of play they are likely to see in the postseason, and while it kept looking like they were in a position to string enough possessions together to go on a run, they were really never able to do much more than hang around. Granted, this game wasn’t their high-water mark in terms of playing or coaching, but it wasn’t un-representative, either. For this season, they may be able to achieve their goals by further refining what they are doing, but ultimately, I think they’re going to need an upgrade in at least a couple of positions if they want to be a factor. The Clippers just brutally exposed their weaknesses. Something to keep an eye on.
That's not to say they can't win another game. The Mavs have a chance at revenge Wednesday evening at the AAC. It looks within the realm of the possible!