11-21-2021, 07:45 PM
MAVS COME UP SHORT IN LOS ANGELES
The Mavericks entered the contest in LA hoping to break their two-game losing streak, and to get a bit of revenge against their two-time playoff nemesis. Alas, it wasn’t in the cards, but the Mavs kept the scoreline respectable, despite a dismal shooting performance.
GAME NOTES
The Mavs were pleased to welcome Maxi back to the active roster. Luka was a game-time decision, but wasn’t able to go. Kawhi, Batum, and Marcus Morris were out for the Clippers. Kidd selected Brunson-THJ-DFS-KP-Powell as the starting unit.
The Bally studio crew talked about what the Mavs wanted to focus on in this match. They want to give particular attention to their transition defense, and their defense within the first ten seconds of the shot clock, both of which were subpar in Phoenix. Also, the Mavs would like to play their offense through KP, but acknowledge that it’s not a simple matter. Without Luka on the floor, defenses can collapse on KP, and the Clippers have big enough lineups to bother him. Harp added that they will also be trying to avoid disappearing late in the game.
Post-game report on these objectives -- Haven't looked at the stats yet on defense in the first ten seconds. The Mavs were successful in playing through KP, but did falter in the third (15 points -- woof!) and fourth.
FIRST QUARTER
Mavs open with a KP post up, but KP misses. They try it again, but still come up empty. Zubac opens the scoring with one of two free throws. Tim-KP alley-oop gets the Mavs on the board. Brunson hits Dallas’ first three. KP is fouled on a transition attempt. Hits both FTs. KP off the window. 9-8 6:35
Powell hits a corner three! Kleber and Willie check in for Powell and KP. Maxi collects his first rebound immediately. Mavs with a couple of turnovers here. Clippers bench is making a push. Burke pull-up is good, but Ibaka earns free throws on the following possession. 14-19 2:57
Kleber drops in a three! Brunson returns to the lineup, scores with a little floater. Mavs making a little run. KP earns free throws, makes one of two. Jalen with a baseline jumper. Brunson misses transition attempt to close the quarter, but Mavs are on a 10-0 scoring streak.
22-19 after one
Mavs are 3-6 from three, Clips 2-10. KP and Jalen lead the Mavs with 7 points apiece.
SECOND QUARTER
KP draws another foul, the third he has drawn in the game. Clips having trouble defending him without fouling. Kleber way short on a three-point try, draws jeers from the LA crowd. KP OR and put back. KP in the paint over three defenders. KP turnaround jumper over Paul George. Woot! 28-26 7:44
Brunson steal results in free throws for Doe-Doe. Hits both. Dorian drive to the basket, straight-line, unguarded. Frank gets on the board with a three. KP draws another foul on an offensive rebound. Brunson pull-up off a DP screen. Drive by DP, shoots over Zubac. 39-30 4:53
Powell can’t defend Zubac, who blows by him. Trey Burke says hi to the window. Mavs collapse on Zubac, but he still earns free throws. DFS-DP alley oop late in the clock! Paul George jam over KP. Timmy airballs a corner three. Reggie Jackson three over Burke. George called for his third foul, tripping Trey Burke. Wow, Jackson with another three. KP fouled on another OR. Jackson draws free throws on a drive — that’s the third foul on KP. Bullock misses a three at the buzzer.
47-46 HT
We have a low-scoring game here. Mavs only 4-18 (22%) from distance. DFS-THJ-Maxi-Frank combine for 4-24. Oof. KP leading the Mavs with 15 points. Zubac has 13 for LA.
THIRD QUARTER
KP called for his fourth foul, first rattle out of the box. Paul George corner three over Porzee. Jackson flattens THJ on a three-point attempt, Tim hits all three FTs. FN has an injured calf, will not return to the game. KP remains on the court with four fouls. DP way short on a three. Powell shooting 40% on threes this season (6-15). DP scores inside. Three-second call on Zubac, as PG tries to post Brunson up. Jackson pull-up three. Dang. Score going the wrong way here. 52-58 7:42
PG bombs in a three. Brunson scores in the paint, ending a 10-0 LA run. Aargh, Jackson from three again. KP hook shot over PG. THJ called for an offensive foul. He’s struggling today. S Brown comes in for him. PG over JB, Paul has it going now. Willie left open, knocks a long jumper down! KP flush from Brunson. 60-66 4:20
Jackson drives for a bucket. Had forgotten what a Mavs-killer this guy is. Mavs are successfully dishing to Reggie, but he can’t hit anything. Similar story with Sterling. Clips force a turnover by Sterling. Clips drive and dish for a Terence Mann wide open three.
62-71 after three
Mavs with a dreadful 15-point quarter. Yikes. 0-6 from three, 6-20 from two. Clips shooting 56%, overall and from distance. Yuck.
FOURTH QUARTER
Boban is out there now. Boban over Ibaka! Woo-hoo! Kennard answers with a three. Brunson lands a couple FTs. Eric Bledsoe blows by the Mavs for his first basket of the game. Bobi salvages a play with a bucket. Ibaka over Boban. Bobi fouled posting up Ibaka. Hits both freebies. Powell in for Bobi. THJ-MK alley oop. Paul George offensive foul for a push on Maxi. Hardaway big three! Paul George unguarded corner three. How did that happen? Mann fouled on transition attempt. 75-81 6:49
KP back in. Mann hits the free throws. Jackson in the paint again. Mann easily gets by THJ, bucket gives Clips their biggest lead so far. Mavs can’t score for anything. 75-87 4:52
Brunson hits 3-3 from the line. DFS corner three. Zubac one of two from the line. Brunson over Kennard in the paint. 8-1 Mavs run. 83-88 3:22
KP cuts and scores. PG draws foul on JB, hits both freebies. KP over Mann, from JB. PG blows by Bullock for a bucket. 87-92 1:29
JB-KP slam. 89-92 1:19
PG over DFS. Brunson and-one over Mann. Clippers challenge the blocking foul. Successful. Offensive foul against JB. That might be all she wrote. Reggie Jackson off-balance well-defended shot in the paint. 89-96 29 seconds.
Brunson drive, without much resistance. 91-96 24 seconds
Tim fouls Jackson on a trap. One of two FTs. Hardaway airball three, Clips dribble it out.
91-97 FT
ANALYSIS
The Mavs put up 8 more shot attempts than the Clippers, but shot so poorly that they couldn’t take advantage. They were a season-worst 6-30 from distance, with no Mav completing more than 1 3PTA. KP-THJ-JB, the Mavs’ scorers, combined to go 2-12 from range. The bench were 3-13. Just abysmal. Point differentials were +8 on points from twos, -18 on points from threes, and +4 on made free throws. They were able to stay in the game, courtesy of the Clips’ giving up 20 points off turnovers.
PLAYER NOTES
HARDAWAY (36 min). Tim led the Mavs in minutes, and had 6 boards and 5 assists, but was 2-12 from the field and scored only 8 points. This Luka-less stretch is about the worst time for Timmy to undergo a slump, although I think Luka’s absence and Tim’s struggles are not unrelated.
BRUNSON (34). Jalen had a 20-4-8 line, along with 3 steals, and was 7-13 from the field, 5-5 from the line. He and KP had a good offensive combo going, and maybe we can take some solace from that.
PORZINGIS (32). KP was the offensive focus for the Mavs today, and he came though with 25 points (7-18), 8 boards, and 2 blocks, and drew a team-high 7 FTA. He joined the Mavs’ brick-fest from three, with an 0-4 performance, but his 25 points were a team high. Kidd said he was pleased that KP is looking “comfortable,” and thought he stepped up well at the end of the game. He was somewhat hampered by foul trouble, but played almost 9 minutes in the third quarter after being called for his fourth.
BULLOCK (32). Bullock had 5 rebounds, but didn’t score, and wasn’t the defensive stalwart we have been hoping for. SMH. Kidd seemed to be patient with the situation, saying that Reggie should just keep shooting, and his shot will come around eventually. Says that every time he puts Reggie on the floor he expects Bullock to make all of his shots. Hmm.
DFS (24). Dorian was substantially below Bullock on the minutes chart tonight, for whatever reason. His stats were modest (7-2-1, with a steal), and he was 2-6 overall, 1-3 from distance. Not a flashy line, but better than Reggie’s. We should keep an eye on this situation.
KLEBER (20). Maxi had 5 points (2-7, 1-5 3PTA) and 4 rebounds. Kidd adverted to a minutes limitation before the game, and that probably was a factor in his relatively low time on the court. He has been out for a while, and was evidently still in the process of getting back on his horse. Kidd said that Maxi was very good at giving the team everything he could on a partially full tank.
POWELL (19). Dwight was the third-leading scorer on the team with 9 points (4-7), and was the only Mav to have a good percentage from three (1-2). He also had 5 boards (2 offensive) and a block.
MENTIONS. WILLIE (10) had 4 points and 2 steals in ten minutes. Unexpectedly hit a long jump shot when he was left totally unguarded. FRANK (9) had 3 points and was 1-6 from the field before incurring an injury and being withdrawn from the game. Kidd did not have an update on his condition, but said they should have one tomorrow. STERLING (8) had a couple of boards, but didn’t score, and had an unfortunate turnover. BOBAN (3) led the bench with 6 points in only three minutes.
MOSES and JOSH had DNP-CDs. Kidd said that he hopes LUKA can go on Tuesday, but the team cannot sit around and wait for Luka to come and bail them out, because they really don’t know when he will be back.
CLIPPERS. Fans watching this game will have experienced an uneasy feeling of deja vu, despite the absence of both Luka and Kawhi. Paul George was arguably the best player on the court, with 29 points (12-25) and 6 assists. He set the place on fire after halftime, with 21 of his points coming in the second half. Reggie Jackson somehow just has the Mavs’ number, racking up 23 points on 8-14 shooting, and popping up and scoring at just the worst times. Ivica Zubac torched us in the paint with 16 points (6-7) and 10 rebounds.
OBSERVATIONS
The Bally guys ticked off a number of issues contributing to the loss. Too many missed shots. A possible bad call late (although Devin thought it was correct). Big second half by PG. Not enough offensive firepower from the Mavs. Disastrous three-point shooting. Yeah, those will do it.
Kidd lamented the offensive foul call on Jalen at the end of the game. Said it cost the team two points and possession, which was difficult to overcome at that stage in the game. Asked to address why the Mavs have such a hard time scoring (other than being without Luka), Kidd said they’re getting good looks. Today, a lot of the jumpers were short, but the team picked it up a little in the fourth. He says they are putting themselves in positions to win games, but can’t seem to get a stop or hit an open three at the right time. Luka’s return should, of course, help, but they can’t just push the snooze button in the meantime.
Well, I don’t know what’s happened to the Mavs’ once-vaunted offense. Tonight was season-level horrible, but it wasn’t great even before Luka got hurt. I mean, it’s cool that the JB-KP game is coming along, but this team is built to get open looks from three, and if nobody can hit them, then I don’t know what we’re doing. The Clippers don’t look unbeatable right now, but somehow, we seem to find a way to fall apart at the ends of games.
I’m probably just grumpy over losing a game that looked winnable, and maybe the fact that we were in it at all with such poor shooting was an accomplishment of sorts. After all, they were within 3 with 1:19 left. Whether the call on Brunson was good or not, the Mavs can't sit back and blame the refs for this one.
NEXT. The Mavs face the Clippers in LA again on Tuesday, hoping to stop their three-game slide. Maybe Luka will be back!
The Mavericks entered the contest in LA hoping to break their two-game losing streak, and to get a bit of revenge against their two-time playoff nemesis. Alas, it wasn’t in the cards, but the Mavs kept the scoreline respectable, despite a dismal shooting performance.
GAME NOTES
The Mavs were pleased to welcome Maxi back to the active roster. Luka was a game-time decision, but wasn’t able to go. Kawhi, Batum, and Marcus Morris were out for the Clippers. Kidd selected Brunson-THJ-DFS-KP-Powell as the starting unit.
The Bally studio crew talked about what the Mavs wanted to focus on in this match. They want to give particular attention to their transition defense, and their defense within the first ten seconds of the shot clock, both of which were subpar in Phoenix. Also, the Mavs would like to play their offense through KP, but acknowledge that it’s not a simple matter. Without Luka on the floor, defenses can collapse on KP, and the Clippers have big enough lineups to bother him. Harp added that they will also be trying to avoid disappearing late in the game.
Post-game report on these objectives -- Haven't looked at the stats yet on defense in the first ten seconds. The Mavs were successful in playing through KP, but did falter in the third (15 points -- woof!) and fourth.
FIRST QUARTER
Mavs open with a KP post up, but KP misses. They try it again, but still come up empty. Zubac opens the scoring with one of two free throws. Tim-KP alley-oop gets the Mavs on the board. Brunson hits Dallas’ first three. KP is fouled on a transition attempt. Hits both FTs. KP off the window. 9-8 6:35
Powell hits a corner three! Kleber and Willie check in for Powell and KP. Maxi collects his first rebound immediately. Mavs with a couple of turnovers here. Clippers bench is making a push. Burke pull-up is good, but Ibaka earns free throws on the following possession. 14-19 2:57
Kleber drops in a three! Brunson returns to the lineup, scores with a little floater. Mavs making a little run. KP earns free throws, makes one of two. Jalen with a baseline jumper. Brunson misses transition attempt to close the quarter, but Mavs are on a 10-0 scoring streak.
22-19 after one
Mavs are 3-6 from three, Clips 2-10. KP and Jalen lead the Mavs with 7 points apiece.
SECOND QUARTER
KP draws another foul, the third he has drawn in the game. Clips having trouble defending him without fouling. Kleber way short on a three-point try, draws jeers from the LA crowd. KP OR and put back. KP in the paint over three defenders. KP turnaround jumper over Paul George. Woot! 28-26 7:44
Brunson steal results in free throws for Doe-Doe. Hits both. Dorian drive to the basket, straight-line, unguarded. Frank gets on the board with a three. KP draws another foul on an offensive rebound. Brunson pull-up off a DP screen. Drive by DP, shoots over Zubac. 39-30 4:53
Powell can’t defend Zubac, who blows by him. Trey Burke says hi to the window. Mavs collapse on Zubac, but he still earns free throws. DFS-DP alley oop late in the clock! Paul George jam over KP. Timmy airballs a corner three. Reggie Jackson three over Burke. George called for his third foul, tripping Trey Burke. Wow, Jackson with another three. KP fouled on another OR. Jackson draws free throws on a drive — that’s the third foul on KP. Bullock misses a three at the buzzer.
47-46 HT
We have a low-scoring game here. Mavs only 4-18 (22%) from distance. DFS-THJ-Maxi-Frank combine for 4-24. Oof. KP leading the Mavs with 15 points. Zubac has 13 for LA.
THIRD QUARTER
KP called for his fourth foul, first rattle out of the box. Paul George corner three over Porzee. Jackson flattens THJ on a three-point attempt, Tim hits all three FTs. FN has an injured calf, will not return to the game. KP remains on the court with four fouls. DP way short on a three. Powell shooting 40% on threes this season (6-15). DP scores inside. Three-second call on Zubac, as PG tries to post Brunson up. Jackson pull-up three. Dang. Score going the wrong way here. 52-58 7:42
PG bombs in a three. Brunson scores in the paint, ending a 10-0 LA run. Aargh, Jackson from three again. KP hook shot over PG. THJ called for an offensive foul. He’s struggling today. S Brown comes in for him. PG over JB, Paul has it going now. Willie left open, knocks a long jumper down! KP flush from Brunson. 60-66 4:20
Jackson drives for a bucket. Had forgotten what a Mavs-killer this guy is. Mavs are successfully dishing to Reggie, but he can’t hit anything. Similar story with Sterling. Clips force a turnover by Sterling. Clips drive and dish for a Terence Mann wide open three.
62-71 after three
Mavs with a dreadful 15-point quarter. Yikes. 0-6 from three, 6-20 from two. Clips shooting 56%, overall and from distance. Yuck.
FOURTH QUARTER
Boban is out there now. Boban over Ibaka! Woo-hoo! Kennard answers with a three. Brunson lands a couple FTs. Eric Bledsoe blows by the Mavs for his first basket of the game. Bobi salvages a play with a bucket. Ibaka over Boban. Bobi fouled posting up Ibaka. Hits both freebies. Powell in for Bobi. THJ-MK alley oop. Paul George offensive foul for a push on Maxi. Hardaway big three! Paul George unguarded corner three. How did that happen? Mann fouled on transition attempt. 75-81 6:49
KP back in. Mann hits the free throws. Jackson in the paint again. Mann easily gets by THJ, bucket gives Clips their biggest lead so far. Mavs can’t score for anything. 75-87 4:52
Brunson hits 3-3 from the line. DFS corner three. Zubac one of two from the line. Brunson over Kennard in the paint. 8-1 Mavs run. 83-88 3:22
KP cuts and scores. PG draws foul on JB, hits both freebies. KP over Mann, from JB. PG blows by Bullock for a bucket. 87-92 1:29
JB-KP slam. 89-92 1:19
PG over DFS. Brunson and-one over Mann. Clippers challenge the blocking foul. Successful. Offensive foul against JB. That might be all she wrote. Reggie Jackson off-balance well-defended shot in the paint. 89-96 29 seconds.
Brunson drive, without much resistance. 91-96 24 seconds
Tim fouls Jackson on a trap. One of two FTs. Hardaway airball three, Clips dribble it out.
91-97 FT
ANALYSIS
The Mavs put up 8 more shot attempts than the Clippers, but shot so poorly that they couldn’t take advantage. They were a season-worst 6-30 from distance, with no Mav completing more than 1 3PTA. KP-THJ-JB, the Mavs’ scorers, combined to go 2-12 from range. The bench were 3-13. Just abysmal. Point differentials were +8 on points from twos, -18 on points from threes, and +4 on made free throws. They were able to stay in the game, courtesy of the Clips’ giving up 20 points off turnovers.
PLAYER NOTES
HARDAWAY (36 min). Tim led the Mavs in minutes, and had 6 boards and 5 assists, but was 2-12 from the field and scored only 8 points. This Luka-less stretch is about the worst time for Timmy to undergo a slump, although I think Luka’s absence and Tim’s struggles are not unrelated.
BRUNSON (34). Jalen had a 20-4-8 line, along with 3 steals, and was 7-13 from the field, 5-5 from the line. He and KP had a good offensive combo going, and maybe we can take some solace from that.
PORZINGIS (32). KP was the offensive focus for the Mavs today, and he came though with 25 points (7-18), 8 boards, and 2 blocks, and drew a team-high 7 FTA. He joined the Mavs’ brick-fest from three, with an 0-4 performance, but his 25 points were a team high. Kidd said he was pleased that KP is looking “comfortable,” and thought he stepped up well at the end of the game. He was somewhat hampered by foul trouble, but played almost 9 minutes in the third quarter after being called for his fourth.
BULLOCK (32). Bullock had 5 rebounds, but didn’t score, and wasn’t the defensive stalwart we have been hoping for. SMH. Kidd seemed to be patient with the situation, saying that Reggie should just keep shooting, and his shot will come around eventually. Says that every time he puts Reggie on the floor he expects Bullock to make all of his shots. Hmm.
DFS (24). Dorian was substantially below Bullock on the minutes chart tonight, for whatever reason. His stats were modest (7-2-1, with a steal), and he was 2-6 overall, 1-3 from distance. Not a flashy line, but better than Reggie’s. We should keep an eye on this situation.
KLEBER (20). Maxi had 5 points (2-7, 1-5 3PTA) and 4 rebounds. Kidd adverted to a minutes limitation before the game, and that probably was a factor in his relatively low time on the court. He has been out for a while, and was evidently still in the process of getting back on his horse. Kidd said that Maxi was very good at giving the team everything he could on a partially full tank.
POWELL (19). Dwight was the third-leading scorer on the team with 9 points (4-7), and was the only Mav to have a good percentage from three (1-2). He also had 5 boards (2 offensive) and a block.
MENTIONS. WILLIE (10) had 4 points and 2 steals in ten minutes. Unexpectedly hit a long jump shot when he was left totally unguarded. FRANK (9) had 3 points and was 1-6 from the field before incurring an injury and being withdrawn from the game. Kidd did not have an update on his condition, but said they should have one tomorrow. STERLING (8) had a couple of boards, but didn’t score, and had an unfortunate turnover. BOBAN (3) led the bench with 6 points in only three minutes.
MOSES and JOSH had DNP-CDs. Kidd said that he hopes LUKA can go on Tuesday, but the team cannot sit around and wait for Luka to come and bail them out, because they really don’t know when he will be back.
CLIPPERS. Fans watching this game will have experienced an uneasy feeling of deja vu, despite the absence of both Luka and Kawhi. Paul George was arguably the best player on the court, with 29 points (12-25) and 6 assists. He set the place on fire after halftime, with 21 of his points coming in the second half. Reggie Jackson somehow just has the Mavs’ number, racking up 23 points on 8-14 shooting, and popping up and scoring at just the worst times. Ivica Zubac torched us in the paint with 16 points (6-7) and 10 rebounds.
OBSERVATIONS
The Bally guys ticked off a number of issues contributing to the loss. Too many missed shots. A possible bad call late (although Devin thought it was correct). Big second half by PG. Not enough offensive firepower from the Mavs. Disastrous three-point shooting. Yeah, those will do it.
Kidd lamented the offensive foul call on Jalen at the end of the game. Said it cost the team two points and possession, which was difficult to overcome at that stage in the game. Asked to address why the Mavs have such a hard time scoring (other than being without Luka), Kidd said they’re getting good looks. Today, a lot of the jumpers were short, but the team picked it up a little in the fourth. He says they are putting themselves in positions to win games, but can’t seem to get a stop or hit an open three at the right time. Luka’s return should, of course, help, but they can’t just push the snooze button in the meantime.
Well, I don’t know what’s happened to the Mavs’ once-vaunted offense. Tonight was season-level horrible, but it wasn’t great even before Luka got hurt. I mean, it’s cool that the JB-KP game is coming along, but this team is built to get open looks from three, and if nobody can hit them, then I don’t know what we’re doing. The Clippers don’t look unbeatable right now, but somehow, we seem to find a way to fall apart at the ends of games.
I’m probably just grumpy over losing a game that looked winnable, and maybe the fact that we were in it at all with such poor shooting was an accomplishment of sorts. After all, they were within 3 with 1:19 left. Whether the call on Brunson was good or not, the Mavs can't sit back and blame the refs for this one.
NEXT. The Mavs face the Clippers in LA again on Tuesday, hoping to stop their three-game slide. Maybe Luka will be back!
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