Luka-less Mavs Shock League-leading Bucks
An 18-game winning streak bit the dust in Milwaukee. WOW!!!!!!
Game Story
Bledsoe was out for Milwaukee, along with Luka for the Mavs.
The Bucks scored the first few points, but Dallas came right back on the strength of some very hot long-range shooting (7-13) and strong defense. The Mavs built a 36-22 advantage by the end of the quarter. Would it last?
No, it wouldn't. The Bucks whittled away at the lead, and chiseled it to 3 points (56-53) going into the halftime interval. The pundits criticized the Mavs for going away from their first quarter approach, doing too much dribbling instead of moving the ball, and letting their offense get stagnant.
Dallas came out of halftime with a strong punch, but the Bucks weren't taking anything lying down. Milwaukee continued to chip away, and ultimately took a lead in the middle of the period. I admit, I feared the home team was about to run away with it. But, no such thing. The Mavericks responded resolutely, recovered their edge, and went into the fourth quarter at 86-76.
The men in blue maintained their strong position well into the final frame, maintaining a double-digit lead until the 53-second mark, when a Bucks layup off an offensive rebound narrowed their deficit to nine. The Mavs were back to 11 up with two Wright free throws after an intentional foul. Then, with 40 seconds left, the Bucks went on a 13-6 run. Six of those Milwaukee points were scored by Giannis, who went out at 4:22, returned at 0:16, and put 6 points on the board in 7 seconds. Woah.
The Mavs ended up dissolving at the end of the game, with many of the same problems they exhibited against the Heat. With 5 seconds remaining, Giannis hit a shot, and Maxi fouled out on it. Giannis missed the free throw, but Sterling Brown grabbed the OR and tried to put it back, but KP blocked his shot, thus saving the Mavs from going only 2 points down. THJ sealed the win with a free throw. Whew!
Analytics
The Mavs won the game on the strength of a 15-point edge in points from threes, and a 5-point advantage in made free throws. Powell and Hardaway combined to go 0-9 from long range, but all the other Mavs were a combined 16-32. Way to put the ball in the basket! Dallas trailed in PIP (38-56), fast break points (11-27), turnovers (14-8), and shots put up (88-105). Making threes covers a lot of sins. The Mavericks bench was 56-45 against the Bucks reserves.
Players
DFS (35 min). This was a great night for Dorian. He put 15 points and 8 rebounds on the board, and took primary responsibility for guarding Khris Middleton, who was held to 9 points on 4-12 shooting. The Fox analysts noted that he had two big threes, and did everything he was supposed to. Rick thought his performance was great. Wonderful hustle from the young wing!
KP (33 min). We may have seen the emergence of Kristaps Porzingis, who had what was probably his best game as a Mav. He took on the responsibility of being a scoring anchor, without forcing shots. He put up 26 points, including four triples, and had 12 rebounds and 2 blocks. At one point, he executed a dramatic rejection, and raced down the court for a throw down, thrilling his fans on both ends of the court. Toward the end of the game, he also had two back-to-back threes from somewhere in outer space, along with a potentially game-changing block on the putback after the last missed rebound. And was a stalwart on defense, which almost goes without saying by now.
Carlisle referenced Porzee's game as "spectacular." The analysts thought the team did a good job at getting him involved, and he played very well within Rick's style, dealing well with double teams and making big shots. Gave us a good glimpse of what he can do and be. After the game, KP said he is feeling more comfortable in the Mavs' system with every game, although he still isn't used to shooting so many threes. He noted that the Mavs play very differently when Luka is not on the floor, and he thinks they have latched on to what they have to do to compete without him on the court.
Brunson (32 min). Jalen was assigned starting PG duty, and carried out his assignment with aplomb, at least until the last few minutes. He recorded 13 points and a game-high 11 assists, with only 2 turnovers. He did a very good job of keeping his teammates involved, and made many correct reads and good decisions. He struggled at the end in some unfortunate ways, but his overall performance was above expectations.
Maxi (29 min). Maxi drew the thankless task of being Giannis' primary defender, and managed not to foul out until the very end of the game. His box score wasn't spectacular (10 points, 7 rebounds), and it doesn't do justice to his determined defense and disciplined approach to the game. Although he wasn't on the court to start the game, he played starter minutes at the center position.
Seth (26 min). Seth really stepped up off the bench, putting up 26 points on scalding 9-15 shooting, including 4-8 threes. At first, the Bucks were playing him to shoot, and he zipped right by them for scores at the basket. He played what may have been his most complete game of the season, shooting, finishing around the basket with a variety of moves, drawing a foul on a three for a four-point play, and moving the ball. Rick described his performance as "tremendous."
The guard said the guys viewed the Bucks' winning streak as a sign that Milwaukee was due for a loss, and they had a lot of confidence that they could score points against this team. They had an offensive and defensive game plan, and executed both of them well. He described playing for this team as being a lot of fun, grinning all the way.
Wright (18 min). Delon took the reserve point guard role, and looked far better than he did on his first night back from injury. He was very efficient, missing only one of his 6 shot attempts, making both his free throws, and recording a game-high 4 steals. Good to see him looking back to normal.
Bucks. I know I'm not supposed to compliment opposing players, but man, Giannis is a fricking BEAST. He went off for 48 points, and knifed through the lane at will. The Mavs mostly elected not to double-team him, and it looks like they opted to make the "others" beat them. Sitting on the bench in the last few minutes, he looked absolutely miserable. Korver also torched Dallas with three-point shooting (17 points, 5-7 threes), but the other members of the team gave GA and KK little in the way of assistance. Former Mav Wesley Matthews had 6 points in the role of starting shooting guard.
Remarks
This may have been the best collective team performance playing Rick's preferred style that we have seen from the Mavs. The defense was mostly steady, the ball movement was mostly superior, and player movement was mostly excellent, as well. Scoring was more balanced than usual, with six guys in double figures. This team seem to have completely bought in to the system, and appear to have made visible progress even at this relatively early point in the season. The team plays differently with Luka on the floor, due to his dominance on the ball and very high usage, and the non-Luka units look to be developing their own distinctive style.
Rick thought the key to the win was the good start, along with the Mavs' aggressiveness. He developed a simple game plan, thought they executed it well, and was very proud of the performance.
This is a very significant win, despite the fact they almost lost it. No Luka. Opponent with the league's best record. On an 18-win streak. At their house. A very off night from THJ, and Powell not being a good matchup for Giannis (who is?). Bucks massively favored. And these guys managed to pull this off in the face of all expectations. Rick said a little luck probably entered into it, and maybe so, but this is a statement. Luka was watching in Dallas, and live-tweeted the game with encouraging comments. I like this team!
Next. Boston, on Wednesday at the AAC. It doesn't get any easier for a while.
Go Mavs!
An 18-game winning streak bit the dust in Milwaukee. WOW!!!!!!
Game Story
Bledsoe was out for Milwaukee, along with Luka for the Mavs.
The Bucks scored the first few points, but Dallas came right back on the strength of some very hot long-range shooting (7-13) and strong defense. The Mavs built a 36-22 advantage by the end of the quarter. Would it last?
No, it wouldn't. The Bucks whittled away at the lead, and chiseled it to 3 points (56-53) going into the halftime interval. The pundits criticized the Mavs for going away from their first quarter approach, doing too much dribbling instead of moving the ball, and letting their offense get stagnant.
Dallas came out of halftime with a strong punch, but the Bucks weren't taking anything lying down. Milwaukee continued to chip away, and ultimately took a lead in the middle of the period. I admit, I feared the home team was about to run away with it. But, no such thing. The Mavericks responded resolutely, recovered their edge, and went into the fourth quarter at 86-76.
The men in blue maintained their strong position well into the final frame, maintaining a double-digit lead until the 53-second mark, when a Bucks layup off an offensive rebound narrowed their deficit to nine. The Mavs were back to 11 up with two Wright free throws after an intentional foul. Then, with 40 seconds left, the Bucks went on a 13-6 run. Six of those Milwaukee points were scored by Giannis, who went out at 4:22, returned at 0:16, and put 6 points on the board in 7 seconds. Woah.
The Mavs ended up dissolving at the end of the game, with many of the same problems they exhibited against the Heat. With 5 seconds remaining, Giannis hit a shot, and Maxi fouled out on it. Giannis missed the free throw, but Sterling Brown grabbed the OR and tried to put it back, but KP blocked his shot, thus saving the Mavs from going only 2 points down. THJ sealed the win with a free throw. Whew!
Analytics
The Mavs won the game on the strength of a 15-point edge in points from threes, and a 5-point advantage in made free throws. Powell and Hardaway combined to go 0-9 from long range, but all the other Mavs were a combined 16-32. Way to put the ball in the basket! Dallas trailed in PIP (38-56), fast break points (11-27), turnovers (14-8), and shots put up (88-105). Making threes covers a lot of sins. The Mavericks bench was 56-45 against the Bucks reserves.
Players
DFS (35 min). This was a great night for Dorian. He put 15 points and 8 rebounds on the board, and took primary responsibility for guarding Khris Middleton, who was held to 9 points on 4-12 shooting. The Fox analysts noted that he had two big threes, and did everything he was supposed to. Rick thought his performance was great. Wonderful hustle from the young wing!
KP (33 min). We may have seen the emergence of Kristaps Porzingis, who had what was probably his best game as a Mav. He took on the responsibility of being a scoring anchor, without forcing shots. He put up 26 points, including four triples, and had 12 rebounds and 2 blocks. At one point, he executed a dramatic rejection, and raced down the court for a throw down, thrilling his fans on both ends of the court. Toward the end of the game, he also had two back-to-back threes from somewhere in outer space, along with a potentially game-changing block on the putback after the last missed rebound. And was a stalwart on defense, which almost goes without saying by now.
Carlisle referenced Porzee's game as "spectacular." The analysts thought the team did a good job at getting him involved, and he played very well within Rick's style, dealing well with double teams and making big shots. Gave us a good glimpse of what he can do and be. After the game, KP said he is feeling more comfortable in the Mavs' system with every game, although he still isn't used to shooting so many threes. He noted that the Mavs play very differently when Luka is not on the floor, and he thinks they have latched on to what they have to do to compete without him on the court.
Brunson (32 min). Jalen was assigned starting PG duty, and carried out his assignment with aplomb, at least until the last few minutes. He recorded 13 points and a game-high 11 assists, with only 2 turnovers. He did a very good job of keeping his teammates involved, and made many correct reads and good decisions. He struggled at the end in some unfortunate ways, but his overall performance was above expectations.
Maxi (29 min). Maxi drew the thankless task of being Giannis' primary defender, and managed not to foul out until the very end of the game. His box score wasn't spectacular (10 points, 7 rebounds), and it doesn't do justice to his determined defense and disciplined approach to the game. Although he wasn't on the court to start the game, he played starter minutes at the center position.
Seth (26 min). Seth really stepped up off the bench, putting up 26 points on scalding 9-15 shooting, including 4-8 threes. At first, the Bucks were playing him to shoot, and he zipped right by them for scores at the basket. He played what may have been his most complete game of the season, shooting, finishing around the basket with a variety of moves, drawing a foul on a three for a four-point play, and moving the ball. Rick described his performance as "tremendous."
The guard said the guys viewed the Bucks' winning streak as a sign that Milwaukee was due for a loss, and they had a lot of confidence that they could score points against this team. They had an offensive and defensive game plan, and executed both of them well. He described playing for this team as being a lot of fun, grinning all the way.
Wright (18 min). Delon took the reserve point guard role, and looked far better than he did on his first night back from injury. He was very efficient, missing only one of his 6 shot attempts, making both his free throws, and recording a game-high 4 steals. Good to see him looking back to normal.
Bucks. I know I'm not supposed to compliment opposing players, but man, Giannis is a fricking BEAST. He went off for 48 points, and knifed through the lane at will. The Mavs mostly elected not to double-team him, and it looks like they opted to make the "others" beat them. Sitting on the bench in the last few minutes, he looked absolutely miserable. Korver also torched Dallas with three-point shooting (17 points, 5-7 threes), but the other members of the team gave GA and KK little in the way of assistance. Former Mav Wesley Matthews had 6 points in the role of starting shooting guard.
Remarks
This may have been the best collective team performance playing Rick's preferred style that we have seen from the Mavs. The defense was mostly steady, the ball movement was mostly superior, and player movement was mostly excellent, as well. Scoring was more balanced than usual, with six guys in double figures. This team seem to have completely bought in to the system, and appear to have made visible progress even at this relatively early point in the season. The team plays differently with Luka on the floor, due to his dominance on the ball and very high usage, and the non-Luka units look to be developing their own distinctive style.
Rick thought the key to the win was the good start, along with the Mavs' aggressiveness. He developed a simple game plan, thought they executed it well, and was very proud of the performance.
This is a very significant win, despite the fact they almost lost it. No Luka. Opponent with the league's best record. On an 18-win streak. At their house. A very off night from THJ, and Powell not being a good matchup for Giannis (who is?). Bucks massively favored. And these guys managed to pull this off in the face of all expectations. Rick said a little luck probably entered into it, and maybe so, but this is a statement. Luka was watching in Dallas, and live-tweeted the game with encouraging comments. I like this team!
Next. Boston, on Wednesday at the AAC. It doesn't get any easier for a while.
Go Mavs!