Mavs Blow Warriors Out in San Francisco
If you like watching offense, this was the game for you. A real shootout, with the teams combining for 42 made threes. Fun!
Game Story and Analytics
The Warriors were missing Steph, Klay, and Kevon Looney. The Mavericks were at full strength.
The Dubs got off to a hot start, with D'Angelo Russell scoring 12 points in under two minutes. The Mavs responded, and the first quarter ended with a Dirk-minded 41-41 scoreline. The shot-fest continued in the second period, and Dallas entered the locker room with a 72-74 deficit. The Mavericks went on an incredible 28-4 run in the middle of the third, and remained in control for the rest of the game. They eventually surrendered a net 10 points from their game-high lead of 30 in the fourth, but still won comfortably. Neither Luka nor Tim played in the final frame, and the other starters had minimal time.
The game was a bit chippy, with five players T'd up -- Porzingis, Green, Russell, Chriss, and Lee. Luka and Chriss got into it a little when Chriss shoved Luka into a cameraman and Luka gave him the evil eye, but both players calmed down, and the only damage was a technical on Chriss.
The Mavs defeated the Dubs with a more efficient shot attempt distribution, and better performance at the free-throw line. Both teams got 92 shots off, but 51 of the Dallas attempts were from beyond the arc, while the GSW tried only 39. Both teams were sizzling from long range, with the Mavericks shooting 47% and the Dubs 46%. The Mavs were a perfect 21-21 from the foul line, and the Warriors went 13-17. Dallas was +18 on points from threes, +8 on made free throws, and -6 on points from twos. The Mavericks set a franchise record for made threes in a game, putting 24 on the board.
Players
Luka (30 min) was back to normal on his second game back from injury. He recorded his ninth triple-double of the season, with an impressive 31-12-15 line. He put on a blistering shooting performance, going 5-8 from three and hitting all 10 of his FTAs. He also had a couple of steals and only 3 turnovers, and had some good defensive plays. His performance was as exciting as it sounds -- the Slovenian knows how to put on a show. Rick deemed his game "amazing" and "phenomenal," and complimented him for setting the table for his teammates. Great to see the young star back to full speed again! With another game looming tomorrow, it was also good to see him get the fourth quarter off.
Porzingis (26 min) had an efficient 18 points and a game-high 4 blocks. His shot was looking good, as he hit 4 of 9 3PTAS, and was 2-3 on 2PTAs. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come! KP made an effort to gratify those who have been wanting him to post up, attempting to back down Draymond Green, but, alas, the play ended in a turnover. Greg Buckner allowed that Chris Webber "doesn't know what he is talking about," and Rick said he did not consider calling more post-ups for KP.
On the constructive criticism side, KP was bitten by the turnover bug, giving the ball away a team-high 5 times. Two of them were cross-court passes out of bounds, and a couple involved losing the ball off the dribble. Fortunately, no harm done in terms of the final score. On the other hand, Porzee's shotmaking and defense were both highly impressive.
Seth (25 min) put on a show for Steph, going 4-7 from three-point land in the first three quarters, registering two steals, and playing some decent defense. He and Delon Wright headlined the fourth quarter, both playing all twelve minutes. Some of his threes were breathtaking, especially one over a crowd in the second quarter. Steph and Seth are first and second in the league on three-point percentages, at a scorching 43%. Steph was in a suit on the GSW bench, and must have been proud of li'l bro.
Hardaway (23 min) had another brilliant game, being the team's second-leading scorer with 25 points, hitting 6 of 8 3PTAs, and going 9-13 from the field, including a four-point play. He showed off his and Luka's spectacular chemistry, and defended well. Carlisle praised his shotmaking, defense, leadership, and experience. He noted that Tim had kept the team together in the midst of all the mayhem, and called attention to his veteran presence as an important factor in the team's performance all season long.
Bench. Wright (22 min) had a fine performance off the bench, with 6-7 shooting, 4 rebounds, and a team-high 3 steals. He and Seth worked well together. Maxi and Justin Jackson both looked good in 21 minutes each. Rick complimented the group for finishing the game "the right way." The entire team finished in positive territory, aside from Brunson, Broekhoff, and Boban, who were all on low minutes.
Russell. D'Angelo Russell torched the Mavericks with 35 unbelievable points, including 9 threes, and was unstoppable from everywhere on the floor. Rick said that the team "threw the kitchen sink" at him, trying man defense, zone, switching, trapping, hybrid defenses, with nothing seeming to slow him down. However, they had a halftime talk on the subject, and ultimately, the Mavs' basic defense got them some traction. Unfortunately, Russell went down in the third quarter after a collision with Luka. He was back in the game in the fourth, but by then, the Mavs had built a substantial cushion. With both Steph and Russell on the floor, GSW will not be lacking for floor spacing.
Remarks
Rick said his squad had to "find a way" to win this game, and congratulated them for their poise and togetherness in the face of all the "antics" going on. He was proud of his team for defending hard, rebounding, and taking care of the ball, despite a high degree of defensive aggression from Golden State. He opined that good paint attacks led to good threes, and he felt that his team "needed a game like this." I am reading this as an indication that Coach sees progress in terms of the team not falling apart against intense defense.
I thought this was a highly entertaining match. If the Dubs are, in fact, tanking, you couldn't tell it from this performance. The Warriors went very hard, and if Russell had not gotten hurt (shoulder contusion), the game would undoubtedly have been closer. I admire the Mavs for putting the game away early on a FIGABABA and taking care of business on the opponent's very rowdy home court. The focus of the win will inevitably and rightfully be the blistering 3-point shooting, but a lot of other things went right too, and despite the ten-point deficit in garbage time, at no time did the Mavericks come unglued. Good signs.
Next. The Mavs face LeBron and the Lakers at their house on Sunday. Should be a cracker!
Go Mavs!
If you like watching offense, this was the game for you. A real shootout, with the teams combining for 42 made threes. Fun!
Game Story and Analytics
The Warriors were missing Steph, Klay, and Kevon Looney. The Mavericks were at full strength.
The Dubs got off to a hot start, with D'Angelo Russell scoring 12 points in under two minutes. The Mavs responded, and the first quarter ended with a Dirk-minded 41-41 scoreline. The shot-fest continued in the second period, and Dallas entered the locker room with a 72-74 deficit. The Mavericks went on an incredible 28-4 run in the middle of the third, and remained in control for the rest of the game. They eventually surrendered a net 10 points from their game-high lead of 30 in the fourth, but still won comfortably. Neither Luka nor Tim played in the final frame, and the other starters had minimal time.
The game was a bit chippy, with five players T'd up -- Porzingis, Green, Russell, Chriss, and Lee. Luka and Chriss got into it a little when Chriss shoved Luka into a cameraman and Luka gave him the evil eye, but both players calmed down, and the only damage was a technical on Chriss.
The Mavs defeated the Dubs with a more efficient shot attempt distribution, and better performance at the free-throw line. Both teams got 92 shots off, but 51 of the Dallas attempts were from beyond the arc, while the GSW tried only 39. Both teams were sizzling from long range, with the Mavericks shooting 47% and the Dubs 46%. The Mavs were a perfect 21-21 from the foul line, and the Warriors went 13-17. Dallas was +18 on points from threes, +8 on made free throws, and -6 on points from twos. The Mavericks set a franchise record for made threes in a game, putting 24 on the board.
Players
Luka (30 min) was back to normal on his second game back from injury. He recorded his ninth triple-double of the season, with an impressive 31-12-15 line. He put on a blistering shooting performance, going 5-8 from three and hitting all 10 of his FTAs. He also had a couple of steals and only 3 turnovers, and had some good defensive plays. His performance was as exciting as it sounds -- the Slovenian knows how to put on a show. Rick deemed his game "amazing" and "phenomenal," and complimented him for setting the table for his teammates. Great to see the young star back to full speed again! With another game looming tomorrow, it was also good to see him get the fourth quarter off.
Porzingis (26 min) had an efficient 18 points and a game-high 4 blocks. His shot was looking good, as he hit 4 of 9 3PTAS, and was 2-3 on 2PTAs. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come! KP made an effort to gratify those who have been wanting him to post up, attempting to back down Draymond Green, but, alas, the play ended in a turnover. Greg Buckner allowed that Chris Webber "doesn't know what he is talking about," and Rick said he did not consider calling more post-ups for KP.
On the constructive criticism side, KP was bitten by the turnover bug, giving the ball away a team-high 5 times. Two of them were cross-court passes out of bounds, and a couple involved losing the ball off the dribble. Fortunately, no harm done in terms of the final score. On the other hand, Porzee's shotmaking and defense were both highly impressive.
Seth (25 min) put on a show for Steph, going 4-7 from three-point land in the first three quarters, registering two steals, and playing some decent defense. He and Delon Wright headlined the fourth quarter, both playing all twelve minutes. Some of his threes were breathtaking, especially one over a crowd in the second quarter. Steph and Seth are first and second in the league on three-point percentages, at a scorching 43%. Steph was in a suit on the GSW bench, and must have been proud of li'l bro.
Hardaway (23 min) had another brilliant game, being the team's second-leading scorer with 25 points, hitting 6 of 8 3PTAs, and going 9-13 from the field, including a four-point play. He showed off his and Luka's spectacular chemistry, and defended well. Carlisle praised his shotmaking, defense, leadership, and experience. He noted that Tim had kept the team together in the midst of all the mayhem, and called attention to his veteran presence as an important factor in the team's performance all season long.
Bench. Wright (22 min) had a fine performance off the bench, with 6-7 shooting, 4 rebounds, and a team-high 3 steals. He and Seth worked well together. Maxi and Justin Jackson both looked good in 21 minutes each. Rick complimented the group for finishing the game "the right way." The entire team finished in positive territory, aside from Brunson, Broekhoff, and Boban, who were all on low minutes.
Russell. D'Angelo Russell torched the Mavericks with 35 unbelievable points, including 9 threes, and was unstoppable from everywhere on the floor. Rick said that the team "threw the kitchen sink" at him, trying man defense, zone, switching, trapping, hybrid defenses, with nothing seeming to slow him down. However, they had a halftime talk on the subject, and ultimately, the Mavs' basic defense got them some traction. Unfortunately, Russell went down in the third quarter after a collision with Luka. He was back in the game in the fourth, but by then, the Mavs had built a substantial cushion. With both Steph and Russell on the floor, GSW will not be lacking for floor spacing.
Remarks
Rick said his squad had to "find a way" to win this game, and congratulated them for their poise and togetherness in the face of all the "antics" going on. He was proud of his team for defending hard, rebounding, and taking care of the ball, despite a high degree of defensive aggression from Golden State. He opined that good paint attacks led to good threes, and he felt that his team "needed a game like this." I am reading this as an indication that Coach sees progress in terms of the team not falling apart against intense defense.
I thought this was a highly entertaining match. If the Dubs are, in fact, tanking, you couldn't tell it from this performance. The Warriors went very hard, and if Russell had not gotten hurt (shoulder contusion), the game would undoubtedly have been closer. I admire the Mavs for putting the game away early on a FIGABABA and taking care of business on the opponent's very rowdy home court. The focus of the win will inevitably and rightfully be the blistering 3-point shooting, but a lot of other things went right too, and despite the ten-point deficit in garbage time, at no time did the Mavericks come unglued. Good signs.
Next. The Mavs face LeBron and the Lakers at their house on Sunday. Should be a cracker!
Go Mavs!