12-20-2021, 01:08 AM
DECIMATED MAVS ROSTER CRATERS IN FOURTH
NICO GIVES AN UPDATE
An 11-man Mavericks team traveled to Minnesota to face a similarly depleted Wolves squad. The Mavs hoped to bounce back from their overtime loss to the Lakers on Wednesday. Unfortunately, they fell just short.
GAME NOTES
The Mavs have six players out — Luka (ankle), Willie (personal issues), Bullock and Green (COVID protocols), Frankie (non-COVID illness), and Omoruyi (foot). The Wolves are also missing a few, including Anthony Edwards. I have a feeling we are not going to be watching a classic basketball game tonight, but we’ll see what both teams can accomplish on a short-handed basis.
Starting lineup Brunson-Hardaway-DFS-KP-Powell
FIRST QUARTER
DFS opens the scoring off a pass from JB. — KAT responds. — Tim hits a second-chance jumper from a DFS OR. — DFS lobs to Powell. — Brunson records his first points with free throws. — Kidd on the sideline looking not too pleased with his team failing to contest a rebound. — Wolves take their first lead with an open corner three. Dorian responds. — Hardaway runs the floor for a nice move in the lane. — At the first timeout, Doe-Doe has 2 baskets and 2 assists.
13-9 6:35
Moses is in, draws a foul on KAT. Sterling Brown coming in, making his return from several games off with a foot problem. — KAT is awarded a dubious continuation. — Wolves make a run, then the Mavs return the favor. — Kleber slams the ball to the floor in frustration at being called for a foul he didn’t agree with. He’s teed up.
25-27 after one
Tim leads the Mavs with 12 points, KAT has 9 for Minnie. Mavs 3-13 (23%) from three, luckily Wolves are not much better (3-10). Mavs 8-8 from the line.
SECOND QUARTER
KP hits over Vanderbilt. — McDaniels gets by KP. — KP off the glass from Tim. — KP toss to THJ, running the fast break for a dunk.
33-34 8:19
Brunson pull-up gives the lead back to Dallas. — McLaughlin entering the court! — Powell is called for his third foul. — Vanderbilt has the crowd cheering with a transition bucket. Timeout Dallas. Mavs turning the ball over, down to 3-16 (19%) from range.
35-40 6:19
Another Mavs turnover, with a SCV. Aargh. — Brunson with another turnover, but Beverley gives it right back. — KP scores off a broken play. First shot attempt in six possessions for the Mavs. — Maxi called for his third. KAT and Powell also have three. — Vanderbilt jumps on Brunson, who is knocked to the floor. — JB hits a tough shot on the other end. — Ball called out off Mavs, Dorian incensed, Kidd challenges. Challenge successful. Brunson capitalizes with a three! — Beverley answers. — Tim with a rejection, but the Mavs turn it over on the other end and give up a transition three. — Beverley called for his third, goes out.
Hardaway finds KP with a nifty pass, and Porzingis goes to the line. Hits both. — Burke hits a giant-killer. — Brunson turns it over, Russell hits a pull-up three. — Technical fouls called on Vanderbilt and the Wolves head coach! KP takes the technical free throws, hits both. Vanderbilt bumped Brunson right in front of God and the ref, coach let his feelings be known with gestures. — Brunson claims Dallas’ last points of the half with free throws.
50-56 HT
Mavs have “improved” to 21% from beyond the arc (4-19), while the Wolves are shooting 47% (8-17) from distance. Both teams have been perfection from the line (Mavs 14-14, Wolves 10-10). Dallas have given up 16 points to turnovers. THJ, KP and JB in double figures, led by Timmy with 14 points. KAT and Russell combine for 26 for the Wolves.
Dameris speculates that the lineups that have never played together, or even practiced together, may be the reason for the Mavs’ uncharacteristic turnover difficulties. Also suspects that Beverley, one of the league’s biggest irritants, may be getting into Brunson’s head.
THIRD QUARTER
Dorian gets the first points of the half at the line. MIN has another technical, this one on Russell. — Powell jam off a put-back! — Wolves leave Dorian in the corner. He punishes them. — DFS with another three! Woo-hoo! — DFS fouls KAT, who falls to the floor, and is still down. He gets up, looks okay. Play reviewed. Flagrant One. Nico applauds KAT for his acting job. — Tim initiates the offense, which ends up with another basket by DFS. — DFS puts in a lob from JB. — Corner three from Timmy! — Powell is down. Timeout.
70-74 4:59
MIN makes a few points, Kleber responds with a three. — Moses scores on downcourt pass from Jalen.
80-81 2:20
Uh-oh. News that KP will not return to the game, due to right foot soreness. Dang. The Mavs’ 10 remaining players will finish the game. — Kick-out three from Timmy! — Jaylen Nowell hits a three with enough time to get a sandwich. — Mo draws a blocking foul from KAT, his fourth. — Sterling Brown gives Dallas the lead with a corner three in the last seconds of the clock.
88-86 after three
38-30 third period for the Mavs. Dorian had 14 points in the quarter, and the Mavs were 7-11 from three. Now, that’s the way to make a comeback. Teams have combined for 36 free throws, and they’re 36-36.
FOURTH QUARTER
Reid ties the game with a slam. — Nowell for three, reclaims the lead for MIN.
88-91 10:30
Kleber with a second-chance three, ties it up again. Wolves staying just a jump ahead of Dallas.
93-96 7:45
MIN force a SCV. — Wolves pile on with a three from Beasley. — A Timmy flush from JB. — Beverley draws a shooting foul on Brunson in the last second of the play. Ugh. — Hardaway pull-up! — Powell called for his fifth on KAT. — He goes out, leaving Maxi as the only big for Dallas. KAT misses both freebies. — McDaniels hits a corner three. — Sterling turns it over, MIN doesn’t capitalize. — KAT takes THJ out, called for his fifth. Review for a flagrant for jumping into Hardaway’s landing space, with Timmy landing on KAT’s foot. Common foul. Tim still gets three free throws. Misses the third, and Sterling Brown turns the ball over with a loose ball foul on the rebound. Vanderbilt misses both free throws.
99-103 3:31
Brunson misses a corner three. MIN calls a use-it-or-lose-it timeout.
99-103 3:11
Maxi is furious about being called for his fourth. Beverley to the line. — Brunson to the cup. — Russell misses a three, ball goes out of bounds off the shot clock. — DFS slam from THJ! — KAT for three over Brunson. — Brunson drive is successful. — KAT misses. — Brown three is no good. — Russell does the rip-through move on Hardaway, earns free throws since the Mavs are over the limit. — Powell comes back.
105-110 51 seconds
Brunson called for an offensive foul on Beverley. Beverley hamming it up, grimacing and grabbing his head. — THJ misses a three. — Brunson fouls with 11 seconds left. Mavs bench looking despondent. Wolves miss the second free throw, Beverley grabs the offensive rebound, game over.
105-110 FT
ANALYSIS
Mavs point differentials tonight were +6 on points from twos, -9 on points from threes, and -3 on made free throws. They continued to shoot badly from distance, going 12-41 (29%). MIN had an advantage of three made triples, despite taking 7 fewer attempts (15-34, 44%). The Mavs also lost 19 points off turnovers. They had a 15-3 advantage in second-chance points, but in the end, it wasn’t enough.
Speaking of the end, the Mavs stayed in the game for the first three quarters, even taking a 2-point lead into the fourth, but collapsed in the final period. They scored only 17 points in the frame, were 1-11 from three, had a 3-14 deficit in free-throw attempts, and turned the ball over three times. They surrendered their lead right away, and went behind for good within the first three minutes.
Still, they had a chance. They were within 3 with 1:04 to go, when Sterling Brown took and missed a dubious three-point attempt 5 seconds into the shot clock. Tim was called for a foul on Russell’s rip-through move. Brunson was called for an offensive foul.Tim missed a desperation three with 22 seconds to go, down 5. Kidd bemoaned the late series of mistakes after the game.
Closing lineup Brunson-Hardaway-DFS-Sterling-Powell
PLAYER NOTES
HARDAWAY (41 min) — Tim led all scorers with 28 points, and also recorded 6 boards and 6 dimes. Stayed aggressive throughout. He and DFS were the heroes of the night. Nico made it a point to emphasize that the team considers Tim a starter. Says they wanted to shake things up a little lately, and that Tim has been great to play off the bench, but it is very clear that they consider his primary position to be a starter. Also, even when he isn’t on the floor for the first possession, he is in the closing unit, which is more important.
BRUNSON (39) — Jalen had 18 points, 11 assists, and 5 turnovers. He filled in as best he could, but Beverley was a tough defender, and Brunson didn’t have the size and strength to play him off the floor, like Luka does. Nico observed that Jalen is great, but allowed that he needs to learn to think about creating shots for other guys, not just scoring. Maybe his 11 assists in this one will be a place to start.
DFS (37) — Dorian had an amazing 23 points in this one, on 9-13 shooting with 3-5 threes. Wow! He anchored the comeback in the third quarter with 14 points. Also had a very tough defensive assignment in D’Angelo Russell. Nico said that being able to rely on Doe-Doe for offense is “huge.”
KLEBER (31) — Maxi boasted 14 rebounds in this outing, although he scored only 6 points. Appeared visibly frustrated in the game, and took vehement exception to some of the referees’ decisions.
PORZINGIS (23) — KP’s night was cut short with foot soreness in the third quarter. He had 13 points, largely as a result of going 9-9 from the line. He was 2-9 from the field. Without either him or Luka, the Mavs struggled in the fourth. Dameris commented that this is always the issue with KP — whether he can stay on the floor. Kidd reported after the game that X-rays were negative.
POWELL (20) — Dwight had 6 points and 4 boards, two offensive. With the team being so short-handed, he had to play against Towns, and it wasn’t a great matchup for him. He was in foul trouble for much of the game, which limited his minutes in the fourth.
STERLING (20) — Sterling, making his return after missing a few games, had 3 points and 4 rebounds on 1-7 attempts. One of those misses included an arguably ill-advised three with a minute left and the team down three. Kidd discussed the late-game issues, and said that the game was essentially over with that miss.
MENTIONS. BURKE (17) backed up Brunson, and had 4 points, going 2-8. MOSES (10) had 3 points and 4 rebounds, hitting 1-7 from the field. MCLAUGHLIN had a 3-minute cameo. BOBAN did not play.
WOLVES. The self-described best big man shooter in the game, Towns, was a heap of trouble for the Mavs, with 24 points. He did draw 13 FTA, but I don’t know about the best big-man shooting. He was 6-15 from the floor, 1-3 from three. Really? Pshaw! Russell added 22 points. Nowell (16), Beasley (13), McDaniels (12), and Beverley (10) were also in double figures. Speaking of Beverley, this game reminded me of what an annoying little a-hole he is. It would do my heart good to see him put in his place.
OBSERVATIONS
Bally. Losing KP mid-game was tough. The spacing was worse, and it was difficult for the Mavs to create good shots. But, they had some opportunities, and missed a lot of wide open threes. Regarding the last miss by Sterling Brown — he still had 20 seconds left on the shot clock, and Brian would have liked them to work for a better shot, but also observed that, without Luka and KP, there wasn’t much they could do. Beverley was shutting down Brunson’s scoring in the second half, and the lineups they were using hadn’t played together very much. Defensive rotations were late throughout the game. Allowing a bad 3-point shooting Wolves team to shoot 46% from distance was a result of the way the Mavs were playing them.
The Mavs defended KAT well in the post, but Moses was having a tough time guarding him, and Powell was not big enough. Beverley figured out how to play Brunson by the second half, which really slowed down the offense. Brunson did a pretty good job adjusting, but it affected their ability to get good three-point shots.
Kidd. Jason noted that his squad was in the game, on the road, with a minute left, but didn’t come through. The guys fought hard and played a lot of minutes. Didn’t shoot great, but stayed in the game. Just couldn’t make a shot when they had to.
This was a disappointing game, since it ended up being so close, but probably no worse than we could expect with the Mavs entering the game with only 11 players and then losing KP in the third quarter. Too bad brilliant games from Tim and Dorian were wasted in a loss. Maybe this will prove to be a corner-turner for them. Three-point shooting continues to be horrendous. The game itself was quite choppy, what with 47 personal fouls being called and 53 free throws attempted. It was passably interesting, but I don’t think this match is going to make it as a season highlight.
TEAM UPDATE
Followill interviewed Nico during the third quarter, and the new GM gave us a bit of an update.
— Asked about where he stands in the evaluation of the team, Nico says he is “starting to know who we are as a team.” Emphasizes that he hasn’t been around very long, and is still in a learning mode. They had intended to evaluate the Mavs around Christmas, but there have been so many injuries, especially to the core players, that they may need to extend that.
— Thinks defense has improved, but we need to remember that Kidd has brought in all new schemes, and it takes a while to learn them.
— Thinks the enforced absence is good for Luka. He is finally getting the rest he needs for his ankle, and he is also able to work out some. (The head trainer, Casey Smith, stayed home from the trip to work with Luka individually).
— Thinks Kidd is amazing, and that people don’t realize what a very hard worker he is. Said the players are “starting to understand” that Kidd knows something about basketball. (Wut?)
— Thinks Green and Frank have been “amazing,” and says the most important thing for the Mavs is to be flexible.
Nico seems like a nice fellow, but if he were being judged solely by this interview, I would have to say that he seemed a little ill at ease, and "impressive" is not a word I would use to describe it. Someone on Mavs twitter (Nick, maybe?) defended him, noting that one of the job areas where Nico lacks experience is the public-facing aspect, and that no one is good doing his first broadcasts or interviews. That must be why Cubes is still maintaining most of the media responsibilities. Keep chipping away at it, Nico!
NEXT. The Mavs take on the Wolves again on Wednesday in the second leg of the home-and-home. Kidd said they will take a look at Luka tomorrow to assess where he is, but didn’t seem to encourage hope that he would play.
The Mavs are now back under .500, and 9th in the West, which would put them in the bottom tier of the play-in tournament if the season ended today. This is so not what I hoped for or expected when the season started.
Well, onward and hopefully upward, Mavs fans.
NICO GIVES AN UPDATE
An 11-man Mavericks team traveled to Minnesota to face a similarly depleted Wolves squad. The Mavs hoped to bounce back from their overtime loss to the Lakers on Wednesday. Unfortunately, they fell just short.
GAME NOTES
The Mavs have six players out — Luka (ankle), Willie (personal issues), Bullock and Green (COVID protocols), Frankie (non-COVID illness), and Omoruyi (foot). The Wolves are also missing a few, including Anthony Edwards. I have a feeling we are not going to be watching a classic basketball game tonight, but we’ll see what both teams can accomplish on a short-handed basis.
Starting lineup Brunson-Hardaway-DFS-KP-Powell
FIRST QUARTER
DFS opens the scoring off a pass from JB. — KAT responds. — Tim hits a second-chance jumper from a DFS OR. — DFS lobs to Powell. — Brunson records his first points with free throws. — Kidd on the sideline looking not too pleased with his team failing to contest a rebound. — Wolves take their first lead with an open corner three. Dorian responds. — Hardaway runs the floor for a nice move in the lane. — At the first timeout, Doe-Doe has 2 baskets and 2 assists.
13-9 6:35
Moses is in, draws a foul on KAT. Sterling Brown coming in, making his return from several games off with a foot problem. — KAT is awarded a dubious continuation. — Wolves make a run, then the Mavs return the favor. — Kleber slams the ball to the floor in frustration at being called for a foul he didn’t agree with. He’s teed up.
25-27 after one
Tim leads the Mavs with 12 points, KAT has 9 for Minnie. Mavs 3-13 (23%) from three, luckily Wolves are not much better (3-10). Mavs 8-8 from the line.
SECOND QUARTER
KP hits over Vanderbilt. — McDaniels gets by KP. — KP off the glass from Tim. — KP toss to THJ, running the fast break for a dunk.
33-34 8:19
Brunson pull-up gives the lead back to Dallas. — McLaughlin entering the court! — Powell is called for his third foul. — Vanderbilt has the crowd cheering with a transition bucket. Timeout Dallas. Mavs turning the ball over, down to 3-16 (19%) from range.
35-40 6:19
Another Mavs turnover, with a SCV. Aargh. — Brunson with another turnover, but Beverley gives it right back. — KP scores off a broken play. First shot attempt in six possessions for the Mavs. — Maxi called for his third. KAT and Powell also have three. — Vanderbilt jumps on Brunson, who is knocked to the floor. — JB hits a tough shot on the other end. — Ball called out off Mavs, Dorian incensed, Kidd challenges. Challenge successful. Brunson capitalizes with a three! — Beverley answers. — Tim with a rejection, but the Mavs turn it over on the other end and give up a transition three. — Beverley called for his third, goes out.
Hardaway finds KP with a nifty pass, and Porzingis goes to the line. Hits both. — Burke hits a giant-killer. — Brunson turns it over, Russell hits a pull-up three. — Technical fouls called on Vanderbilt and the Wolves head coach! KP takes the technical free throws, hits both. Vanderbilt bumped Brunson right in front of God and the ref, coach let his feelings be known with gestures. — Brunson claims Dallas’ last points of the half with free throws.
50-56 HT
Mavs have “improved” to 21% from beyond the arc (4-19), while the Wolves are shooting 47% (8-17) from distance. Both teams have been perfection from the line (Mavs 14-14, Wolves 10-10). Dallas have given up 16 points to turnovers. THJ, KP and JB in double figures, led by Timmy with 14 points. KAT and Russell combine for 26 for the Wolves.
Dameris speculates that the lineups that have never played together, or even practiced together, may be the reason for the Mavs’ uncharacteristic turnover difficulties. Also suspects that Beverley, one of the league’s biggest irritants, may be getting into Brunson’s head.
THIRD QUARTER
Dorian gets the first points of the half at the line. MIN has another technical, this one on Russell. — Powell jam off a put-back! — Wolves leave Dorian in the corner. He punishes them. — DFS with another three! Woo-hoo! — DFS fouls KAT, who falls to the floor, and is still down. He gets up, looks okay. Play reviewed. Flagrant One. Nico applauds KAT for his acting job. — Tim initiates the offense, which ends up with another basket by DFS. — DFS puts in a lob from JB. — Corner three from Timmy! — Powell is down. Timeout.
70-74 4:59
MIN makes a few points, Kleber responds with a three. — Moses scores on downcourt pass from Jalen.
80-81 2:20
Uh-oh. News that KP will not return to the game, due to right foot soreness. Dang. The Mavs’ 10 remaining players will finish the game. — Kick-out three from Timmy! — Jaylen Nowell hits a three with enough time to get a sandwich. — Mo draws a blocking foul from KAT, his fourth. — Sterling Brown gives Dallas the lead with a corner three in the last seconds of the clock.
88-86 after three
38-30 third period for the Mavs. Dorian had 14 points in the quarter, and the Mavs were 7-11 from three. Now, that’s the way to make a comeback. Teams have combined for 36 free throws, and they’re 36-36.
FOURTH QUARTER
Reid ties the game with a slam. — Nowell for three, reclaims the lead for MIN.
88-91 10:30
Kleber with a second-chance three, ties it up again. Wolves staying just a jump ahead of Dallas.
93-96 7:45
MIN force a SCV. — Wolves pile on with a three from Beasley. — A Timmy flush from JB. — Beverley draws a shooting foul on Brunson in the last second of the play. Ugh. — Hardaway pull-up! — Powell called for his fifth on KAT. — He goes out, leaving Maxi as the only big for Dallas. KAT misses both freebies. — McDaniels hits a corner three. — Sterling turns it over, MIN doesn’t capitalize. — KAT takes THJ out, called for his fifth. Review for a flagrant for jumping into Hardaway’s landing space, with Timmy landing on KAT’s foot. Common foul. Tim still gets three free throws. Misses the third, and Sterling Brown turns the ball over with a loose ball foul on the rebound. Vanderbilt misses both free throws.
99-103 3:31
Brunson misses a corner three. MIN calls a use-it-or-lose-it timeout.
99-103 3:11
Maxi is furious about being called for his fourth. Beverley to the line. — Brunson to the cup. — Russell misses a three, ball goes out of bounds off the shot clock. — DFS slam from THJ! — KAT for three over Brunson. — Brunson drive is successful. — KAT misses. — Brown three is no good. — Russell does the rip-through move on Hardaway, earns free throws since the Mavs are over the limit. — Powell comes back.
105-110 51 seconds
Brunson called for an offensive foul on Beverley. Beverley hamming it up, grimacing and grabbing his head. — THJ misses a three. — Brunson fouls with 11 seconds left. Mavs bench looking despondent. Wolves miss the second free throw, Beverley grabs the offensive rebound, game over.
105-110 FT
ANALYSIS
Mavs point differentials tonight were +6 on points from twos, -9 on points from threes, and -3 on made free throws. They continued to shoot badly from distance, going 12-41 (29%). MIN had an advantage of three made triples, despite taking 7 fewer attempts (15-34, 44%). The Mavs also lost 19 points off turnovers. They had a 15-3 advantage in second-chance points, but in the end, it wasn’t enough.
Speaking of the end, the Mavs stayed in the game for the first three quarters, even taking a 2-point lead into the fourth, but collapsed in the final period. They scored only 17 points in the frame, were 1-11 from three, had a 3-14 deficit in free-throw attempts, and turned the ball over three times. They surrendered their lead right away, and went behind for good within the first three minutes.
Still, they had a chance. They were within 3 with 1:04 to go, when Sterling Brown took and missed a dubious three-point attempt 5 seconds into the shot clock. Tim was called for a foul on Russell’s rip-through move. Brunson was called for an offensive foul.Tim missed a desperation three with 22 seconds to go, down 5. Kidd bemoaned the late series of mistakes after the game.
Closing lineup Brunson-Hardaway-DFS-Sterling-Powell
PLAYER NOTES
HARDAWAY (41 min) — Tim led all scorers with 28 points, and also recorded 6 boards and 6 dimes. Stayed aggressive throughout. He and DFS were the heroes of the night. Nico made it a point to emphasize that the team considers Tim a starter. Says they wanted to shake things up a little lately, and that Tim has been great to play off the bench, but it is very clear that they consider his primary position to be a starter. Also, even when he isn’t on the floor for the first possession, he is in the closing unit, which is more important.
BRUNSON (39) — Jalen had 18 points, 11 assists, and 5 turnovers. He filled in as best he could, but Beverley was a tough defender, and Brunson didn’t have the size and strength to play him off the floor, like Luka does. Nico observed that Jalen is great, but allowed that he needs to learn to think about creating shots for other guys, not just scoring. Maybe his 11 assists in this one will be a place to start.
DFS (37) — Dorian had an amazing 23 points in this one, on 9-13 shooting with 3-5 threes. Wow! He anchored the comeback in the third quarter with 14 points. Also had a very tough defensive assignment in D’Angelo Russell. Nico said that being able to rely on Doe-Doe for offense is “huge.”
KLEBER (31) — Maxi boasted 14 rebounds in this outing, although he scored only 6 points. Appeared visibly frustrated in the game, and took vehement exception to some of the referees’ decisions.
PORZINGIS (23) — KP’s night was cut short with foot soreness in the third quarter. He had 13 points, largely as a result of going 9-9 from the line. He was 2-9 from the field. Without either him or Luka, the Mavs struggled in the fourth. Dameris commented that this is always the issue with KP — whether he can stay on the floor. Kidd reported after the game that X-rays were negative.
POWELL (20) — Dwight had 6 points and 4 boards, two offensive. With the team being so short-handed, he had to play against Towns, and it wasn’t a great matchup for him. He was in foul trouble for much of the game, which limited his minutes in the fourth.
STERLING (20) — Sterling, making his return after missing a few games, had 3 points and 4 rebounds on 1-7 attempts. One of those misses included an arguably ill-advised three with a minute left and the team down three. Kidd discussed the late-game issues, and said that the game was essentially over with that miss.
MENTIONS. BURKE (17) backed up Brunson, and had 4 points, going 2-8. MOSES (10) had 3 points and 4 rebounds, hitting 1-7 from the field. MCLAUGHLIN had a 3-minute cameo. BOBAN did not play.
WOLVES. The self-described best big man shooter in the game, Towns, was a heap of trouble for the Mavs, with 24 points. He did draw 13 FTA, but I don’t know about the best big-man shooting. He was 6-15 from the floor, 1-3 from three. Really? Pshaw! Russell added 22 points. Nowell (16), Beasley (13), McDaniels (12), and Beverley (10) were also in double figures. Speaking of Beverley, this game reminded me of what an annoying little a-hole he is. It would do my heart good to see him put in his place.
OBSERVATIONS
Bally. Losing KP mid-game was tough. The spacing was worse, and it was difficult for the Mavs to create good shots. But, they had some opportunities, and missed a lot of wide open threes. Regarding the last miss by Sterling Brown — he still had 20 seconds left on the shot clock, and Brian would have liked them to work for a better shot, but also observed that, without Luka and KP, there wasn’t much they could do. Beverley was shutting down Brunson’s scoring in the second half, and the lineups they were using hadn’t played together very much. Defensive rotations were late throughout the game. Allowing a bad 3-point shooting Wolves team to shoot 46% from distance was a result of the way the Mavs were playing them.
The Mavs defended KAT well in the post, but Moses was having a tough time guarding him, and Powell was not big enough. Beverley figured out how to play Brunson by the second half, which really slowed down the offense. Brunson did a pretty good job adjusting, but it affected their ability to get good three-point shots.
Kidd. Jason noted that his squad was in the game, on the road, with a minute left, but didn’t come through. The guys fought hard and played a lot of minutes. Didn’t shoot great, but stayed in the game. Just couldn’t make a shot when they had to.
This was a disappointing game, since it ended up being so close, but probably no worse than we could expect with the Mavs entering the game with only 11 players and then losing KP in the third quarter. Too bad brilliant games from Tim and Dorian were wasted in a loss. Maybe this will prove to be a corner-turner for them. Three-point shooting continues to be horrendous. The game itself was quite choppy, what with 47 personal fouls being called and 53 free throws attempted. It was passably interesting, but I don’t think this match is going to make it as a season highlight.
TEAM UPDATE
Followill interviewed Nico during the third quarter, and the new GM gave us a bit of an update.
— Asked about where he stands in the evaluation of the team, Nico says he is “starting to know who we are as a team.” Emphasizes that he hasn’t been around very long, and is still in a learning mode. They had intended to evaluate the Mavs around Christmas, but there have been so many injuries, especially to the core players, that they may need to extend that.
— Thinks defense has improved, but we need to remember that Kidd has brought in all new schemes, and it takes a while to learn them.
— Thinks the enforced absence is good for Luka. He is finally getting the rest he needs for his ankle, and he is also able to work out some. (The head trainer, Casey Smith, stayed home from the trip to work with Luka individually).
— Thinks Kidd is amazing, and that people don’t realize what a very hard worker he is. Said the players are “starting to understand” that Kidd knows something about basketball. (Wut?)
— Thinks Green and Frank have been “amazing,” and says the most important thing for the Mavs is to be flexible.
Nico seems like a nice fellow, but if he were being judged solely by this interview, I would have to say that he seemed a little ill at ease, and "impressive" is not a word I would use to describe it. Someone on Mavs twitter (Nick, maybe?) defended him, noting that one of the job areas where Nico lacks experience is the public-facing aspect, and that no one is good doing his first broadcasts or interviews. That must be why Cubes is still maintaining most of the media responsibilities. Keep chipping away at it, Nico!
NEXT. The Mavs take on the Wolves again on Wednesday in the second leg of the home-and-home. Kidd said they will take a look at Luka tomorrow to assess where he is, but didn’t seem to encourage hope that he would play.
The Mavs are now back under .500, and 9th in the West, which would put them in the bottom tier of the play-in tournament if the season ended today. This is so not what I hoped for or expected when the season started.
Well, onward and hopefully upward, Mavs fans.