GAME 80: DAL (50-30) vs. DET (23-57)| 131-113 WIN!

[SleepingHero]

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https://twitter.com/MavsPR/status/151141...GM0PkpAAAA

[Hogmelon]

"How many threes do the Mavs hit tonight? O/U 13.5"

I like this proposition the same way I like my eggs:

OVER EASY.

[Smitty]

8.5 seems too high. I think the Mavs win but Det has played well the last 3 games and Cunningham is playing in this one.
Detroit has covered all but one spread in their last 23 games...

[SleepingHero]

8.5 seems too high. I think the Mavs win but Det has played well the last 3 games and Cunningham is playing in this one.
Detroit has covered all but one spread in their last 23 games...

I don't really understand why DET is trying to win so much at the end of the season. They're playing their way out of a high draft pick. OKC is 1 game ahead of them. IND is 2 games ahead. Should DET keep winning they could easily cut their lotto odds in half.

[Smitty]

I don't really understand why DET is trying to win so much at the end of the season. They're playing their way out of a high draft pick. OKC is 1 game ahead of them. IND is 2 games ahead. Should DET keep winning they could easily cut their lotto odds in half.

I think maybe their young guys are just playing too well to tank. I'm pretty sure they have been sitting most, if not all, of their vets in order to tank "organically".

[omahen]

Detroit has third worst record. Odds to get a top 4 pick are the same for worst three teams. Its not that much worse even if both two overtake them.

2022 NBA Draft Lottery Odds | Tankathon

[Jommybone]

Detroit taps the breaks and loses the rest. They were just winning what they could while watching the standings. Not dumb enough to actually hurt their position. Expect 3 hard-played quarters out of em tonight.

[SleepingHero]

Detroit has third worst record. Odds to get a top 4 pick are the same for worst three teams. Its not that much worse even if both two overtake them.

2022 NBA Draft Lottery Odds | Tankathon

If DET gets overtaken by OKC and IND they fall from 14% to 10% chance at the top pick which is relatively not much worse I agree. But their chances for top 4 fall from 52% to 42%, which is significant.

[Chicagojk]

Detroit has been playing good lately.  I saw them beat down Philadelphia down the stretch a week or so ago.    I am sure Cade wants to make an impression playing against his hometown team.  If I remember correctly, Bey had a pretty rough game when we played them in Dallas.   

Detroit definitely has an upward trajectory for next year.  It will be interesting if they feel like Grant is a part of that or if they take their high pick this year and move Grant for some future assets.

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Detroit taps the breaks and loses the rest. They were just winning what they could while watching the standings. Not dumb enough to actually hurt their position. Expect 3 hard-played quarters out of em tonight.

sort of off topic, but I looked at the Portland vs OKC box score last night and boy was that a list of unknowns.  That was a major tank-off.

[Hypermav]

Mavs, just play hard and take Detroit seriously please.

[Hogmelon]

Detroit taps the breaks and loses the rest. They were just winning what they could while watching the standings. Not dumb enough to actually hurt their position.

Exactly.

The Bottom-Three (in the final regular-season standings) all  have a 14% chance at the #1 pick, a 13.4% chance at the #2 pick, a 12.7% chance at the #3 pick, and a 12.0% chance at the #4 pick.

Both Houston and Orlando have already clinched a Bottom-Three finish.  Detroit "controls its own destiny" in doing likewise.

I doubt that Detroit is "dumb enough" to allow Indiana or OKC to overtake them in the race to the bottom of the standings (but, of course, stranger things have happened).

[HoosierDaddyKid]

If Dallas looks past them like Washington, they'll take an  "L"  Need to jump on them early and often.

[DrMav]

Tonight is it, the chance to cement a 50 win season. Must win game.

[SleepingHero]

If Luka averages 72 points the next 3 games he'll win the scoring title. I'm expecting at least 73 from Luka tonight.

[SleepingHero]

Casey with one of the weirdest coaches challenges I've seen since they've instituted it.

[SleepingHero]

Killian Hayes is not a good basketball player. Luka making a mockery of him.

[SleepingHero]

This quarter has been so slow. SO many fouls and reviews.

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Luka is getting hot. I'd be cautious he's venturing into tech territory with how much he's yelling at that one ref on the baseline.

[SleepingHero]

Chriss has been good offensively. But has made so many small mental lapses on the defensive end. 


Luka extended his arm a little there, but Cade did the exact same thing earlier with no call.

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20 free throws combined in the first quarter. Horrible basketball.

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Luka has no legs on his jumpers and the Mavs look disinterested on defense. Bad combination.

[SleepingHero]

Brunson has been on fire tonight so far.

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Brunson definitely got goaltended there, but it's fine because the loose ball ended with a GREEN THREE!

[Hogmelon]

If Luka averages 72 points the next 3 games he'll win the scoring title. I'm expecting at least 73 from Luka tonight.

If Luka averages 72 points per game for the next 3 games, he will finish with 30.3385 points per game.

Joel Embiid is currently averaging 30.4242 points per game, but ⁠— who knows ⁠— Embiid might score 72 points (or more) per game in his final three games.

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If Luka averages 72 points per game for the next 3 games, ...

Every time Luka plays, I always hope that he will score 77 points (and 10+ rebounds and 10+ assists).