02-11-2020, 04:56 AM
Mavs' Comeback Fizzles at Home
After digging a 23-point hole for themselves, the Mavericks made a comeback attempt, but never managed to regain the lead. Another home loss.
Game Story
At 6:41 in the first quarter, a driving reverse layup by THJ gave the home team their last lead of the game. By the first minute of the second, they were down double digits. The deficit grew to 23, and Dallas entered the halftime interval trailing 50-71.
After a reportedly spirited half-time speech from Carlisle, the Mavs whittled the deficit to three in the third. Unfortunately, the Jazz hit back with a 17-4 run to end the period. At 6:12 in the fourth, Dallas was down 19. They rose again and chipped away at the margin. They were down only 5 points with 2:10 left in the game, but unfortunately turned the last few possessions into 4 missed threes, finished with a Curry layup and-one with 12 seconds left and Mavs behind by 7. The Jazz gave up two turnovers and a jump ball in the last couple of minutes, but our boys couldn't capitalize.
Analytics
The Mavericks had a few more shot attempts and 3PTAs than the Jazz, but their substantially worse shooting (47% v 59% overall, 35%-43% from three) left them unable to take advantage. They were tied with Utah on points from threes, +10 on made free throws, and -16 on points from twos. The Jazz beat the Mavs on the boards 45-26, had 10 offensive rebounds, and edged Dallas 13-2 in second-chance points. The boys in blue were able to make a partial comeback thanks to a 10-point advantage at the line, and 21 points off Utah's 21 turnovers. The Jazz dominated the interior, with a 54-34 differential in points in the paint.
To some extent, it was a tale of two halves. The first half was one of the worst I have seen from the Mavs all season, where the home team offered little to no resistance, and allowed the visitors to shoot 61% and accumulate 71 points. The team outscored their opponent by 17 points in the second half -- still 5 points shy of a win.
Players
THJ (37 min) had a great night offensively, with a season-high 33 points on 12-18 shooting. He had a 10-point first quarter, and a 14-point third period. He tried to put the team on his back, as he is wont to do in Luka's absence, but he didn't get much help.
KP (35 min) put up 28 points, not being especially efficient from the field (7-17), but getting to the line for 13 attempts and hitting 11. He and DFS led the team in a miserable rebounding effort, with only 5 boards each. His defense was uncharacteristically terrible in the first half, reaching the point of being targeted by Gobert.
Seth (35 min) had 15 points off the bench, and led the squad in +/-, at +17, but took only 7 shots. DFS (35 min) was unexpectedly ineffective at defending the perimeter in the first half, with Jazz players blowing by him and the guards with ease. Brunson (26 min) had 8 points and 6 assists, and was the victim of a ref disaster. The Mavs were in transition when Brunson raised his arms for a three, when the referee turned around and gave Rick a technical midshot. Jalen completed the three, but it was waived off due to the T. Rough. Maxi (23 min) had what may have been his worst game of the year, earning 5 points on 8 shots, and being invisible on defense in general. Barea (16 min) was the backup PG for the game, and had 11 points and 6 assists. He was also on the floor for the last 8:40 of the game. Lee got 16 minutes of burn, and had a couple of steals, but was otherwise unremarkable.
Wright (13 min) went down in the third quarter with what looked like a painful ankle injury. He did not return to the game, but left the court unassisted. WCS (5 min) had 8 points and a rebound in short minutes. Rick said he did not play more because the Mavs were having difficulty getting into the paint and scoring, and needed a floor-spacing center on the court to provide space for their drivers. The Mavericks were primarily lining up with only one big man, and some of the Mavs podcasters speculated that Coach may not have trusted WCS as the only big on the floor.
Boban did not play, but proved useful by dislodging the ball when it became stuck in the shot clock apparatus. KP gave it several tries, but ultimately Bobi walked over from the bench, nudged KP out of the way, and rescued the effort.
Jazz. Jordan Clarkson burned the Mavs with 25 points and 8 assists off the bench. He just wasn't missing (10-17). He fouled out in the last four minutes, but he had done his damage. Donovan Mitchell and Bogdan Bogdanovich had 23 points each, and Rudy Gobert put up 17 points and 16 boards, destroying Dallas inside on both ends of the court.
Remarks
Carlisle thought the first half was very, very poor, especially the defense. He called the slow starts the main symbol of their weak home record. He liked the second-half effort, but pronounced that the team has to do a lot of things a lot better if they want to compete. He was particularly disappointed, because he knows the team is perfectly capable of performing at a much higher level than they did. He denied that the players were fatigued, maintaining that their job is to come out and compete and that he is not accepting a running-on-fumes excuse.
The FSSW studio crew descried the team's defense, calling attention to the season low in rebounds, and opining that Gobert should not have been able to burn the Mavs like he did. Rudy has not missed a shot against the Mavs all season, going 7-7 on the night. They thought that the squad showed a little more aggression, intensity and scrappiness in the third quarter. Cedric agreed with speeding up the game in the third period, but thought that, once they got tired, they should have tried to slow it down again. He thinks the cure is to get Luka back on the court. Couldn't hurt.
Josh Bowe (MMB After Dark) commented on the home atmosphere, describing it as flat and lacking in energy, and comparing it to a pre-season game in its lack of intensity, with the team not giving their home fans much to cheer about. He also remarked on the misleading Dallas-flattering score line, noting that the Mavs were only competitive for about a fourth of the contest. He thought the match was emblematic of the slide the squad has been in since the parade of injuries began in December. The team was looking so good, really clicking, but then Luka missed 6 games, KP missed ten, DP blew out his Achilles, Luka was re-injured and has missed seven more games, and other Mavs have missed a game or two here and there. Operating for a long period with various makeshift units has taken a toll. Josh doubted that Luka's return will help the defensive side much.
I feel like the story of this game has been told in numerous versions this season. For long stretches, the players seemed listless, lacking a sense of urgency, and out of gas. We know that post defense is a weakness with this group, but this level of performance was unacceptable. I haven't checked the record since Luka was first injured, but it feels like the team has been in free fall since. Let's hope they can get back on track when Doncic returns.
In other news, Ryan Broekhoff (DNP-CD) was designated to be waived after the game, and he issued a very gracious tweet saying goodbye, and thanking his fans, teammates, and coaches. He will reportedly be replaced by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, whom Charlotte recently waived. MKG has been a good defender without a shot, and I expect that he will be more of another tool in the box than a high-impact signing. But, you never know, and we'll hope for the best.
Next. Sac, on Wednesday, followed by the much-needed All-Star Break. The team is hopeful that Luka can make an appearance, and it is TBD whether MKG will be available or play.
After digging a 23-point hole for themselves, the Mavericks made a comeback attempt, but never managed to regain the lead. Another home loss.
Game Story
At 6:41 in the first quarter, a driving reverse layup by THJ gave the home team their last lead of the game. By the first minute of the second, they were down double digits. The deficit grew to 23, and Dallas entered the halftime interval trailing 50-71.
After a reportedly spirited half-time speech from Carlisle, the Mavs whittled the deficit to three in the third. Unfortunately, the Jazz hit back with a 17-4 run to end the period. At 6:12 in the fourth, Dallas was down 19. They rose again and chipped away at the margin. They were down only 5 points with 2:10 left in the game, but unfortunately turned the last few possessions into 4 missed threes, finished with a Curry layup and-one with 12 seconds left and Mavs behind by 7. The Jazz gave up two turnovers and a jump ball in the last couple of minutes, but our boys couldn't capitalize.
Analytics
The Mavericks had a few more shot attempts and 3PTAs than the Jazz, but their substantially worse shooting (47% v 59% overall, 35%-43% from three) left them unable to take advantage. They were tied with Utah on points from threes, +10 on made free throws, and -16 on points from twos. The Jazz beat the Mavs on the boards 45-26, had 10 offensive rebounds, and edged Dallas 13-2 in second-chance points. The boys in blue were able to make a partial comeback thanks to a 10-point advantage at the line, and 21 points off Utah's 21 turnovers. The Jazz dominated the interior, with a 54-34 differential in points in the paint.
To some extent, it was a tale of two halves. The first half was one of the worst I have seen from the Mavs all season, where the home team offered little to no resistance, and allowed the visitors to shoot 61% and accumulate 71 points. The team outscored their opponent by 17 points in the second half -- still 5 points shy of a win.
Players
THJ (37 min) had a great night offensively, with a season-high 33 points on 12-18 shooting. He had a 10-point first quarter, and a 14-point third period. He tried to put the team on his back, as he is wont to do in Luka's absence, but he didn't get much help.
KP (35 min) put up 28 points, not being especially efficient from the field (7-17), but getting to the line for 13 attempts and hitting 11. He and DFS led the team in a miserable rebounding effort, with only 5 boards each. His defense was uncharacteristically terrible in the first half, reaching the point of being targeted by Gobert.
Seth (35 min) had 15 points off the bench, and led the squad in +/-, at +17, but took only 7 shots. DFS (35 min) was unexpectedly ineffective at defending the perimeter in the first half, with Jazz players blowing by him and the guards with ease. Brunson (26 min) had 8 points and 6 assists, and was the victim of a ref disaster. The Mavs were in transition when Brunson raised his arms for a three, when the referee turned around and gave Rick a technical midshot. Jalen completed the three, but it was waived off due to the T. Rough. Maxi (23 min) had what may have been his worst game of the year, earning 5 points on 8 shots, and being invisible on defense in general. Barea (16 min) was the backup PG for the game, and had 11 points and 6 assists. He was also on the floor for the last 8:40 of the game. Lee got 16 minutes of burn, and had a couple of steals, but was otherwise unremarkable.
Wright (13 min) went down in the third quarter with what looked like a painful ankle injury. He did not return to the game, but left the court unassisted. WCS (5 min) had 8 points and a rebound in short minutes. Rick said he did not play more because the Mavs were having difficulty getting into the paint and scoring, and needed a floor-spacing center on the court to provide space for their drivers. The Mavericks were primarily lining up with only one big man, and some of the Mavs podcasters speculated that Coach may not have trusted WCS as the only big on the floor.
Boban did not play, but proved useful by dislodging the ball when it became stuck in the shot clock apparatus. KP gave it several tries, but ultimately Bobi walked over from the bench, nudged KP out of the way, and rescued the effort.
Jazz. Jordan Clarkson burned the Mavs with 25 points and 8 assists off the bench. He just wasn't missing (10-17). He fouled out in the last four minutes, but he had done his damage. Donovan Mitchell and Bogdan Bogdanovich had 23 points each, and Rudy Gobert put up 17 points and 16 boards, destroying Dallas inside on both ends of the court.
Remarks
Carlisle thought the first half was very, very poor, especially the defense. He called the slow starts the main symbol of their weak home record. He liked the second-half effort, but pronounced that the team has to do a lot of things a lot better if they want to compete. He was particularly disappointed, because he knows the team is perfectly capable of performing at a much higher level than they did. He denied that the players were fatigued, maintaining that their job is to come out and compete and that he is not accepting a running-on-fumes excuse.
The FSSW studio crew descried the team's defense, calling attention to the season low in rebounds, and opining that Gobert should not have been able to burn the Mavs like he did. Rudy has not missed a shot against the Mavs all season, going 7-7 on the night. They thought that the squad showed a little more aggression, intensity and scrappiness in the third quarter. Cedric agreed with speeding up the game in the third period, but thought that, once they got tired, they should have tried to slow it down again. He thinks the cure is to get Luka back on the court. Couldn't hurt.
Josh Bowe (MMB After Dark) commented on the home atmosphere, describing it as flat and lacking in energy, and comparing it to a pre-season game in its lack of intensity, with the team not giving their home fans much to cheer about. He also remarked on the misleading Dallas-flattering score line, noting that the Mavs were only competitive for about a fourth of the contest. He thought the match was emblematic of the slide the squad has been in since the parade of injuries began in December. The team was looking so good, really clicking, but then Luka missed 6 games, KP missed ten, DP blew out his Achilles, Luka was re-injured and has missed seven more games, and other Mavs have missed a game or two here and there. Operating for a long period with various makeshift units has taken a toll. Josh doubted that Luka's return will help the defensive side much.
I feel like the story of this game has been told in numerous versions this season. For long stretches, the players seemed listless, lacking a sense of urgency, and out of gas. We know that post defense is a weakness with this group, but this level of performance was unacceptable. I haven't checked the record since Luka was first injured, but it feels like the team has been in free fall since. Let's hope they can get back on track when Doncic returns.
In other news, Ryan Broekhoff (DNP-CD) was designated to be waived after the game, and he issued a very gracious tweet saying goodbye, and thanking his fans, teammates, and coaches. He will reportedly be replaced by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, whom Charlotte recently waived. MKG has been a good defender without a shot, and I expect that he will be more of another tool in the box than a high-impact signing. But, you never know, and we'll hope for the best.
Next. Sac, on Wednesday, followed by the much-needed All-Star Break. The team is hopeful that Luka can make an appearance, and it is TBD whether MKG will be available or play.
