Mavs Send Pellies Packing in Overtime Thriller
What a fun, exciting, exhilarating game! The Mavericks earned their first overtime win of the season against Zion and the Pelicans. Right in front of their home fans at the AAC. Ticket buyers got more than their money's worth with this one!
Game Story
Barea was out for the Mavs with a sore ankle, along with Brunson (shoulder) and Powell (Achilles). Seth Curry was a welcome addition back after a spell with lower back tightness. The Mavs welcomed Pelican Zion Williamson in his Dallas debut. Rick went with a big starting lineup in Luka/THJ/DFS/KP/Maxi, moving Seth to a sixth man role.
The home team trailed for most of the first quarter, but managed to eke out a 24-22 edge after one, after a poor start from both sides. Dallas built an 11-point lead around the midpoint of the second period, but came back down to earth, and went into halftime with a 57-55 edge. The third quarter occasioned some sloppy errors from both teams, and they played to a draw, going into the final frame with the Mavs leading 87-85.
The score remained within three points for the entire fourth period. A Brandon Ingram fadeaway left the Mavs down three at the 1:52 mark. A Maxi dunk, followed by a Curry three, put our boys up two with 37 seconds remaining. Ingram intentionally fouled Seth with 11 seconds left. With a chance to ice the game, Seth hit one of two free throws. Mavs up three with 11 seconds remaining, Pels ball. Sounds like a good time to foul, eh? No such luck. Melli, who had missed something like his last eight shots, subbed in and hit an amazing corner three with KP's hand in his face, tying the game. Rick thought you just had to shake Melli's hand, while Porzee referred to the play as his own mistake. Regardless, the game was tied, and KP missed a game winner. On to overtime.
A Zion hook shot tied the game for the third time in the overtime period with 1:29 to go. A long step-back by Luka gave the Mavs a three-point lead at 1:10. Maxi was called for a shooting foul on Zion, who split his free throws, reducing the Dallas lead to 2 with 1 minute remaining. Luka found a cutting KP for a dunk at 0:50. Holiday replied with a dunk of his own, leaving the Mavs with a 2-point lead at the 39-second mark.
In a fantastic highlight possession, Luka put Jrue Holiday on skates with a hesitation dribble, and ultimately kicked out to Maxi. Kleber missed the three, but Luka grabbed the offensive board and passed out to Tim, who was fouled and hit both free throws, effectively sealing the game. Zion made another layup, but then the Pels had to foul, and KP completed both freebies. Whew!
Analytics
On reviewing the box score, I was surprised to find that the Pels put up an astonishing 19 more shot attempts than the Mavs. Dallas gave up 15 offensive rebounds and 18 second-chance points, along with turning the ball over 17 times. However, they had a 13-shot advantage in free-throw attempts, and got the job done from three (44%, on 50 attempts). Points earned on twos/threes/free throws were 44/66/17 for the Mavs, and 66/51/6 for the Pels. The blue and silver missed 7 free throws, which could have been disastrous, but luckily wasn't. The bench had 38 points, 21 of which were earned by Curry. New Orleans had an 18-point advantage in PIP, but the Mavericks' foul-drawing and hot three-point shooting saved the day. It is also noteworthy that the team had 13 blocks, and set a franchise record for most blocks in a half (11, first half).
Players
Porzingis (45 min) was otherworldly, with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and some darned good defense. All of his five impressive blocks came in the first half. He didn't have a great shooting percentage (11-19 2PTA, 3-9 3PTA), but he gave the Pels all manner of different looks, ranging from thunderous dunks to catch-and-shoots to step-backs and post-ups and more, to go with his excellent passing game. He was also instrumental in the Mavericks' interior defensive scheme. The Unicorn is playing up to his name these days, but somehow remains humble. After the game, a reporter asked him if he thought the match had a playoff atmosphere, and he replied that he had heard that it did from guys who had been to the playoffs, lol.
Luka (41 min), Luka, Luka. He acknowledged that his hand was still hurting, and he was clearly favoring it, but that didn't stop him from putting together a 30-17-10 night, along with a steal and a block. He wasn't super-efficient (5-9 2PTA, 4-11 3PTA), but he did get to the line for 13 free-throw attempts, albeit missing five of them. His hand probably had something to do with that, as he just seems to be getting used to how to employ the injured digit in the current situation. He took over in the clutch, and made some good decisions. Progress!
Doncic was a walking highlight reel, but one does have to wonder if he can sustain these super-long minutes with a bum ankle and hand. He had X-rays on the thumb after the game as a precautionary measure, and the images disclosed no aggravation of the injury. Lonzo Ball gave him a pretty good swat on the injured hand, and I look for more of that, as other teams try to take advantage. But his clutch performance was huge, in terms of the maturing process. Cedric Ceballos commended him for not getting too overzealous, and making good basketball decisions.
Tim (39 min) was dependable with 18 points, although it took him 15 shots to get there. His drawing a foul and completing both free throws at the end were big.
Maxi (39 min) did not have an impressive line (5-7-4), but that doesn't nearly do justice to his performance on the court. He drew the unenviable task of guarding Zion, and did a remarkable job. He had a season-high 5 blocks. Together with whatever other big was on the court at any given time, Maxi came as close to bottling Williamson up as it seemed possible to do. They collapsed on Zion any time he made a foray into the paint, and he was visibly bothered by their length, physicality, and general peskiness. After the havoc that the Pelicans star is wreaking on opponents, he may have met his match in Maxi! DW imagined that Kleber might have to spend all night in the ice tub, lol.
Seth (37 min) dazzled in a sixth-man assignment. He had 21 points, and completed six of his nine 3PTAs. He did have 3 turnovers in the fourth quarter, but was in the lineup down the stretch of both regulation and overtime, apart from late-game situational subs. He was sorely missed in the last game, and was a veritable Jason Terry in this one. The Mavs were a team-high +18 when Seth was on the floor. Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry was clearly frustrated by his team's inability to contain, or even keep up with, Curry. After the game, he was corrected for calling Seth Steph, and waved the comment off with a, "Seth, Steph, whoever the hell they are," hahaha.
Wright (25 min) had one of his better games in recent days, contributing 10 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals to the cause. He hit three treys in the fourth quarter, and said after the game that seeing the ball go in had given him some confidence. His spin move to the basket was also a crowd pleaser. He was one of three Mavs in positive territory (four, if you count MKG's cameo). Asked what he thought of Zion up close, Wright widened his eyes, and replied, "He's BIG." LOL. I like this young guard, who has been in a bit of a slump of late, and I hope this will mark the beginning of a turning point for him. The Mavs could use him.
WCS (16 min) got some burn in his return to the court after a personal hiatus, and had 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. He got a chance to show off some of his defensive chops, helping to contain Zion and otherwise pester the Pels. Seems like a good guy. Hope he takes advantage of his opportunities.
Lee (11 min) got off the bench for a bit to try and fill in some forward minutes. In the third quarter, he fouled Ingram shooting a three, but fortunately, Brandon missed the and-one. Lee responded immediately with a three of his own. Toward the end of the period, he had a dunk from Luka, but then turned the ball over after securing an offensive board. Primarily, he drew Ingram as his defensive assignment, which did not work out great. Good stuff and bad. An alternative to Justin Jackson in the Rick Carlisle lineup lab, I suppose.
DFS (9 min) was taken out in the first quarter with an injured hip flexor. Rick had no update after the game on Doe Doe's condition or timetable to return. His defense against Ingram was badly missed. I don't know what happens if he is sidelined for any substantial period of time. His shoes will be hard to fill.
MKG (2 min) made an appearance late in the first quarter. He stole a bad pass from Ingram, but followed that up with an offensive foul turnover. He was standing in the corner on a Mavs possession, and WCS sort of fumbled the ball to him late in the shot clock. Instead of shooting, he hesitated, seeming to freeze and not know what to do in the second or two before his defender arrived. He earned an exasperated look from Luka, and was taken off for Delon Wright.
Pelicans. What a fun young team! Brandon Ingram torched the Mavs for 27 points before fouling out with 1:44 left in overtime. Lonzo Ball looked like a world beater, with 25-11-6, and 7 threes. I had not seen the young fellow play for a while, and boy, has he worked on his shooting. Looked much better than I had expected. The Mavs held Zion to 21-6-3, primarily by focusing on him, and double- or triple-teaming him in the paint. The young star looks more like a linesman than a hooper, but our bigs' length and physicality did a lot to stymie him. You rarely shut out a player of this caliber, but they succeeded in limiting him, and getting into his head. Jrue Holiday was entertaining to watch, as usual, and turned in 19 points and 6 assists. His impact was limited by his being in foul trouble a good bit of the game. Frank Jackson had 12 points off the bench, and Derrick Favors had a double-double, with 10 points and 14 boards.
This squad made a bunch of young-team mistakes, but there is a lot of talent on this roster, and they look to be a force in coming seasons. They won't always leave Seth wide open, go under the screen on THJ, and otherwise defend poorly. Mavs-Pels promises to be a fierce divisional rivalry in years to come. Fun times!
Remarks
Carlisle thought this was a great win, in a match with a playoff atmosphere. He thinks his team had a valuable learning experience here in preparing for the postseason. Coach thought the crowd was great, and that the players put in a gutsy performance. The Pels were on a SEGABABA, and Rick felt they started to tire in the later stages of the contest. The Mavs' game plan was to limit the opponent's PIP, and he thought they defended the interior pretty well, considering the quality of the Pels' bigs, but said they got killed from the 3-point line. Partly by guys they weren't expecting to shoot well. But that's another story.
This was one of the more enjoyable games of the season. We were looking forward to seeing Zion, and he didn't disappoint. There were lots of offensive fireworks, and plenty of athleticism on display. The Mavericks badly needed some experience in figuring out how to win in a clutch situation, and on this night they got two bites at the apple, in regulation and overtime. Rick credited the players for the late-game performance, saying that he called a play every now and then, but the guys on the court were, for the most part, running the show. It was especially thrilling to watch the KP-Luka duo come together in the late minutes. We need more home games like this. Bring it on!
Next. The Mavs face Memphis at the AAC on Friday. The update on Brunson was that a return is not imminent. No word on Barea's or DFS' availability.
Go Mavs!
What a fun, exciting, exhilarating game! The Mavericks earned their first overtime win of the season against Zion and the Pelicans. Right in front of their home fans at the AAC. Ticket buyers got more than their money's worth with this one!
Game Story
Barea was out for the Mavs with a sore ankle, along with Brunson (shoulder) and Powell (Achilles). Seth Curry was a welcome addition back after a spell with lower back tightness. The Mavs welcomed Pelican Zion Williamson in his Dallas debut. Rick went with a big starting lineup in Luka/THJ/DFS/KP/Maxi, moving Seth to a sixth man role.
The home team trailed for most of the first quarter, but managed to eke out a 24-22 edge after one, after a poor start from both sides. Dallas built an 11-point lead around the midpoint of the second period, but came back down to earth, and went into halftime with a 57-55 edge. The third quarter occasioned some sloppy errors from both teams, and they played to a draw, going into the final frame with the Mavs leading 87-85.
The score remained within three points for the entire fourth period. A Brandon Ingram fadeaway left the Mavs down three at the 1:52 mark. A Maxi dunk, followed by a Curry three, put our boys up two with 37 seconds remaining. Ingram intentionally fouled Seth with 11 seconds left. With a chance to ice the game, Seth hit one of two free throws. Mavs up three with 11 seconds remaining, Pels ball. Sounds like a good time to foul, eh? No such luck. Melli, who had missed something like his last eight shots, subbed in and hit an amazing corner three with KP's hand in his face, tying the game. Rick thought you just had to shake Melli's hand, while Porzee referred to the play as his own mistake. Regardless, the game was tied, and KP missed a game winner. On to overtime.
A Zion hook shot tied the game for the third time in the overtime period with 1:29 to go. A long step-back by Luka gave the Mavs a three-point lead at 1:10. Maxi was called for a shooting foul on Zion, who split his free throws, reducing the Dallas lead to 2 with 1 minute remaining. Luka found a cutting KP for a dunk at 0:50. Holiday replied with a dunk of his own, leaving the Mavs with a 2-point lead at the 39-second mark.
In a fantastic highlight possession, Luka put Jrue Holiday on skates with a hesitation dribble, and ultimately kicked out to Maxi. Kleber missed the three, but Luka grabbed the offensive board and passed out to Tim, who was fouled and hit both free throws, effectively sealing the game. Zion made another layup, but then the Pels had to foul, and KP completed both freebies. Whew!
Analytics
On reviewing the box score, I was surprised to find that the Pels put up an astonishing 19 more shot attempts than the Mavs. Dallas gave up 15 offensive rebounds and 18 second-chance points, along with turning the ball over 17 times. However, they had a 13-shot advantage in free-throw attempts, and got the job done from three (44%, on 50 attempts). Points earned on twos/threes/free throws were 44/66/17 for the Mavs, and 66/51/6 for the Pels. The blue and silver missed 7 free throws, which could have been disastrous, but luckily wasn't. The bench had 38 points, 21 of which were earned by Curry. New Orleans had an 18-point advantage in PIP, but the Mavericks' foul-drawing and hot three-point shooting saved the day. It is also noteworthy that the team had 13 blocks, and set a franchise record for most blocks in a half (11, first half).
Players
Porzingis (45 min) was otherworldly, with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and some darned good defense. All of his five impressive blocks came in the first half. He didn't have a great shooting percentage (11-19 2PTA, 3-9 3PTA), but he gave the Pels all manner of different looks, ranging from thunderous dunks to catch-and-shoots to step-backs and post-ups and more, to go with his excellent passing game. He was also instrumental in the Mavericks' interior defensive scheme. The Unicorn is playing up to his name these days, but somehow remains humble. After the game, a reporter asked him if he thought the match had a playoff atmosphere, and he replied that he had heard that it did from guys who had been to the playoffs, lol.
Luka (41 min), Luka, Luka. He acknowledged that his hand was still hurting, and he was clearly favoring it, but that didn't stop him from putting together a 30-17-10 night, along with a steal and a block. He wasn't super-efficient (5-9 2PTA, 4-11 3PTA), but he did get to the line for 13 free-throw attempts, albeit missing five of them. His hand probably had something to do with that, as he just seems to be getting used to how to employ the injured digit in the current situation. He took over in the clutch, and made some good decisions. Progress!
Doncic was a walking highlight reel, but one does have to wonder if he can sustain these super-long minutes with a bum ankle and hand. He had X-rays on the thumb after the game as a precautionary measure, and the images disclosed no aggravation of the injury. Lonzo Ball gave him a pretty good swat on the injured hand, and I look for more of that, as other teams try to take advantage. But his clutch performance was huge, in terms of the maturing process. Cedric Ceballos commended him for not getting too overzealous, and making good basketball decisions.
Tim (39 min) was dependable with 18 points, although it took him 15 shots to get there. His drawing a foul and completing both free throws at the end were big.
Maxi (39 min) did not have an impressive line (5-7-4), but that doesn't nearly do justice to his performance on the court. He drew the unenviable task of guarding Zion, and did a remarkable job. He had a season-high 5 blocks. Together with whatever other big was on the court at any given time, Maxi came as close to bottling Williamson up as it seemed possible to do. They collapsed on Zion any time he made a foray into the paint, and he was visibly bothered by their length, physicality, and general peskiness. After the havoc that the Pelicans star is wreaking on opponents, he may have met his match in Maxi! DW imagined that Kleber might have to spend all night in the ice tub, lol.
Seth (37 min) dazzled in a sixth-man assignment. He had 21 points, and completed six of his nine 3PTAs. He did have 3 turnovers in the fourth quarter, but was in the lineup down the stretch of both regulation and overtime, apart from late-game situational subs. He was sorely missed in the last game, and was a veritable Jason Terry in this one. The Mavs were a team-high +18 when Seth was on the floor. Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry was clearly frustrated by his team's inability to contain, or even keep up with, Curry. After the game, he was corrected for calling Seth Steph, and waved the comment off with a, "Seth, Steph, whoever the hell they are," hahaha.
Wright (25 min) had one of his better games in recent days, contributing 10 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals to the cause. He hit three treys in the fourth quarter, and said after the game that seeing the ball go in had given him some confidence. His spin move to the basket was also a crowd pleaser. He was one of three Mavs in positive territory (four, if you count MKG's cameo). Asked what he thought of Zion up close, Wright widened his eyes, and replied, "He's BIG." LOL. I like this young guard, who has been in a bit of a slump of late, and I hope this will mark the beginning of a turning point for him. The Mavs could use him.
WCS (16 min) got some burn in his return to the court after a personal hiatus, and had 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. He got a chance to show off some of his defensive chops, helping to contain Zion and otherwise pester the Pels. Seems like a good guy. Hope he takes advantage of his opportunities.
Lee (11 min) got off the bench for a bit to try and fill in some forward minutes. In the third quarter, he fouled Ingram shooting a three, but fortunately, Brandon missed the and-one. Lee responded immediately with a three of his own. Toward the end of the period, he had a dunk from Luka, but then turned the ball over after securing an offensive board. Primarily, he drew Ingram as his defensive assignment, which did not work out great. Good stuff and bad. An alternative to Justin Jackson in the Rick Carlisle lineup lab, I suppose.
DFS (9 min) was taken out in the first quarter with an injured hip flexor. Rick had no update after the game on Doe Doe's condition or timetable to return. His defense against Ingram was badly missed. I don't know what happens if he is sidelined for any substantial period of time. His shoes will be hard to fill.
MKG (2 min) made an appearance late in the first quarter. He stole a bad pass from Ingram, but followed that up with an offensive foul turnover. He was standing in the corner on a Mavs possession, and WCS sort of fumbled the ball to him late in the shot clock. Instead of shooting, he hesitated, seeming to freeze and not know what to do in the second or two before his defender arrived. He earned an exasperated look from Luka, and was taken off for Delon Wright.
Pelicans. What a fun young team! Brandon Ingram torched the Mavs for 27 points before fouling out with 1:44 left in overtime. Lonzo Ball looked like a world beater, with 25-11-6, and 7 threes. I had not seen the young fellow play for a while, and boy, has he worked on his shooting. Looked much better than I had expected. The Mavs held Zion to 21-6-3, primarily by focusing on him, and double- or triple-teaming him in the paint. The young star looks more like a linesman than a hooper, but our bigs' length and physicality did a lot to stymie him. You rarely shut out a player of this caliber, but they succeeded in limiting him, and getting into his head. Jrue Holiday was entertaining to watch, as usual, and turned in 19 points and 6 assists. His impact was limited by his being in foul trouble a good bit of the game. Frank Jackson had 12 points off the bench, and Derrick Favors had a double-double, with 10 points and 14 boards.
This squad made a bunch of young-team mistakes, but there is a lot of talent on this roster, and they look to be a force in coming seasons. They won't always leave Seth wide open, go under the screen on THJ, and otherwise defend poorly. Mavs-Pels promises to be a fierce divisional rivalry in years to come. Fun times!
Remarks
Carlisle thought this was a great win, in a match with a playoff atmosphere. He thinks his team had a valuable learning experience here in preparing for the postseason. Coach thought the crowd was great, and that the players put in a gutsy performance. The Pels were on a SEGABABA, and Rick felt they started to tire in the later stages of the contest. The Mavs' game plan was to limit the opponent's PIP, and he thought they defended the interior pretty well, considering the quality of the Pels' bigs, but said they got killed from the 3-point line. Partly by guys they weren't expecting to shoot well. But that's another story.
This was one of the more enjoyable games of the season. We were looking forward to seeing Zion, and he didn't disappoint. There were lots of offensive fireworks, and plenty of athleticism on display. The Mavericks badly needed some experience in figuring out how to win in a clutch situation, and on this night they got two bites at the apple, in regulation and overtime. Rick credited the players for the late-game performance, saying that he called a play every now and then, but the guys on the court were, for the most part, running the show. It was especially thrilling to watch the KP-Luka duo come together in the late minutes. We need more home games like this. Bring it on!
Next. The Mavs face Memphis at the AAC on Friday. The update on Brunson was that a return is not imminent. No word on Barea's or DFS' availability.
Go Mavs!
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