08-26-2020, 03:22 AM
Mavs Blown Out in Game 5
Porzingis remains out with sore knee
The Mavericks flat got taken to the woodshed. The scoreline reflects the most points allowed in a game in franchise history. Oof!
Game Story
Earlier in the day, the fans got the bad news that KP was ruled out for the game. Luka and Burke had been listed as probable, and DFS as questionable (hip issues), but all three were eventually available. Beverley was still out for LA.
Both coaches went with the same starting units that they had used in Game 4.
Dallas got off to a bright start, building a 7-point advantage at 8:26. By 6:41, the Clippers took the lead. After one, the Mavs were down 22-41.
Our boys played the Clips pretty close in the second and third quarters, but never could sustain a run. Going into the fourth, they were down 86-111.
The fourth quarter was largely garbage time, and Burke was the only starter who recorded time on the court. When the buzzer mercifully sounded, the Mavericks had surrendered 154 points.
Analytics
The Clippers lit the place up with their torrid shooting, completing 63% of their shots, both from beyond the arc and overall. The Mavs were out-rebounded 31-49, and lost 27 points to turnovers.
Players
Luka had 22 points, but shot only 6-17 from the field and missed 5 of his 14 FTAs. He also had 8 rebounds and 4 assists, but turned the ball over 5 times. He appeared quite frustrated during the game, drawing a technical foul in the second quarter. The Clippers were their most obnoxious selves, the officiating left something to be desired, and LA made an adjustment defending him.
Doc had his players double-team Luka in the paint, and show hard on the pick and roll, and dared the other Mavs to beat them. They were cutting off the passing lanes and clogging the paint, and it was difficult for Luka to get off a good shot or find one for his teammates.
At one point, Marcus Morris ran over and stepped on Luka’s sprained ankle on a dead play. There was a significant question as to whether the move was intentional, but nothing was called. Morris said after the game that he was not going to apologize, and found it crazy that anyone would think he would intentionally hurt another player. Looked like a dirty play to me.
The other starters shot efficiently, combining for 55 points on 20-31 field goal attempts. Hardaway and Morris were assessed double technicals in the 2nd quarter, and Tim got a flagrant for slapping Paul George upside the head. (Go, Timmy!) The bench was mostly terrible, and its seven players combined for 34 points, including a quarter of garbage time.
Observations
I thought Ced Ceballos summed up the factors behind the Mavericks looking like a totally different team from the one that played in the last game:
— KP didn’t play.
— Mavs allowed their frustration with the Clippers and the refs to distract them and affect their play.
— Their defense was not affecting the Clips, no matter what they tried. LA scored at will, to All-Star Game levels. With KP out, Maxi had to guard Zubacs, meaning DFS was on Kawhi and THJ on Paul George, which meant they were both overmatched. Coach couldn’t do much about it, because they were lacking enough defensive firepower on hand to compete.
— Paul George found his shot again, and he scored 35 points on 12-18 shooting.
— The “real Clippers” showed up. This is probably the most important factor. This team looked like the juggernaut we have been expecting to see all along.
Rick deemed the match a poor performance on his team’s part, and felt it was disappointing. He didn’t think his guys responded well to the Clips’ physicality. He was ejected himself after receiving two techs. The play he was trying to respond to was a situation where THJ was standing at the free throw line with the ball, preparing to take his free throws, when Doc was granted a timeout to challenge the foul which had resulted in the free throws. Rick was angry because he thought the challenge was late and could not be granted under the rules. He asked the ref about it, did not receive a satisfactory answer, and said a couple more things that resulted in techs. So, the team was coached by an assistant for 1.5 quarters, possible adding even more to the chaos.
I found this game a little bewildering. Once I heard KP was out again, I was not expecting the Mavs to steal another game, but I thought they would at least compete. They didn’t look sharp at all, turning the ball over, not going after rebounds, not going hard after loose balls, seemingly lacking a sense of urgency. Maybe they were just exhausted, and several were playing hurt. Or, maybe the Clippers had a next level that was just a tier above what the Mavs’ short-staffed and beat-up players could match.
Next. Game 6 is on Thursday. Even if we don’t win, I would like to see the team give a respectable performance, if that is within their grasp. I’m not giving up hope for that unless I have to. Get that mojo back, Mavs!!
Porzingis remains out with sore knee
The Mavericks flat got taken to the woodshed. The scoreline reflects the most points allowed in a game in franchise history. Oof!
Game Story
Earlier in the day, the fans got the bad news that KP was ruled out for the game. Luka and Burke had been listed as probable, and DFS as questionable (hip issues), but all three were eventually available. Beverley was still out for LA.
Both coaches went with the same starting units that they had used in Game 4.
Dallas got off to a bright start, building a 7-point advantage at 8:26. By 6:41, the Clippers took the lead. After one, the Mavs were down 22-41.
Our boys played the Clips pretty close in the second and third quarters, but never could sustain a run. Going into the fourth, they were down 86-111.
The fourth quarter was largely garbage time, and Burke was the only starter who recorded time on the court. When the buzzer mercifully sounded, the Mavericks had surrendered 154 points.
Analytics
The Clippers lit the place up with their torrid shooting, completing 63% of their shots, both from beyond the arc and overall. The Mavs were out-rebounded 31-49, and lost 27 points to turnovers.
Players
Luka had 22 points, but shot only 6-17 from the field and missed 5 of his 14 FTAs. He also had 8 rebounds and 4 assists, but turned the ball over 5 times. He appeared quite frustrated during the game, drawing a technical foul in the second quarter. The Clippers were their most obnoxious selves, the officiating left something to be desired, and LA made an adjustment defending him.
Doc had his players double-team Luka in the paint, and show hard on the pick and roll, and dared the other Mavs to beat them. They were cutting off the passing lanes and clogging the paint, and it was difficult for Luka to get off a good shot or find one for his teammates.
At one point, Marcus Morris ran over and stepped on Luka’s sprained ankle on a dead play. There was a significant question as to whether the move was intentional, but nothing was called. Morris said after the game that he was not going to apologize, and found it crazy that anyone would think he would intentionally hurt another player. Looked like a dirty play to me.
The other starters shot efficiently, combining for 55 points on 20-31 field goal attempts. Hardaway and Morris were assessed double technicals in the 2nd quarter, and Tim got a flagrant for slapping Paul George upside the head. (Go, Timmy!) The bench was mostly terrible, and its seven players combined for 34 points, including a quarter of garbage time.
Observations
I thought Ced Ceballos summed up the factors behind the Mavericks looking like a totally different team from the one that played in the last game:
— KP didn’t play.
— Mavs allowed their frustration with the Clippers and the refs to distract them and affect their play.
— Their defense was not affecting the Clips, no matter what they tried. LA scored at will, to All-Star Game levels. With KP out, Maxi had to guard Zubacs, meaning DFS was on Kawhi and THJ on Paul George, which meant they were both overmatched. Coach couldn’t do much about it, because they were lacking enough defensive firepower on hand to compete.
— Paul George found his shot again, and he scored 35 points on 12-18 shooting.
— The “real Clippers” showed up. This is probably the most important factor. This team looked like the juggernaut we have been expecting to see all along.
Rick deemed the match a poor performance on his team’s part, and felt it was disappointing. He didn’t think his guys responded well to the Clips’ physicality. He was ejected himself after receiving two techs. The play he was trying to respond to was a situation where THJ was standing at the free throw line with the ball, preparing to take his free throws, when Doc was granted a timeout to challenge the foul which had resulted in the free throws. Rick was angry because he thought the challenge was late and could not be granted under the rules. He asked the ref about it, did not receive a satisfactory answer, and said a couple more things that resulted in techs. So, the team was coached by an assistant for 1.5 quarters, possible adding even more to the chaos.
I found this game a little bewildering. Once I heard KP was out again, I was not expecting the Mavs to steal another game, but I thought they would at least compete. They didn’t look sharp at all, turning the ball over, not going after rebounds, not going hard after loose balls, seemingly lacking a sense of urgency. Maybe they were just exhausted, and several were playing hurt. Or, maybe the Clippers had a next level that was just a tier above what the Mavs’ short-staffed and beat-up players could match.
Next. Game 6 is on Thursday. Even if we don’t win, I would like to see the team give a respectable performance, if that is within their grasp. I’m not giving up hope for that unless I have to. Get that mojo back, Mavs!!
