[ad_1]
There aren’t many good things to remember from a night like this. The game was relatively close throughout, but the Mavericks just didn’t have the level of execution needed to win an NBA game. The Phoenix Suns prevailed, beating Dallas down the home stretch to win 111-105 and give Dallas their fifth straight loss.
In the first half, the Mavs managed to hold on tight, but never to take a lead. The offense was visibly stagnant and the defense was … fine. Thanks to a clever trick from Willie Cauley-Stein, the Mavs managed to tie the game before half-time.
The second half is where things got interesting.
In the Mavs’ first offensive possession in the third quarter, Luka Doncic looked dejected. He dragged 30 feet from the basket and let Josh Richardson and Cauley-Stein put together a two-man game that was far from pretty. Either way, possession ended with a successful Cauley-Stein midrange jumper. At this point, things didn’t seem to be going in the Mavs’ direction.
But then Luka went nuclear. He was off in the third quarter and it turned everything upside down. The Mavs took a 15-point lead and things were improving. Unfortunately, as soon as things turned positive, they turned negative. The Suns locked themselves in late in the third quarter and have never looked back.
Chris Paul in the fourth quarter is one of the most dangerous players in the NBA, and the Mavs weren’t able to fight him late in the game. Here are three elements of the loss.
Willie Cauley-Stein had a surprisingly positive impact on the game
It’s no secret that Willie Cauley-Stein isn’t exactly a world breaker. It’s a long, imperfect center that does some things well and a lot of things wrong. But tonight, in Kristaps Porzingis’ absence, Cauley-Stein was surprisingly good. In 30 minutes, he finished with 14 points on 7 of 8 shots from the field to go with nine rebounds and four blocks.
More than anything, I liked Cauley-Stein’s energy level. He had active hands on defense, was aggressive on the rim, and overall he just looked like he belonged to a professional basketball court – something that hasn’t always been said about him. .
I hope the Mavs don’t find themselves in a position where they have to rely on Cauley-Stein very often, but tonight he was solid. At this point it’s impossible to expect consistency, but at least he gave the team something on Saturday night.
Energy is contagious
It’s a basic basketball concept that every high school kid is familiar with. This is the reason why the benches rise to distribute high five when a player comes off the field. This is the reason why a guy like Marcus Smart makes over $ 10 million a year. Energy is contagious and it is also vital for success.
24 hours ago in Utah, the Mavs had run out of energy. It was embarrassing. Tonight they did a better job of turning it around, but it still wasn’t great. The bench looked engaged throughout the game, celebrating accordingly when something cool happened on the pitch, and when Dallas made this great run in the third quarter, it looked like the team had fun. It didn’t last the entire game, but at least it made an appearance tonight. Mavs should try to have fun more often.
The need for a secondary playmaker is more evident than ever
The simple fact is, the Mavs don’t have a skilled offensive initiator not named Luka Doncic. When he’s not on the floor, it’s disgusting. Like, really, really disgusting.
If Porzingis isn’t a guy who can get his own shot (and do said shot), then what have they got? Trey Burke? Jalen Brunson? Josh Richardson? These guys are good enough to beat bad teams in the regular season, but they’re not good enough to beat playoff teams. Something needs to change – ASAP.
here is the post-match podcast, Mavs Moneyball After Dark. If you can’t see the integration below “More Mavs Moneyball”, Click here. And if you haven’t yet, subscribe by searching for “Mavs Moneyball podcast” in your favorite podcast app.
[ad_2]
Source link