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The Dallas Mavericks beat the Utah Jazz to start their preseason, 111-101. Luka Doncic looked like an MVP, scoring 19 points on 8 out of 10 shots to go along with six rebounds and five assists in just 16 minutes of action. Rookie Jared Butler led the Jazz in loss with 20 points.
With some key rotational players at rest for the Mavericks, Dallas started an unorthodox lineup of Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Josh Green and Moses Brown. Early returns have been mixed, with Moses Brown looking huge and the Mavericks going to the post several times. For much of the frame, Dallas shot primarily at two pointers, making a concerted effort to attack the rim. There were also turnover issues, with Dallas committing five in the first seven minutes. Utah missed numerous open threes in the frame, keeping the score close, only to make a late run over the arc. The Jazz took a 31-22 lead in the second quarter.
Led by Luka Doncic looking like an MVP candidate, the Mavericks got back into the three-way game and attacking the basket. After a pair of free throws from Kristaps Porzingis halfway through the frame, the Mavericks took a 46-43 lead over a three-point Maxi Kleber. A mixed bench unit, led by Jalen Brunson, pushed hard after Jazz misfires and extended Dallas’ lead to five via transition baskets, forcing a timeout for Utah Jazz. The Mavericks held onto the lead and found themselves in the lead 61-56 at halftime.
Boban Marjanovic’s insertion appeared to trouble Utah as the Mavericks advanced to double digits following a 9-0 streak, including a Boban out as well as a pass from Boban to Sterling Brown for a rocking dunk. Then Brunson, of all players, dunked at the break a few games later. Rookie Carlik Jones saw minutes in the third quarter as the Mavericks nearly increased their lead to 20. Head coach Jason Kidd dove deep into his bench to end the quarter, against Feron Hunt who had a super jam follow-up, as well as Boban again who logged in on the three back to back to complete the quarter. You read correctly. The Mavericks took a 92-74 lead in the fourth.
The final frame saw a total youthful move for the Mavericks, featuring every young player on the roster at some point, including the two two-way guys Jaquori McLaughlin and Eugene Omoruyi. That probably doesn’t mean much, but after years of Rick Carlisle playing roulette with younger players, it was nice to see. The Jazz closed the lead late, but the young Mavericks scored enough to keep them at bay. Dallas wins, 111-101.
Health is wealth
There are a lot of opportunities for overreaction with a preseason game, but the most important thing that struck me was how a lot of the Mavericks moved. Kristaps Porzingis looked fluid and fast on both sides of the floor. It was a relief to see him dive into the basket on offense and not hang around like Lurch on defense. Although I raised my eyebrows when I saw that he was guarding the perimeter at the start of the game, he was moving confidently and didn’t appear to be laborious, which was not the case last season.
The same things apply to Maxi Kleber who was as beautiful as I remember moving around. He shot 46% from two points last season, down from 61% the year before and that must have come from the number of nagging injuries he suffered.
Luka Doncic looked exceptional too. Thinner maybe, but it’s still hard to tell with him and I can’t help but wonder if he wants to be a little heavier just so that he can intimidate lighter players.
The health aspects will not last for everyone, the season is too long and exhausting. But for these players, I had just gotten used to seeing some of them playing under 100% and tonight was a solid reminder of the importance of being really healthy and rested (as opposed to not being to hurt yourself).
Wrinkles in offense
Maybe my eyes are lying, but there seemed to be a lot more ball movement for each Maverick. There have been a lot of late basket cuts or basket dives from curl screens, the kind of moves Dallas didn’t break out often last year with Luka Doncic often walking the ball and entering a set. with 16 seconds remaining. the clock.
The first quarter results were a bit worrying; lots of post ups and some three for example. Still, the offense seemed to find a rhythm in the second quarter, the pace being pushed by both Brunson and Doncic. Brunson in particular did well in pushing the ball and passing the right pass to cutters or open shooters. I’ll be interested in seeing the pace numbers after the game because things felt faster in real time, but that can be a byproduct of not seeing basketball for a few months.
A lively defense
With most of the players rotating out of the roster for the second half this can be an extreme overreaction … but did the defense with virtually all of the same players feel more lively? Hardly closing the three-point shooters, switching earlier, or at least communicating the switches more effectively, my eyes were delighted with the effort.
It may not mean anything. It’s preseason after all. But longtime readers know my propensity to nitpick things to the death and … was I pretty happy? There are still a lot of concerns of course, but watching a team play with a defensive effort is very important.
Here is our post-match podcast, with Josh and Kirk doing a quick recap of the game. If you don’t see the integration below, Click here. Or go to your favorite podcast app and search for the Mavs Moneyball podcast.
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