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The Dallas Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Cippers in their second preseason game. The Mavericks ended up winning 122-114, but more importantly they were ahead 60-56 by the end of the first half. The second half was essentially a junior varsity scrum, as neither team faced their best players.
Kristaps Porzingis continued to move well defensively and Luka Doncic continued to show how incredibly easy basketball is for him. Appearance of players is much more important than any number in a preseason game, but here are the numbers you need to know from that game.
29: The number of cumulative points of Porzingis and Luka
One of the recurring themes of the Luka / Porzingis couple is that they struggle to excel at the same time. Each has become a supernova individually, but the flashes of combined magnitude have been limited. Porzingis had 19 minutes and Luka had 18 minutes. In those minutes, Luka had 14 points and Porzingis has 15.
It’s a much more positive development than Luka scoring a bunch while Porzingis struggles or Porzingis leaves while Luka focuses on the cast. The numbers in the preseason games don’t matter, but it’s a good sign.
4: The number of assists from Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr.
The Mavericks play better when Porzingis passes more. They were 6-0 with an average margin of victory of 18 points per game in games Porzingis had 4 assists last season. He had four in the first half tonight and the Mavericks were ahead when he left the game. The Mavericks haven’t acquired a side playmaker to team up with Doncic this offseason, so the team are going to need to get a little help from everyone in that regard. It was a good start.
33, 14, 14: Luka’s total points, rebounds and assists in 2 preseason games.
One of the only concerns with Luka was whether he would enter the season in form. It’s safe to say it is. He absolutely dominated the limited minutes the stars play in the regular season.
19: Eugène Omoruyi’s points
As mentioned, preseason stats should be taken with a grain of salt. However, Omoruyi has played extremely well and he should be on his way to making the squad.
7: Number of free throw attempts for Porzingis
Porzingis has seen a steep drop in his free throw attempts in Dallas due to the less aggressive nature of his game here. Coming further to the line would be a very good development for Porzingis and the team.
Here is our articlega podcast, with Josh and Church Matt Phillips gives 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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