The Mavericks played in their preseason finale late Wednesday night in Las Vegas against the Los Angeles Lakers, marking the final game for the Mavs this preseason. The Mavericks, led by Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg playing point guard, ended up cruising past the Lakers, 121-94 in what Jason Kidd called “full dress rehearsal” pre-game.
Anthony Davis led the way with a solid 18/9/2/1 block stat line tonight, with Cooper Flagg and PJ Washington adding 13 points on five made shots each in just under 30 minutes of action. Derrick Lively and Klay Thompson put up 12 points each in what was a shaky start but a dominant second half.
Here are four key stats that stood out in the latest Mavericks’ win. The team’s first regular season game will take place one week from today against the San Antonio Spurs
12: Ryan Nembhard’s minutes
While not the most flashy or eye-popping on the stat sheet, the amount of court time Ryan Nembhard got should be a sign for things to come from the undrafted rookie out of Gonzaga. Nembhard had five points and four assists on two made shots and one made three-point shot. He showed flashes of why he was mocked to be a high second-round draft pick with his performance in tonight’s preseason finale.
What stands out the most about Nembhard’s minutes is that all of them occurred in the first three quarters of the game, even though some of the guys were expected to make big-time contributions. He even started the fourth quarter with a lineup of himself, Cooper Flagg, PJ Washington, Anthony Davis, and Derrick Lively, all of whom are presumed day 1 starters for the Mavericks.
The fact that Hall of Fame point guard Jason Kidd is seemingly trusting an unproven rookie to handle the ball on a roster loaded with talent and veteran guard play speaks to the poise this kid has, and it also could and should be a preview of his contributions in the regular season.
2-of-15: Mavericks from 3 at halftime
On Monday night, the Mavericks finished the first half 1-or-10 from the 3-point line, which was one of the few negatives Dallas should have aimed to improve heading into their preseason finale. While the volume and percentage did increase slightly, this can not continue if the Mavericks are going to be competitive in the Western Conference.
In the preseason, most teams are hovering around 33-35% from 3-point land per half, even though they don’t play their starters for long, if at all. The Mavericks’ and their starting rotation’s inability to knock down threes against what seems to be the Lakers’ bench is concerning at best. Last year, the league average 3-point percentage was 38.7%. The Mavericks have a lot of work to do in that area if they expect to compete in the Western Conference.
-11: Klay Thompson’s plus-minus
Plus/Minus is usually a pretty flawed stat, not taking into account who you are on the floor with and what is happening within the game flow. But tonight, KlaThompson’s team’s worst -11 was felt, especially throughout the first half.
In the first half, Klay went 3-for-9 from the field, only knocking down a singular three-pointer in 12 minutes. He ended the game 4-of-11 and knocked down only one more three-point shot in only five second-half minutes.
This is a big deal for Dallas because they need Klay to return to form and be the Hall of Fame-level shooter he once was to make the big-heavy lineups work. The Mavericks’ offense has shown its best flashes when there is playmaking and shooting on the floor around Flagg and Davis, without Klay’s hot hand, which is hard to keep consistent.
Additionally, not only is it bad for the Mavericks, but as Klay continues to struggle, D’Angelo Russell, Ryan Nembhard, Max Christie, and other guards continue to shine throughout the preseason. Klay’s minutes and mood are definitely something to monitor if this keeps up.
5: Mavericks starters with double-digit points
The Mavericks starters all ended the night with ten or more points on the stat sheet. Davis led the way with 18, Cooper Flagg and PJ Washington both had 13 each, while Derrick Lively and Klay Thompson each scored 12 points. While it was not the most efficient night from the starting group, this is a positive sign of things to come.
The mavericks are spreading the ball around and not being a ‘heliocentric’ style team, which is exactly what the vision was when building this team. There has been a lot of talk about pace and ball movement in assistant coach Jay Triano’s new offense, and it showed tonight as the entire team contributed all over the stat sheet.
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