The Mavericks were 1-1 this past week and remain locked into 12th place in the West. They played both games at home, beating Golden State (123-115) and losing to the Los Angeles Lakers (116-110). Dallas was supposed to fly to Milwaukee for a game on Sunday, but due to inclement weather, the game was postponed. Naji Marshall led the team in scoring with 25.5 points per game. Kyrie Irving (knee) and Anthony Davis (finger) remain out.
The Mavericks had a good win against the Warriors. They survived an onslaught from Steph Curry, which, frankly, was breathtaking to witness. Curry had 38 points on 8-of-15 from deep, and each subsequent shot was more incredible than the last. Still, Dallas was able to mitigate the “other guys” and likely got saved from a massive night from Jonathan Kuminga when he exited with an injury after scoring 10 points in nine minutes. Naji Marshall, Max Christie, and Cooper Flagg were all really good, and had the fourth quarter of the Lakers game not happened, this might have been an A+ week.
But the Mavericks get a C+ instead. And yes, that fourth quarter was so bad, it cost them two grades. With 9:38 remaining in the game, the Lakers had put together one of the worst 14.5-minute stretches of basketball I have ever seen to begin the second half. They had scored 14 points until then, and Dallas held a 93-79 lead. From that point forward, Los Angeles outscored the Mavericks 37-17 in just over 9.5 minutes of game time. If you don’t want to do the math, that’s a pace of 187 points per 48 minutes the Mavericks allowed to close the game.
Their defense was putrid, they got stagnant on offense, and head coach Jason Kidd refused to shake things up. Brandon Williams had an excellent run to close the third and was a big reason why Dallas held that lead. But his magic ran out quickly in the final frame, and yet Kidd stuck with him until the clock hit zero. Cooper Flagg was passive and settled. P.J. Washington was in the game, but you could not tell. The lack of a point guard on this team was never more obvious than when Dallas could not get a good shot for what seemed like hours while the Lakers got bucket after bucket on the other end.
And, as horrible as the Lakers’ (and specifically Luka Doncic) defense was in the first three periods, they were just as lights out defensively in the fourth. It was the kind of loss that would have driven everyone mad if the Mavericks were playing for a playoff seeding. With three games in four days this week, they need to flush that collapse and build on the seven quarters they played at a very high level.
Straight A’s: Max Christie
I could have given Naji Marshall A’s this week, too, but Marshall is just doing what he has done all year. Christie, on the other hand, has added things to his game that he did not have last season, and maybe not even earlier this year. Everyone knows about the shooting: 45.5 percent from 3-point range on 5.8 attempts per game. But what I have been most impressed with is his two-point shot diet. He shot 50 percent on 12 twos this week and showed off some moves that were very mature. One stands out against the Lakers, where he caught the ball in transition, pushed, and used his body effectively on a slow euro-step to go into Jake LaRavia and draw a foul:
He has rapidly improved in his time in Dallas. Christie is just 22 and making under $9 million for the next two seasons. He may be playing well enough to bring in a serious return in trade, but I think it is in Dallas’s best interest to retain him as part of their young core. Much like how I felt about Quentin Grimes, it is important to actually keep some of the young, talented guards you have instead of trading them for cost control purposes. Christie certainly falls in that category and is an excellent complementary piece for a rebuild around Cooper Flagg.
Currently Failing: P.J. Washington
Washington has not been the same since injuring his ankle against Houston earlier this month. In the three games he has played since, he has scored just 24 points in 79 minutes while shooting 33 percent from the floor. His impact has been overwhelmingly negative, and he just looks off. His head is not there right now, and you can tell by the way he is moving on offense. Every dribble and push shot or floater looks a step slow, and you can see his brain over-analyzing what to do in real time. It’s not a matter of talent, because we all have seen what he can be. Washington just needs to refocus and stop thinking as much when he is out there. With all the trade talk surrounding Dallas, it is probably a good thing for Washington that he cannot be dealt this season. It is in his best interest to focus on playing for the rest of the year without distractions and finish strong.
Extra Credit: Luka Doncic
Before Saturday’s game against the Lakers, former Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic reached out to 22 online personalities to invite them to the game for a meet-and-greet, as well as a chance to sit in his suite for the action:
This group included our very own editor-in-chief, Kirk Henderson, who brought his son with him for an experience they will both remember for the rest of their lives. It was an awesome gesture by Doncic, and one that he absolutely did not have to do. In talking with people who were invited, everyone agreed that he could not have been nicer.
Doncic will always be loved in Dallas. He will never look normal in purple and gold. We don’t know if he has had thoughts about returning to play for the Mavericks one day, but it is clear that he still thinks about the city and the fans regularly.