The Dallas Mavericks took on the Brooklyn Nets for the second Monday in a row, but the result was different that last week as they lost 113-109. This was a tale of two teams playing two different styles all night. The Nets hoisted threes every chance they got, while the Mavs pounded the paint throughout the game. The long-awaited return of Daniel Gafford contributed to Dallas’ efforts down low, but even if he hadn’t helped much, it was just nice to see him back on the floor. To further articulate the point of how the two squads played, the Nets attempted 37 three-pointers by the halfway mark of the third quarter, with the Mavericks shooting 55.8% on 52 two-pointers at the same point in the game. This was a game the Mavericks had to win, and instead they let it slip, specifically in the fourth quarter. Let’s get to the grades!
Spencer Dinwiddie: B
11 Points / 5 Rebounds / 8 Assists / 1 Steal / 0 Blocks (31 Minutes)
Dinwiddie continues to play solid ball for the Mavs and probably doesn’t get quite as much credit as he deserves. Yes, he sometimes pounds the air out of the ball and ends up forcing shots, but I maintain at least some of that is a result of a stagnant offense and teammates tossing him the ball for a bailout. Whatever the case, he does a bit of everything. The biggest mark against him tonight was a horrible foul that basically cost the Mavs the game. He was put out of position, but fouling on a wide-open layup resulted in the three-point play and a four-point deficit that proved too much to overcome.
Klay Thompson: C
13 Points / 3 Rebounds / 4 Assists / 1 Steal / 1 Blocks (28 Minutes)
Klay didn’t have a great shooting night, and the worst of it came at the worst possible time. He missed a shot on three straight Maverick possessions in the fourth quarter, which instantly resulted in the Mavs lead turning into a two-point deficit. While that one sequence doesn’t account for his entire game (nor was the entire exchange his fault), even hitting one of those shots would have been huge. Overall, even another made shot or two from beyond the arc would have been a huge help — the double-clutch miss in the closing seconds is the glaring example of his shooting night.
P.J. Washington: B-
13 Points / 5 Rebounds / 2 Assists / 0 Steals / 0 Blocks (31 Minutes)
Washington had a nice game, shooting efficiently and playing solid defense throughout. However, for leading the team in minutes, it’s reasonable to expect more from him, especially against a sub-par team that is far from full strength.
Anthony Davis: B
12 Points / 7 Rebounds / 5 Assists / 0 Steals / 1 Block (28 Minutes)
Davis had a nice game, but left us hungry for what he will be at his best when he’s fully healthy. There isn’t much to complain about, other than maybe just needing more of what he did bring and seeing him at full speed more consistently. His grade under the circumstances is tricky — he is clearly capable of much more, but his limited minutes coming off of injury can’t be overlooked.
Daniel Gafford: A-
17 Points / 7 Rebounds / 2 Assists / 0 Steals / 0 Blocks (19 Minutes)
Gafford did a little bit of everything in his comeback game. While not necessarily one of his monster games, I don’t know that it’s realistic to have expected much more from a guy who has lived on the injury report for weeks. He looked like he hardly missed a beat, and although that was likely helped by limited minutes, he was highly effective in the time he did play. A huge dunk and buzzer-beating jumper in the closing minutes were critical. Under the collective circumstances, he gets a well-deserved grade boost.
Naji Marshall: B-
8 Points / 8 Rebounds / 3 Assists / 1 Steal / 0 Blocks (27 Minutes)
Marshall was in foul trouble most of the night which limited his minutes and production, yet he still had an impact. In what has now become something of a trademark, he nailed one of his crazy floaters to beat the shot-clock in the fourth quarter to put the Mavs up by 10 at that point. He shot well overall and played intelligently, scoring at close range instead of tossing up threes.
Kai Jones: B+
7 Points / 5 Rebounds / 2 Assists / 0 Steals / 0 Blocks (16 Minutes)
Jones did what he has been doing, but just a little less of it since Gafford got the starting nod and took up some center minutes. He converted at a high clip, grabbed a few offensive rebounds and even dished some dimes.
Max Christie: B+
12 Points / 3 Rebounds / 0 Assists / 1 Steal / 0 Blocks (20 Minutes)
Oh Cormac, where art thou? In fairness, Christie had a relatively solid outing, but some of his misses were everything but in, and one can’t help but wonder how nice he is going to look when he once again finds the groove he had immediately following his arrival in Dallas.
Jaden Hardy: C
9 Points / 0 Rebounds / 1 Assist / 0 Steals / 0 Blocks (19 Minutes)
Something has to give with Hardy. He either has to learn to be something he currently is not, or Jason Kidd needs to stop having him orchestrate the offense. When he plays the point guard role, it generally does not go well. He often has his pocket picked or just registers unforced turnovers. When he’s playing more to his strengths, things go well. It’s almost that binary at this point. Whatever the case, this was not a good game, as you can see by the box score. A nice three to end the third quarter broke a tie and showed what Hardy should be doing a bit more of. About a minute later, he caught a pass, took a quick dribble and stroked another three. There’s gold in them thar hills…
Caleb Martin: B-
7 Points / 6 Rebounds / 2 Assists / 0 Steals / 1 Block (21 Minutes)
Martin was once again somewhat anonymous. To his credit, he looked more active (healthy?) and in sync tonight, but didn’t really impact the game in a jump-off-the-page way. He soared for a couple of rebounds and even got on the floor at one point, so he did contribute some intangibles, while not doing anything especially damaging. He had a strong drive and score midway through the fourth quarter and even helped run the offense a bit down the stretch.