The Mavericks were 1-2 this past week and fell to 11th place in the West. They beat Detroit (116-114) at home in overtime, then hit the road and lost to Philadelphia (121-114) and New Orleans (119-113). Anthony Davis led the team in scoring this past week with 24.7 points per game. Davis (calf/illness) returned to action against Detroit, while Kyrie Irving (knee) remained out. Max Christie (illness) missed Monday’s game in New Orleans.
Grade: C+
The Mavericks were on their way to a high B grade this week with
10:17 left in the fourth quarter against the Pelicans. They led 94-83, and the win would have been their second of the week and a bounce-back after falling flat in the fourth quarter against the Sixers. Unfortunately, for the second consecutive game, Dallas crumbled and got outscored 40 to 26 in the final frame to lose their second game in a row. That means they were outscored 70 to 43 in back-to-back fourth quarters.
The Mavericks’ disadvantage at guard and lack of rim protection reared their ugly heads in the two losses. Tyrese Maxey killed Dallas in the fourth on Saturday, and Zion Williamson and Sadiq Bey got whatever they wanted at the rim down the stretch on Monday. As long as the roster is constructed the way it is, this will just be the way they lose games: either to dynamic guard play, aggressive attacking, or both. They were 14 points worse per 100 possessions than their opponents in the second half this week. The offense stagnated, and the defense got tired when it couldn’t afford to, and even though they held on against the Pistons, it caught up with them against Philadelphia and New Orleans.
Still, they were 10 minutes from a positive 2-1 week. But, as the Mavericks sit at 11-19, the time to decide on the direction of the season grows closer.
Straight A’s: Naji Marshall
No one played incredibly well in all three games this week, but Marshall continues to do a little bit of everything for this team. He scored 17.7 points, grabbed 5.7 rebounds, and dished out 3.7 assists in 32.2 minutes per night. He is a fun player to watch, and Dallas was 26 points better with him on the floor over this stretch.
Currently Failing: Anthony Davis
The statistics will not support a failing grade for Davis. He averaged nearly 25 points and 15 rebounds in the last three games. But if you watched those contests, you would notice a lack of intensity, especially on offense, from the Mavericks’ big man. Dallas was outscored by seven points when Davis was on the floor this week, which was actually 15 if you remove the 19-11 run in the first seven minutes of the third quarter against Detroit, where Cooper Flagg led the charge. Davis had a scoreless first half in that game, and few of his points in the subsequent games felt meaningful. The Pelicans had a layup line going in the ladder stages of the fourth, and Davis was right there letting it happen for all 12 minutes. As the trade season ramps up, it has not been clearer that Dallas needs to move on from him.
Extra Credit: Klay Thompson
Thompson erupted for 20 first-half points against the Pelicans. Thompson has scored 20-plus just two other times this year, and has not done it since November 29th. The Mavericks benefit greatly when Thompson makes shots, and that showed as they posted their seventh-highest first-half total this season (63 points) in New Orleans. The Mavericks lack shooting almost everywhere, so Thompson provides a spacing element that they do not have in anyone else. Outside of the Mavericks being a better team when he is on, it is always a joy to see a vintage performance from one of the games’ all time greats.
