The Dallas Mavericks were on the first night of a back-to-back Wednesday when they hosted the Denver Nuggets. The Mavs have had success against the Nuggets this year, but took a 118-109 loss in this one.
We’ll keep this Grades piece concise. The game was abysmal, featured multiple injuries, and we have a quick turn-around to a game tomorrow. Let’s get to the grades!
Jaden Hardy: C
8 PTS / 4 REB / 1 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 28 MIN
Hardy tossed bricks for most of the night and couldn’t quite leave his finger prints on the game. He took care of the ball, but largely because he didn’t pass all that much, as evidenced by his assist total.
Naji Marshall: B+
24 PTS / 5 REB / 3 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 38 MIN
It’s difficult to imagine what this game would have looked like without Marshall. His rebounding and assist total weren’t off the charts, but his shooting was excellent and he was the only player that could score with regularity.
Cooper Flagg: N/A
6 PTS / 1 REB / 1 AST / 0 STL / 1 BLK – 15 MIN
Flagg shot poorly (3-for-9), which was a theme for Dallas in this one. He rolled his ankle for the second game in a row, returned to the floor, but then sat out the second half. It might be worth it to give him a night or two off at some point, and tomorrow’s game is an ideal opportunity to do just that.
P.J. Washington: C
12 PTS / 6 REB / 2 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 31 MIN
Washington gets a bit of a break on his grade since he’s coming off an injury, but there was really nothing pretty about his game. There was rust on his shot and he was largely ineffective in somewhat limited minutes.
Daniel Gafford: B
6 PTS / 10 REB / 0 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 18 MIN
Gafford had a nice game, highlighted by double-figure rebounds, yet didn’t have a material impact. This is especially true relative to his lack of steals or blocks and not being able to capitalize more against an undersized Nuggets team. He played through an injury, but went to the bench for good in the third quarter.
Brandon Williams: B-
20 PTS / 7 REB / 1 AST / 1 STL / 1 BLK – 25 MIN
Williams put up good numbers, but couldn’t hit layups or three-pointers. His strength is a quick first step to blow by opponents, but not being able to finish negates that.
Caleb Martin: B+
15 PTS / 4 REB / 3 AST / 3 STL / 0 BLK – 23 MIN
It’s not often we get to grade Martin. He joined Marshall as really the only other player that put up decent numbers relative to minutes, with an effort that actually impacted the game. He was a huge part of a big third quarter run to keep the game interesting before it fell apart again. He couldn’t miss and his steal total was impressive.
Final yhoughts
The game was a mess, accentuated by some of the worst three-point shooting imaginable. Then Caleb Martin of all players led a huge comeback to keep things interesting going into the fourth quarter. The Nuggets woke up and put things to bed.
There was very little redeemable about this game and even less that was memorable. The biggest story is the status of Cooper Flagg after rolling his ankle. The injury didn’t seem serious, but it won’t be surprising to see him get a rest on Thursday.
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