The Dallas Mavericks returned from a five-day layoff on Friday to welcome the Brooklyn Nets to the American Airlines Center. Dallas continued their solid play and got themselves a 119-111 win, their fifth in the team’s last six games.
Let’s get to the grades!
Ryan Nembhard: D
0 PTS / 2 REB / 5 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 21 MIN
Nembhard’s magical run of efficient games came to an end against the Nets, at least for one night. He couldn’t find the bottom of the net while turning it over a shocking (based on his recent play) three times. He conceded minutes to Brandon Williams,
who orchestrated the offense in the clutch.
Naji Marshall: B+
17 PTS / 1 REB / 4 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 32 MIN
Marshall looks like the coolest guy on the court at all times. He’s never rushed and never gets flustered. Marshall casually made a handful of impressive passes, including a nice one to Anthony Davis for an alley-oop slam. He cleverly slowed down on a fast break to draw a foul and a 3-point play in the third quarter. His variety of unconventional flip shots looked like a sure thing every time he put them up (6-for-9 from the floor). It as a very nice game during a very nice string of games.
Cooper Flagg: B+
22 PTS / 5 REB / 8 AST / 1 STL / 1 BLK – 34 MIN
Flagg had a big first half before going quiet in the third quarter. It was almost as though he and Anthony Davis decided they’d spit the game down the middle. Flagg’s first half was an A+, but his second fell comparatively short. He didn’t play poorly in the second half; in fact, he responded well to more defensive attention by finding others and making the right play, as evidenced by his career-high assist total. Going 10-for-16 from the floor and avoiding any turnovers along the way were big pluses.
P.J. Washington: B
13 PTS / 4 REB / 2 AST / 1 STL / 2 BLK – 25 MIN
Washington was looking poised for a good night, but foul trouble saw him on the bench for long stretches. He did play a huge part in the closing minute, for better and worse. He drained two free throws, got a rebound off a Nets’ miss on the next play, was immediately fouled and then missed two free throws. Moments later, he tossed an inbounds pass right past Brandon Williams and out of bounds. Then he nailed two more free throws.
The closing minute was a microcosm of his night, with the good outweighing the bad overall. He also may have had the play of the game, recovering a blocked shot and initiating a fast break where he found Klay Thompson, who immediately fed him right back for an alley-oop. Washington then immediately intercepted the Nets’ inbound pass and dished to Thompson for a made three.
Anthony Davis: B
24 PTS / 14 REB / 3 AST / 3 STL / 2 BLK – 33 MIN
Davis did very little in the first half, then went off in the second half. While the preference would be a well-balanced game throughout, the final result was still pretty nice. His three turnovers and getting lit up by Michael Porter, Jr. on the perimeter on switches (which, in fairness, were disadvantageous to Davis by design) hurt his grade.
Max Christie: B+
15 PTS / 6 REB / 3 AST / 2 STL / 2 BLK – 33 MIN
Christie’s hot hand wore off as the night went on. He shot 5-for-13 overall, but still hit some big shots early in the game and connected on more threes than any other Maverick (four). His rebounding, assists, steals and blocks were all unexpected positives that filled out the stat sheet well. His pair of blocked shots (one of which looked like it came out of a video game) and awesome defense on a Michael Porter Jr. 3-point attempt late in the game also help his grade here.
Brandon Williams: B+
9 PTS / 3 REB / 5 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 26 MIN
Williams took the majority of the point guard minutes from the struggling Nembhard, and although his game wasn’t eye-popping, he played well and ran the offense effectively, putting pressure on the Nets’ defense with his speed and drives to the basket. He had a nice, if somewhat unassuming, game. He led the Mavs with a plus/minus of +14.
Klay Thompson: B
12 PTS / 2 REB / 2 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 20 MIN
4-for-9 overall and 3-for-7 from deep is a solid night for Thompson. It wasn’t his best game, but he made the most of limited minutes by knocking down shots and keeping the defense honest. He hit three 3-pointers, second only to Christie on the team. All three were needed in a game where the Mavs were outclassed from deep.
Final Thoughts
The Mavs’ lack of perimeter defense showed itself again, following a nice stretch of games that saw them move into the league lead for defending the 3-ball. The Nets fired at will from deep on Friday, shooting 13-for-39 from 3-point range. Brooklyn shot better than 50% through three quarters. Had it not been for their hot hand going cold down the stretch, it’s difficult to envision things being as close or generally entertaining as they were. There were 20 lead changes and 10 ties before the fourth quarter began.
The game probably should not have been as close as it was, but getting outscored by 21 from beyond the arc tends to do that. The Mavs offset that deficiency with scoring in the paint, and in the end, outplayed Brooklyn in the clutch to close out another win.
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