The Dallas Mavericks were once again sporting their beautiful Hardwood Classic green jerseys as they took on the Phoenix Suns in a new era of Dallas hoops, sans the leadership of Nico Harrison. On a night where hope returned to the Metroplex, the good vibes were unfortunately dashed with the Mavs losing 123-114.
Let’s get to the grades!
Brandon Williams: A-
17 PTS / 5 REB / 9 AST / 3 STL / 0 BLK – 33 MIN
Williams does some special things that few others on the team do consistently. He’s scrappy, fearless driving to the hoop and capably runs the offense – a critical
element on a team with a dearth of guards. He was the engine behind resuscitating the Mavs in the fourth quarter and has earned the starting spot for sure. Despite going 0-for-3 from the three-point line, he hit 7-for-13 overall. He gaudy assist total was offset a bit by too many turnovers (four), but this was a good game bolstered by leadership and intangibles that brought the Mavs back from a rout.
Max Christie: B+
12 PTS / 6 REB / 7 AST / 0 STL / 1 BLK – 34 MIN
Christie had a sneak- good game. He hit 4-for-9 from the floor and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc, while snatching a bunch of boards (tied for second most on the team). You’d like to see him score a few more points, but it’s difficult to complain much about that on a night he dished a career high assist total.
Cooper Flagg: A-
16 PTS / 6 REB / 6 AST / 3 STL / 2 BLK – 34 MIN
Coming off a career high in scoring, Flagg struggled with his shot in the early going. Then he got hot and pulled his shooting percentage to a much more respectable level. When all was said and done, he did a good bit of everything on both sides of the ball. Not the best shooting night, especially from the free throw line (1-for-4), but joining only LeBron James and Tracy McGrady on the list of 19 year olds with a 15/5/5 stat line helps inflate his grade.
P.J. Washington: N/A
6 PTS / 0 REB / 0 AST / 1 STL / 1 BLK – 5 MIN
Washington has probably been the Mavs most consistent player, so his early exit hurt the team for sure. Washington was 3-for-5 for six points and poised to have a big game, but wasn’t able to make it halfway through the first quarter before exiting with a shoulder injury.
Daniel Gafford: A-
15 PTS / 9 REB / 0 AST / 1 STL / 2 BLK – 27 MIN
Gafford was a bit quiet in the early going, but came alive in the fourth quarter and suddenly had himself a very nice game. He had a great drive-and-finish that started near the three-point line, and forced a turnover with a sneaky poke-away, to go along with the usual high shooting percentage and some solid rebounding. 6-for-7 from the floor and a near double-double is about all you could ask.
D’Angelo Russell: D
5 PTS / 0 REB / 3 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 14 MIN
Russell’s inability to shoot has become a massive problem. What initially could be chalked up to early season rust has proven to be a trend. To his credit, he has a short memory and brings it when he’s on the floor, but thus far “it” isn’t much.
Klay Thompson: C
19 PTS / 3 REB / 1 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 30 MIN
This was a high-volume shooting, low conversation rate, not a whole lot of much else, type of game for Thompson. His shooting percentage improved as the game went on (and was hurt by two tosses he had to make to beat the clock), but if you’re going to lead the team in shot attempts a few more have to go in.
Moussa Cisse: A-
4 PTS / 9 REB / 0 AST / 0 STL / 4 BLK – 15 MIN
Cisse is just plain fun to watch. He brought much needed energy and ably fills the gap of the decimated center position. Tonight, he did all you could ask. He converted the few shots he got, racked up the blocks and hauled in rebounds. This was a hyper-productive game in very limited minutes, giving him a big boost on his grade. The only real blemish on this game was the disproportionate number of fouls he tallied.
Final Thoughts
A matchup between these two teams was must-see just a few short seasons ago, but much has changed since then. Dallas is establishing itself as one of the very worst teams in the league, and while Phoenix may not be making a run to the Finals in June, they came into tonight’s game on a mini win streak which they were able to extend without much trouble.
The Mavs are of course experiencing a run of injuries that extends back well into last season – surely a contributing factor to their lack of cohesion – but of the various items that need attention, one in particular is intensely glaring at this point. The Mavericks are either completely incapable of, or completely disinterested in, guarding the three-point line.
This is not a new issue for Dallas. In fact, it’s something I’ve personally bemoaned since prior to last season. Although my expectations are likely unreasonably high, what we’re seeing night after night must get better as a matter of urgency. Again and again the Mavs were a step late on rotations, standing five-deep in the paint as the ball kicked out to a wide-open Suns’ shooter, or sprinting back to the hoop on transition defense rather than picking up a man who instead sat ready for an uncontested three.
The other side of the three-point equation is unfavorable, too. Dallas hoists them as though it’s their calling card, but unfortunately it isn’t. I chose a random moment in the second half – two minutes remaining in the third quarter – and the Mavs were at 31% on 32 three-point attempts while the Suns were 43% on 28 attempts. Dallas has to fix this, at least on the defensive end, if they’re going to be able to hang in games. I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.
