Player Grades – Recapping the Mavericks vs. the Knicks

SB Nation

The Dallas Mavericks dropped a close one to the New York Knicks on Wednesday night, falling 113-111. The Knicks were seeking their first road win of the season, and Dallas unfortunately accommodated them

in a winnable game that came down to an offensive foul call on what could have been a game winning play if the foul went the other way.

Let’s get to the grades!

Brandon Williams: D

9 PTS / 2 REB / 4 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 20 MIN

Williams could not find the range, going 2-for-11 from the floor and only 1-for-6 from three. His free throw shooting boosted his point total slightly, but he struggled in this one, committing three turnovers and four fouls in only 20 minutes of play. His grade would have risen a bit had his game-tying layup not been waived off for an offensive foul that arguably was a foul against him before he hooked the defender. Instead, the play just reinforced the overall poor game.

Max Christie: A-

15 PTS / 7 REB / 1 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 37 MIN

For 37 minutes of action, you could argue Christie could have done a bit more, but otherwise he had a great game and did all you could reasonably expect. 5-for-10 overall and 3-for-6 on threes, hit both of his free throws and grabbed seven boards. Like Williams, however, he too had three turnovers and four fouls which didn’t help his cause. Still, a major bounce-back game from last time.

Klay Thompson: B

13 PTS / 2 REB / 2 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 27 MIN

Thompson had a solid game, but still hasn’t put it together in every facet. He was a solid 5-for-11 overall, but missed 6 of his 9 threes. In what was a hack-fest, he also committed 3 fouls.

P.J. Washington: C-

6 PTS / 10 REB / 4 AST / 3 STL / 0 BLK – 33 MIN

The only thing that kept Washington out of the grade basement was his rebound total and some of the intangible he brought. He was a perplexing 1-for-12 from the floor and joined his teammates on the hack train (3 fouls of his own). The only good thing about this was that he likely won’t shoot this bad again for the rest of the season.

Dereck Lively: B+

4 PTS / 10 REB / 1 AST / 0 STL / 3 BLK – 18 MIN

Lively is a tough grade because of how few minutes he played, but the 10 boards and the fact he was the only starter with a favorable plus/minus gave him a bump. The numbers look strange given the minutes restriction, but overall he played a nice game highlighted by his rebounding total.

D’Angelo Russell: A

23 PTS / 5 REB / 7 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 25 MIN

Russell had probably his best game as a Mav. He went off in the third quarter in a fun and efficient display, tying for the team high in points (with Naji Marshall). He finally found his shot from all ranges as well. A blistering 9-for-15 from the floor and 4-for-7 from downtown to go along with a nice rebound and assist total. He turned it over a bit (3) and did a little too much with too little a return toward the end, including a step-back airball three on a possession where points really mattered, but overall had his gem of the season so far.

Naji Marshall: A-

23 PTS / 5 REB / 1 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 34 MIN

Marshall had arguably his best offensive game so far. 7-for-11 from the field, 3-for-5 from three, 6-for-7 from the free throw line. Top marks elude him on the basis of fewer defensive impacts that you’d normally see and four turnovers, but he had himself a great game that along with Russell, made up for some of his teammates’ struggles.

Final Thoughts

This was a very winnable game for the Mavs, even with Cooper Flagg sidelined. It proved to be a close matchup that was quite exciting down the stretch, but you can’t help but feel it was exciting for the wrong reasons. The Mavs had the game won if not for a badly missed shot and a turnover that could have been the difference. On the other hand, once the Knicks had control, they inexplicably allowed the Mavs to stay close. When a team missed 16 of their 35 free throws, you cannot lose the game, especially when you’re hitting 25-for-30 on free throws of your own. The blame does not fall to any one player, but had Washington and Williams not had the worst shooting nights they may ever have, it’s a win for Dallas.

Worse still, Williams drove the length of the court and hit a game-tying layup and got an and-one.. except he didn’t. What looked like a bump from the defender for a no call ultimately proved to be Williams hooking said defender and getting called for the foul, resulting in a turnover and a loss for Dallas.