The last time the Dallas Mavericks took on the Utah Jazz, they lost both the game and Anthony Davis. Thursday night was a different story, as Dallas took a 144-122 win.
Let’s get to the grades!
Brandon Williams: A-
18 PTS / 2 REB / 3 AST / 0 STL / 1 BLK – 25 MIN
Williams was a flamethrower along with a few of his teammates. He did a little bit of everything, even blocking a shot, but did turn the ball over more than you’d like to see. Solid game and an excellent shooting night.
Jaden Hardy: B-
19 PTS / 1 REB / 5 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 25 MIN
Hardy wasn’t able to find his shot, especially from deep. Compounding the issue is that he didn’t
do much else to make up for his lack of offensive punch. He had a few dimes and hit his free throws, but fouled too often and wasn’t able to feast like some of his teammates. He came on a bit in the fourth when the game was long past over.
Caleb Martin: A+
14 PTS / 5 REB / 6 AST / 3 STL / 0 BLK – 29 MIN
Coming off a great outing Wednesday night, Martin got the starting nod in this one. It was nice to see him continue his red-hot shooting (6-for-8), while demonstrating the defensive prowess he was brought here for in what has become an ill-fated trade. Martin looks healthier and it’s nice to see him perform at this level on both sides of the ball, while also getting teammates involved. He has now put together his two best games as a Mav, by far.
Naji Marshall: A
22 PTS / 6 REB / 4 AST / 3 STL / 0 BLK – 24 MIN
Marshall joined Martin in the Thieves Guild with a high steal total to go along with his 20-plus points. He didn’t shoot quite as well as Martin, but he was highly efficient in his own right (9-for-15), on a higher number of shots. He took care of the ball, didn’t foul much and showed he can put on a show when he’s given the chance.
Dwight Powell: B+
6 PTS / 7 REB / 0 AST / 2 STL / 2 BLK – 25 MIN
I’m nudging Powell up a touch on the merits of his steals and blocks totals. He had himself a solid night other than a couple of bungled turnovers, even if his stat line doesn’t blow you away.
Ryan Nembhard: B-
8 PTS / 4 REB / 10 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 23 MIN
Nembhard was probably the toughest to grade tonight. He didn’t have a good shooting night and therefore didn’t score much, but his double-figure assists were impressive, especially with so few turnovers. Good game and nice work orchestrating when his shot wasn’t falling.
Moussa Cisse: A+
10 PTS / 13 REB / 2 AST / 0 STL / 3 BLK – 23 MIN
Cisse does not have a well-established baseline from which to formulate a grade. Fortunately, he made it easy with a relatively monstrous game. For a guy who shuffles between the NBA and G League and who may go long stretches without any floor time, he had himself a night for a team that is devoid of size.
Klay Thompson: A+
26 PTS / 1 REB / 6 AST / 1 STL / 1 BLK – 23 MIN
Any time Thompson drops five or more threes in a game, Dallas is likely to have a good night. He scored more points than minutes played, dished a nice assist total, and is now fourth all time in three-pointers made, moving past Damian Lillard on Thursday night.
Final thoughts
The lineups featured in this game on both sides were bizarre. Injuries and rest were the call of the day and it resulted in a lot of floor time for players we don’t normally see. As easy as it is to write off the smashing victory as a fluke against and injured team, Dallas was as worse for wear as Utah and still annihilated the Jazz despite not having much continuity among their available players.
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