The Dallas Mavericks (15-25) welcomed the Brooklyn Nets (11-25) to Texas on Monday night. Both teams are struggling to the point that if you combined their win totals, it still wouldn’t be enough to claim first place in either conference. The Mavs at least came away with a 113-105 win.
Let’s get to the grades!
Jaden Hardy: C+
14 PTS / 2 REB / 0 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 22 MIN
Hardy showed what he can be when he’s at his best. I long advocated for him to play off-ball coming off the bench, feeling he was not a natural point guard, but rather a microwave scorer. Tonight
he started, but still microwave scored. His first half alone was 11 points in just over 13 minutes, on 4-for-9 shooting with 3-for-6 from deep. His shooting in the second half dropped a good bit, which almost further demonstrates that microwaves cook quickly and then turn off. Watching him go full sprint with Dwight Powell to both dive for a loose ball was a cool moment in the game.
Max Christie: C-
10 PTS / 5 REB / 2 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 34 MIN
Christie may have suffered a bit by Hardy’s introduction to the starting lineup. He often reverted to an exclusive three-point shooter, but with sub-par results (1-for-8 from downtown). He got into the action a bit more later in the game, and played some solid on-ball defense at points. Extra credit for a very nice defensive play one-on-one against Nic Claxton, preventing a post-up and then grabbing the rebound off the miss.
Cooper Flagg: A
27 PTS / 5 REB / 5 AST / 3 STL / 1 BLK – 35 MIN
Flagg found his shot (10-for-17) after a rough shooting night last game. He drove and finished, hit shots (including a difficult one-legged mid-range where he most certainly was fouled but didn’t get the call), hit free throws and was the best player for Dallas for most of the game. He had a crucial steal with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and was rewarded with a monstrous dunk on the other end to put Dallas up by nine points at the time. He rolled his ankle to give us all a scare, but came back to the game looking no worse for wear. A few more rebounds would have been nice, but Flagg is now unquestionably the featured player on this team and he capitalized on that in a big way.
Naji Marshall: A
22 PTS / 4 REB / 9 AST / 3 STL / 1 BLK – 32 MIN
Marshall didn’t look quite right in the early going. His trusty floaters were a little short and he botched a few rotations that led to Nets’ scores. In the second half, he turned it on in a big, big way, especially in the fourth quarter where he basically took over the game (scoring 12 points in the frame) before Flagg put on some finishing touches. His very nice assist total to lead all Mavs really elevated his grade, especially with only (2) turnovers. Great game after a slow start. The Mavs easily could have lost without his effort tonight.
Dwight Powell: B+
5 PTS / 10 REB / 3 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 35 MIN
Powell was Powell. He brought the same energy he bring every game since the moment he got to Dallas. This guy is a pro’s pro and really deserves his flowers as one of the most “stay ready” players you will find. He led the team with 10 rebounds against a Nets team that features plenty of height. He also took his requisite shot to the face when he accidentally head-butted Nic Claxton by accident, so it was a complete game indeed.
Ryan Nembhard: B+
9 PTS / 1 REB / 8 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 22 MIN
Nembhard was solid and probably should have spelled Hardy a touch more when the latter went a little cold. Eventually their minutes played evened out a bit and although his numbers didn’t leap off the page, he did a nice job managing the offense and hitting a few timely shots to finish 4-for-8 overall with an 8:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Moussa Cisse: C+
2 PTS / 6 REB / 0 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 12 MIN
Cisse was grabbing a rebound per minute for a five-minute stretch, but also committed three fouls in that same span, sending to the bench for a good long time before he was needed again in the third quarter to match Brooklyn’s size (Christie could cover the opposing center only so often). Solid rebounding but not a whole lot else. He shows potential and hopefully will refine his game in the absence of so many other bigs on the injured list.
Klay Thompson: A-
18 PTS / 2 REB / 1 AST / 1 STL / 1 BLK – 27 MIN
It’s not clear to me if Thompson is turning it on because he wants to get traded to a contender, or what. You would think with all the injuries on the team, Thompson would have a harder time getting his looks, but he did fantastic tonight, highlighted by 6-for-9 shooting from deep. He hit a huge three-pointer to stymie a Nets’ run in the third quarter after Flagg went to the bench with a rolled ankle. Then did it again in the fourth quarter to give Dallas a bit of breathing room. Inside that arc left something to be desired, but he had a solid game and contributed to the win in a meaningful way.
Final Thoughts
Neither of these teams is a juggernaut looking to make deep postseason runs, but they at least made for an entertaining game. Marshall showed what he can do when he is featured, and seeing Flagg play without having to defer to another star was nice and should hopefully help his development in a big way.
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