The Dallas Mavericks, entering the night winless in November and coming off three straight losses overall, took on the Memphis Grizzlies on the first night of a back-to-back, losing 118-104. The loss not only keeps Dallas in last place in the Western Conference, but also makes them 0-1 in NBA Cup Group play, with a large point differential to boot.
P.J. Washington got the call early and often, taking the first four shots of the game for Dallas and five of their first six (going 2-for-5 in that stretch).
He, along with Max Christie, were the bulk of the Dallas offense throughout the first quarter and the Mavs needed every bit of what they brought. Dallas was outscored 34-24 in the frame, despite Washington’s 11 points (5-for-11 from the floor) and Christie’s 5 points (2-for-3 overall). Both teams entered the game reeling, but only one played with desperation from the tip and it wasn’t Dallas.
The second quarter began with a bit of positivity, but not because of anything Dallas did. Ja Morant, who drove to the hoop an astonishing ten times in the first quarter, picked up his third foul in the opening minute. Morant went to the bench shortly thereafter, but it hardly mattered. Dallas was completely dominated for twelve straight minutes and saw the Memphis lead balloon to 23 before the halftime buzzer sounded with the Mavs down 74-51.
The halftime pep talk couldn’t shake the cobwebs as Dallas was quickly outscored 13-5 in the first four-plus minutes of the third quarter. The lowlight of that mini-run was a Memphis inbound that resulted in a pass from half court to the basket, catching the Mavs completely unaware. After falling behind by more than 30, Dallas woke up a bit with the help of Moussa Cisse (10 points, 8 rebounds on the night), ultimately outscoring the Grizzlies 29-28 in the quarter.
Dallas carried their improved effort into the fourth quarter, but never truly threatened the massive lead the Grizzlies built, as the bench players saw meaningful time in a game that had been decided much earlier in the night.
This Team is Built for Defense?
The calling card for Dallas was supposed to be their vaunted defense, however that has yet to really materialize this season. Granted, Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively are still riding the pine with injuries, but when you aren’t stopping drives and aren’t contesting threes, are you really playing defense at all? This was truly one of the most inept defensive efforts you could imagine seeing at the NBA level. Memphis basically got anything they wanted at any time they wanted it. Dallas allowed 74 points in the first half and 100 points before the third quarter ended! Memphis had seven players in double figure scoring. Nothing about what took place tonight is the hallmark of a top-tier defense, to say the least.
Klay Thompson Off the Bench
Thompson came off the bench last game to hit 4-for-7 from the floor including 3-for-6 from three and it was looking like the change was just what he and the team needed. Tonight was an entirely different story. Thompson was 0-for-6 for zero points. The team is in disarray because of injury, but coach Kidd’s comments that Thompson’s bench role is temporary should be reconsidered even after the team is full strength. The Mavs need to start a true point guard and simply have to give consideration to starting Max Christie full time. Christie converted 7-for-12 overall tonight, 4-for-7 from three and led the team in scoring with 18.
Life Beyond the Arc
Memphis, averaging 33% on threes for the season, came out on fire against a Mavs team that simply couldn’t defend against the long ball. In the first half, the Grizzlies shot 10-for-21 on threes compared to the Mavs’ 4-for-17. Getting out-scored by 18 points from beyond the arc certainly lends itself to a 23-point halftime deficit. The three-point defense wasn’t just bad, it was basically comically disastrous. In the first half alone, Dallas committed three improbable fouls on three-point shooters: a four-point play opportunity for Santi Aldama on a made three (he missed the free throw), a foul on a Jaren Jackson attempt which he missed, only to drain all three free throws, and another foul against Aldama, this one a flagrant which resulted in three more converted free throws. Memphis regressed to the mean as the game went on, but not because Dallas necessarily improved their defensive effort. When all was said and done, Dallas was outscored by only 9 points on three-point shots, but converting only 26% to Memphis’ 37% from beyond the arc was a disaster.
Dallas gets right back to it tomorrow night against the Wizards and hopefully comes with better energy and effort in that one before the season starts to really get away from them.
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