The Mavericks finally got back on track Friday night with a 112-100 win over the Utah Jazz, and now they get another very winnable game Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets. Dallas enters at 5-4 after snapping a two-game losing streak, while Brooklyn entered the weekend at 2-6 and has to come to Dallas on the second night of a back-to-back after playing Atlanta on Saturday.
This is the type of game Dallas needs to start taking care of consistently. The Mavericks have already shown they can hang with much
better teams, but losses like the one to Sacramento have also shown how quickly things can go sideways when they play down to an opponent. Brooklyn has enough legitimate NBA talent to make that happen again if Dallas comes out flat.
Keep building on Friday
The Jazz win wasn’t perfect, but there were plenty of encouraging signs.
Cooper Flagg finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists despite another slow start; P.J. Washington carried the offense early with 26 points, and Morez Johnson Jr. was fantastic with 13 points and 17 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive glass. Santi Aldama also made his season debut, giving Dallas eight points and nine rebounds in just 13 minutes.
That is the kind of collective production Dallas needs. Kyrie Irving and Flagg combined to shoot just 3-of-17 in the first half against Utah, but the Mavericks survived until both eventually got going. Dallas has spent too much of the early season needing Flagg or Kyrie to solve everything. Friday was a good example of what this roster can look like when Washington, Morez and the rest of the rotation actually give them something.
Brooklyn should give Dallas another opportunity to build on that.
More Morez
Morez Johnson Jr. might be forcing Dusty May’s hand.
The rookie was one of Dallas’ best players Friday, dominating the offensive glass and giving the Mavericks the type of physicality they have badly needed with Dereck Lively II still sidelined. His 17-rebound performance was easily one of the biggest reasons Dallas controlled the second half against Utah.
Brooklyn has size with Julius Randle, Michael Porter Jr., Day’Ron Sharpe and Noah Clowney, so this will not be an easy matchup on the glass. But Morez has earned another real opportunity. Dallas has struggled with rebounding far too often this season, and right now the rookie is giving May something that is hard to take off the floor.
Aldama’s return only makes the frontcourt rotation more interesting.
Do not let Brooklyn’s veterans beat you
The Nets are young, but their two best players are not.
Michael Porter Jr. entered the weekend averaging 21.4 points and 7.4 rebounds, while Julius Randle was averaging 21 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. Porter is still one of the league’s more dangerous shooters when he gets comfortable, and Randle can punish smaller defenders if Dallas lets him establish position and work downhill.
That should make Washington especially important again. Dallas needs someone who can handle Randle physically without constantly forcing help, while the rest of the defense stays attached to Porter.
The Nets aren’t good enough for Dallas to treat this like some impossible matchup, but they have enough individual scoring talent to make the Mavericks pay for another lazy defensive night.
Take care of business
This is really what Sunday comes down to.
Dallas just started a three-game homestand with a win over Utah and gets Brooklyn before Indiana comes to town Monday. The Mavericks do not need anything spectacular here. They need to defend, rebound and avoid spending the first half trying to wake themselves up.
Brooklyn will also be playing its second game in as many nights, while Dallas has Saturday off. The Mavericks have no reason to be the team lacking energy.
Dallas has already played enough difficult games to start the season. Against teams like Brooklyn, the goal should be simple: don’t make the game harder than it needs to be.
When: Sunday, November 8, 6:30 p.m. CT
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
As of Saturday evening, Dereck Lively II, Sergio de Larrea and Tarik Biberovic are listed out for Dallas, while Caleb Martin is available. Brooklyn had not yet submitted its official injury report for Sunday’s game at the time of the latest NBA report.
