The Dallas Mavericks made a trip east to face the 76ers on Saturday night. Coming off a gutsy overtime win against the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night, Dallas was unable to continue their winning ways as they were dealt a 121-114 loss.
Let’s get to the grades!
Ryan Nembhard: C+
7 PTS / 0 REB / 5 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 26 MIN
Nembhard was fine, with slightly subpar shooting (3-for-7) and an overall game that is best described as decent. Nothing remarkable, nothing terrible, nothing especially notable.
Naji Marshall: B+
22 PTS / 10 REB / 4 AST / 2 STL / 0 BLK – 34 MIN
Marshall has been playing great basketball lately and he continued
the trend tonight. His turnover total (5) left much to be desired, but otherwise he continued his trend of elite finishing in the paint to shoot 9-for-12 overall. He was slick in drawing a foul on a full-court heave at the end of the first quarter, earning himself a 3-for-3 trip to the free throw line.
Cooper Flagg: B+
24 PTS / 4 REB / 3 AST / 0 STL / 1 BLK – 36 MIN
Flagg continues to put in work. He shot well from the floor (8-for-16) and his free throw shooting was lights out (8-for-8). The counter point was four fouls and three turnovers. Generally speaking, he continues to grow and to show he is one of the best players on the team any given night. Tonight was no different. Solid outing that just wasn’t quite enough to help the team overcome some other errors.
P.J. Washington: B
15 PTS / 8 REB / 2 AST / 0 STL / 1 BLK – 30 MIN
Washington did a little bit of everything and had a hot hand, going 6-for-8 overall and 1-for-2 from beyond the arc, which only made it worse that he missed a three in the waning minutes that would have kept Dallas connected. One shot does not a grade make, and he did otherwise have a nice game, though his -13 plus/minus tells a tale of its own.
Anthony Davis: B+
24 PTS / 14 REB / 2 AST / 0 STL / 1 BLK – 34 MIN
Davis looked much better tonight, hopefully a sign that his calf injury and illness are behind him. He was badly pushed around by Andre Drummond a few times — not surprising given how Drummond plays — but the lack of forceful resistance was apparent. Still, he had himself a very nice night and was arguably Dallas’ best player for the evening. He connected on 55% of his 20 shots and went off for a nice double-double.
Klay Thompson: C-
10 PTS / 1 REB / 1 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 17 MIN
Thompson could not find the range from deep. He shot 4-for-10 overall, but missed 5-of-6 from downtown. Ouch. He was also a team high (low) minus-20 in plus/minus and was largely unmemorable aside from those glaring misses that just would not fall for him tonight.
Final Thoughts
The Mavs were a turnover machine in the first quarter. Had it not been for seven giveaways, the story at the end of the first frame may not have been a five-point deficit. Taking care of the ball continued to be a problem throughout, as was Philadelphia’s ability to collect offensive rebounds. The Mavs hurt themselves almost as much as the 6ers hurt them.
Simply put, this was a very, very winnable game for Dallas. Had they taken even poor care of the ball and fouled even slightly less (the starting five had 15 fouls combined), they probably would have won by seven instead of losing by seven.
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