The Dallas Mavericks travelled to the northwest to take on the Portland Trailblazers Friday night. The Mavs have officially been eliminated from Playoff contention, while the Blazers have clinched a spot in at least the Play In tournament. Despite having nothing to play for, Dallas got the 100-93 win.
Let’s get to the grades!
Cooper Flagg: B+
24 PTS / 3 REB / 2 AST / 4 STL / 0 BLK – 38 MIN
Flagg nailed 9-of-17 overall and had sticky hands to net himself a whopping four steals. His rebounding and assist totals were lower than we normally see, but this was still a very
solid game if not for a few turnovers (three).
Max Christie: C-
5 PTS / 3 REB / 2 AST / 1 STL / 2 BLK – 25 MIN
If it wasn’t for everything but scoring, Christie likely would have been a “D” Friday night. His 1-for-8 shooting was somewhat mind-boggling, especially after having found his rhythm over the past few games. Nice job doing some other things, including blocking shots.
Naji Marshall: A-
19 PTS / 3 REB / 3 AST / 5 STL / 0 BLK – 33 MIN
Marshall connected on 7-of-14 from the floor and had an insane number of steals, somehow outdoing Flagg’s exceptional performance in that category. This was a very nice, well-rounded game in which Marshall contributed to a long-awaited win.
P.J. Washington: C+
5 PTS / 5 REB / 0 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 27 MIN
Washington no-showed this one to a large degree, which was more disappointing that it otherwise would have been, given how well he played last game. There just simply isn’t much to say about this one.
Dwight Powell: C+
4 PTS / 5 REB / 3 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 21 MIN
Powell was Powell, giving the team a solid effort in limited minutes, but he also had some slightly inordinate negatives on the ledger. His total assists stand out, and he was 2-for-3 from the floor, but he bricked his only two free throw attempts and had three turnovers and three fouls.
Marvin Bagley: A+
26 PTS / 9 REB / 3 AST / 1 STL / 1 BLK – 27 MIN
Bagley had his highest scoring quarter of the season in the first, with 11 points, en route to his season high point total. He led the team in points, rebounds and assists (the latter of which he tied for the lead) and drilled 11-for-14 from the floor, including 3-for-5 from deep. Bagley was the best player on the floor and there is no chance the Mavs win without his efforts Friday night.
Final Thoughts
The Mavs don’t need to win, but they sure did need a win. It’s been a while since they’ve been on the positive side of an outcome and while it doesn’t help their draft position to win, it’s nice to see guys who work so hard every night get a taste of victory. Kudos to Flagg for a nice game, and to Bagley for serving as a one man gang.
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