Fresh off their first win of the season last night, the Dallas Mavericks played host to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on night two of the back-to-back set. Once again sporting their throwback
green jerseys, the Mavs couldn’t bring their green magic this time, falling 101-94.
Let’s get to the grades!
COOPER FLAGG: C-
2 PTS / 2 REB / 0 AST / 2 STL / 0 BLK – 31 MIN
The second night of his first NBA back-to-back ought to be summarily forgotten by all parties. The less said about this one, the better, as there is virtually nothing positive whatsoever. Make no mistake, this game is really a D. A 1 out of 10 in every sense. That said, we’re not going to bury the rookie in his first back-to-back against the defending champs, so a C- it is.
MAX CHRISTIE: C+
14 PTS / 2 REB / 0 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 31 MIN
Christie had a chance to start due to the absence of Dereck Lively, and he certainly earned it with his play across the first three games of the season. For most of the game he didn’t make a convincing statement to be the starter going forward, but then, he nearly did. He nailed some huge threes to keep the Mavs connected and ended up shooting well despite not contributing much else in terms of stats. Solid game building on a solid start to the season.
KLAY THOMPSON: C-
8 PTS / 4 REB / 2 AST / 0 STL / 1 BLK – 22 MIN
Thompson got the benefit of a slightly higher grade last night, but that isn’t the case tonight. He grabbed himself a few boards, but that’s about the only high note. Thompson is here to shoot, and while he connected on a few threes, his overall shooting was basically terrible. The guy is a legend and hall of famer, but these first few games are showing he might be better suited coming off the bench so Flagg can slide to the two guard and D’Angelo Russell can start at point.
P.J. WASHINGTON: B-
15 PTS / 9 REB / 3 AST / 1 STL / 1 BLK – 38 MIN
Washington didn’t have his typical game against the Thunder (where he generally dominates), but he still played relatively well. He and Anthony Davis have arguably been the most consistent players so far this season, with Washington probably taking the crown despite less gaudy numbers. He’s simply been solid. That said, he had the worst plus/minus by far for most of the game, and bricking as many free throws as he did really drove his grade down in an otherwise decent night.
ANTHONY DAVIS: A-
26 PTS / 11 REB / 3 AST / 0 STL / 1 BLK – 38 MIN
Davis single handedly kept the Mavs in the game in the early going, getting nearly anything he wanted despite OKC’s height and overall defensive tenacity. After getting destroyed by Victor Wembanyama in the season opener, Davis quieted some of the doubters in this one going up against size and excellent defense.
D’ANGELO RUSSELL: C-
9 PTS / 2 REB / 10 AST / 0 STL / 1 BLK – 30 MIN
Russell had me all but convinced that his second half play from last night was going to be the new world order going forward, but alas, it was not. Russell could not shoot the ball, yet took what would have been a game-tying three for another miss. That’s a microcosm of his game, but for how well he was passing and how poorly he was shooting, that ill-advised shot was the cherry on top of a disaster sundae.
NAJI MARSHALL: C-
9 PTS / 4 REB / 0 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 23 MIN
Marshall hit his free throws, but like most of the other Mavs, a single item is really the only positive in a generally ugly game for nearly everyone. Marshall is a valuable asset to the Mavs, playing solid defense and scoring without plays being run for him, but virtually none of that happened in tonight’s game.
After giving up 60, 58 and 66 first half points in their first three games respectively, Dallas’s defense showed flashes of what it was touted to be, giving up only 48 in the first half to the defending champs. Perhaps even better, Dallas only gave up two free throws in the first two frames, against a team that was averaging over 30 per game (granted they had two double-overtime games thus far). Unfortunately, Dallas hasn’t quite hit on all cylinders at the same time this season as they figure things out. The Mavericks shot a woeful 15-for-45 (33.3%) and put up only 42 points over the same span.
Entering the second half in striking distance, the Mavs got smacked, giving up 39 points in the third quarter alone. They deserve a ton of credit for making things interesting down the stretch with a huge 15-0 run. Had they made even half that effort in the third, this could have been a different story. It’s notable that Thompson was on the bench in the clutch, Russell was on the floor running point (despite a poor game), and Jaden Hardy was a huge part of getting the Mavs back in it.
This has not been an ideal start to the season, but the Mavs showed a ton of heart and showed glimpses they can legitimately hang with the best when things are going even somewhat right. They fouled much less (against a team that has been a magnet for fouls) and kept it interesting despite their two-headed center monster sitting on the bench. If the team can collectively be at it’s best, they may just yet be scarry.
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