The Dallas Mavericks were absolutely humiliated by the Cleveland Cavaliers, losing 144-101 away from home. The Cavaliers absolutely trounced the Mavericks, who looked all out of sorts against the best team in the NBA. Fans of the Mavericks have to worry whether this is the beginning of what will be a difficult period without Luka Doncic.
Jaden Hardy was the only Mavericks star to even cross 20 points, scoring 21 points (8-19 FG), three rebounds, and two assists. But even his game was wildly disappointing, as he went an abysmal 3-12 from the three-point line, showing just how much he has to develop as a player.
Klay Thompson continued his disappointing and inconsistent season with the Mavericks with yet another shambolic performance. He scored just two points (1-10 FG), five rebounds, and three assists. Thompson shot 0-6 from three, proving that Hardy’s struggles from deep were a pattern for the entire team.
The Mavericks definitely fielded a very young lineup tonight, but the performances from their fringe players will do little to inspire confidence among the fanbase in their future after the Luka Doncic trade.
A blowout loss by 43 points is the last thing the team needed after the most volatile and controversial trade in NBA history. With that in mind, let us grade the Mavericks players’ performance on the night.
Klay Thompson: D
Stats: 2 PTS, 5 REB (2 OREB, 3 DREB), 3 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 1-10 FG, 0-6 3PT, 0-0 FT, -24, 18 MIN
Klay Thompson played the role of the veteran leader of the squad tonight but hardly played like one. For whatever reason, he could not get it going on the offensive or defensive end tonight. His two points would be disappointing enough on any given night, but on tonight of all nights, he needed to be better. The fact that Thompson didn’t try and get to the line when his shot wasn’t going was a terrible look. Even though he played just 18 minutes, he should have done better.
Spencer Dinwiddie: D
Stats: 5 PTS, 1 REB (0 OREB, 1 DREB), 2 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 2-6 FG, 0-2 3PT, 1-2 FT, -31, 24 MIN
Spencer Dinwiddie, much like Klay Thompson, couldn’t seem to get it going offensively. However, the big difference between the two stars was that Dinwiddie didn’t jack up many shot attempts on the night. Perhaps he realized early that tonight wasn’t going to be his night from an offensive standpoint. He seemed to do marginally better on the defensive end, registering one steal and one block. But neither was enough to make a dent against a powerful Cavaliers team.
Dante Exum: C+
Stats: 14 PTS, 2 REB (1 OREB, 1 DREB), 3 AST, 2 STL, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 5-14 FG, 1-3 3-PT, 3-4 FT, -35, 21 MIN
One of the few players for the Mavericks that can hold their head somewhat high. While his 14 points were the second-highest of anyone on the team, he didn’t have an efficient night shooting the ball, converting just 35.7% of his attempts. However, he was one of the only players who showed some type of fight against the Cavaliers. He was trying to get the team going on both ends of the floor, as his three assists and two steals show how hard he worked.
Kylor Kelly: B
Stats: 12 PTS, 11 REB (3 OREB, 8 DREB), 1 AST, 0 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 5-6 FG, 0-0 3-PT, 2-2 FT, -21, 34 MIN
Rookie Kylor Kelly should be protected from any criticism that comes his way, as he performed to the best of his abilities. The 27-year-old did as well as he could have despite playing more minutes than he is accustomed to. It wasn’t just his scoring output and rebounding that must be applauded, it is the efficiency with which he delivered his performance. On a dark night for the Mavs, Kelly was a bright light that shone brighter than many of his other teammates.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper: C+
Stats: 10 PTS, 6 REB (1 OREB, 5 DEF REB) 4 AST, 2 STL, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 4-15 FG, 0-6 3-PT, 2-2 FT, -25, 31 MIN
Olivier-Maxence Prosper, much like Kelly, doesn’t usually get a lot of playing time with the Mavericks. However, unlike Kelly, he did not make the most of his minutes tonight, scoring a very inefficient 10 points. He did play well defensively with his rebounding and steals. But to go 0-6 from beyond the arc is not a good look in the modern NBA, especially when you’re a fringe player trying your best to show the coach that you deserve more minutes.
Jaden Hardy: A-
Stats: 21 PTS, 3 REB (0 OREB, 3 DREB), 2 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 8-19 FG, 3-12 3-PT, 2-2 FT, -15, 27 MIN
Jaden Hardy led the team in scoring on the night with his 21-point outing. While his 25% conversion rate from beyond the arc left a lot to be desired from the young prospect, he was perhaps the only player who had somewhat of a hot hand on the offensive end. As usual, he seemed to make little-to-no defensive impact against the Cavaliers, which was one of the problems for the Mavs. But he is the player who deserves the least amount of blame for the loss.
Naji Marshall: B
Stats: 12 PTS, 6 REB (1 OREB, DREB), 2 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 5-10 FG, 0-1 3-PT, 2-2 FT, -19, 22 MIN
Naji Marshall, all things considered, had an alright performance against the Cavaliers. Unfortunately for him, the rest of the higher-profile stars for the Mavericks were either out injured or underperformed massively on the night. And his ability to score the ball well while putting up efficient numbers just shows how weak the rest of the Mavericks were, as Marshall is not usually one of the players who can be trusted to do that.
Quentin Grimes: C
Stats: 11 PTS, 3 REB (1 OREB, 2 DREB), 3 AST, 0 STL, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 5-14 FG, 1-7 3-PT, 0-1 FT, -26, 24 MIN
Quentin Grimes may have been one of the Mavericks’ scoring leaders on the night, but that doesn’t mean he had a strong performance. Once again, like many of the Mavs’ best players, he did not have an efficient shooting night. He performed very poorly while shooting the ball, especially his three-point shooting, which made things all the more difficult for the Mavericks.
Kessler Edwards: B-
Stats: 8 PTS, 7 REB (1 OREB, 6 DREB), 1 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 3-5 FG, 2-3 3-PT, 0-0 FT, -7, 22 MIN
Kessler Edwards did as well as he possibly could have tonight. While you want a player like him to get to the best as much as possible on a night like this, he did well, shooting the ball offensively from the field and from beyond the arc. Furthermore, his rebounding was as important as can be for any team. His -7 plus/minus shows that he had perhaps the best impact on the Mavericks than any other player.
Brandon Williams: C
Stats: 6 PTS, 1 REB (0 OREB, 1 DREB), 1 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 2-4 FG, 2-3 3-PT, 0-0 FT, -12, 18 MIN
Brandon Williams didn’t make much of an impact for the Mavericks on either end of the court. However, he was far from a detriment to their squad. His efficient scoring, albeit limited, was a boost to them on a night where the bigger players were absolutely humbled and humiliated by a stifling Cavaliers defense. His ability to influence the game may have been limited, but it was at least positive.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
