The Dallas Mavericks picked up a convincing 132-91 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at the American Airlines Center in Dallas tonight. The Mavericks are turning their season around after a shocking 5-7 start to the year, having won their last three games to return to being above .500.
Luka Doncic put up 26 points (10-16 FG), five rebounds, five assists, and three steals in the win while Kyrie Irving contributed 18 points (6-11 FG) and seven assists. Klay Thompson had a fantastic night with 19 points (5-9 3P) while Naji Marshall came off the bench for 15 points (5-8 FG) against his former franchise. Quentin Grimes (12 PTS), Jaden Hardy (11 PTS), and Daniel Gafford (11 PTS) also had double-digit scoring nights.
The short-handed Pelicans weren’t even remotely competitive against the Mavericks, led offensively by Trey Murphy III scoring 19 points (5-13 FG) and five rebounds. Brandon Ingram tried from his end, putting up 17 points (6-15 FG), five rebounds, and four assists. Javonte Green had 14 points, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had 11 points, and Brandon Boston Jr. put up 10 points from his end.
Here are some major takeaways from this one-sided win for the Mavericks.
The Mavericks’ Best Two-Way Performance This Season
The Mavericks have shown a tendency to sometimes take matchups against heavily injured teams a little lightly, as indicated by their shock loss to the Utah Jazz last week. It was a clearly different mindset heading into this game with the Pelicans, as the Mavericks set the tone early with aggressive efforts to keep scoring and ensure the Pelicans were out of the game.
The Mavs went 49-93 from the field (52.7%) and 14-31 from three (45.2%) attempting and converting high-quality shots while adjusting to the Pels’ active defense.
The Pelicans couldn’t find a spot on the court where they could get easy buckets, shooting 31-78 from the field (39.7%) and 11-32 from three (34.4%). The franchise received no opportunity for easy offense against a determined Mavericks squad.
The effort from Dallas was evident all over the court, forcing the Pelicans into 21 turnovers as well as out-rebounding them 48-37. This was as convincing a win as any team has had this season, as the Mavs become the third team this season to have won a game by over 40 points. The fact they did it in an NBA Cup game bodes well for their score differential as well.
A Team-Effort We Haven’t Seen In Years
The last time the Mavericks had seven players score in double-digits was in 2019, Luka’s first All-NBA season in the NBA. The Mavericks had embraced Doncic ball in the years after that, with inconsistent or limited offensive options around Luka until a few years ago. After the offensive additions made to the roster over the summer, it’s clear the Mavericks are looking for more team-oriented play, something they got today.
Doncic is averaging the second-lowest usage rate of his career, trusting players like Kyrie, Klay, Grimes, Marshall, and more to make offensive moments happen. Tonight, was a great example of the overall change in the Mavericks’ offensive style. They were moving the ball aggressively to find the open man, resulting in an efficient team three-point shooting performance and 26 assists as a unit.
The Mavs needed some time to help Doncic adjust to his new teammates so that he could trust them to carry offensive responsibilities. While that might have seemed impossible in their stretch of four clutch losses in a row, it seems like the Mavs have turned that corner over their last three wins.
Luka Doncic Is Regaining His Rhythm
Doncic started the season looking like a shell of the player we saw average 34-10-9 last season before leading his team to the NBA Finals. He came under massive criticism after making defensive mistakes and being far below his standards on offense during the Mavs’ slow start to the season, but it seems like Doncic is cleaning up his game and regaining his rhythm.
Luka is averaging 28.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.6 assists this season, with his performance tonight actually being below his season’s averages. But the number is lower because Doncic is committing more to embracing a team-oriented style of play that Jason Kidd clearly wants the franchise to follow.
Luka was screening for teammates, playing as a link-up passer, and showing effort on defense tonight, a great sign for Mavs fans.
Everyone has said that Luka will struggle to adjust to playing off-ball, a fear that was coming true given his lackluster performances prior to tonight. However, if the Mavericks can get the same level of effort they did from Luka tonight over the rest of the season, the Mavericks can easily climb straight back up the standings and keep their championship hopes alive.
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