It was a fierce battle in Texas tonight as the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets faced off in Toyota Center for the latest chapter in their ongoing rivalry. Coming in without Luka Doncic, the Mavericks were seen as underdogs to win the game but heroics from Kyrie Irving on the court have given them reason to hope that they can stay alive until his return.
Sadly, in this game, not even Irving was enough to give the Mavericks a victory. They ended the first quarter with a narrow 30-24 lead but things quickly spiraled out of control when the Rockets exploded for 37 points in the second frame. They rode that run to a double-digit victory (110-99) and sent the Mavericks down to 20-14 on the season.
Alperen Sengun was the leading scorer for the winning team with 23 points, 6 steals, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in 37 minutes. Veteran swingman, Dillon Brooks contributed 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 assist on 6-15 shooting. In the backcourt, Jalen Green dropped 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 steal on 9-21 shooting.
For the Mavericks, it was a pretty rough night all around. Quentin Grimes was the team’s leading scorer with 17 off the bench to go with 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Klay Thompson was second in scoring with 16 points and 5 rebounds on 6-11 shooting. Finally, Kyrie Irving finished with 14 points (7-13 FG) and 7 rebounds with 2 assists.
The Mavericks have the talent and depth to hold their own without Luka Doncic, but tonight, we saw why he is so critical to their success. Without his scoring, the Mavericks couldn’t keep up with the competition and they couldn’t make up for the mistakes that ultimately cost them the game.
Sloppy Basketball
The absence of Luka Doncic has exposed the Mavericks’ lack of playmaking. They had 20 turnovers tonight, more than their entire assists total as a team (19). The offense was a disorganized mess tonight and when the Mavericks got any kind of resistance, they resorted to isolation hero ball to try and win the game.
Besides Kyrie Irving, who was seemingly off all game long, the Mavericks didn’t have anyone who could reliably run the offense and things got even worse off the bench when Irving or Dinwiddie needed a break.
The Mavericks are 5th in offense this season with an averaging scoring rate of 117.6 points per game. But tonight they were held to just 99 points, proving the state of their dysfunctional offense and revealing why they had no way to respond when the Rockets started getting hot in the second quarter.
Not Enough Defense
The biggest problem with the Mavericks right now (besides Luka’s injury) is their complete lack of defense on the wing. Coming into the season, the Mavericks were already guaranteed to be a bad defensive team with Luka and Irving on the team but nobody imagined it would be this bad.
Guys like Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington made little to no impact on the defensive end and they were unable to stop the offensive onslaught from the Rockets tonight. Between Jabari Smith Jr., Dillon Brooks, and Cam Whitmore, the Rockets wing players combined for 49 points and it was enough to make the difference in the game.
In the paint, the Mavericks allowed Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green to get whatever they wanted, which is why the Rockets maintained a 47.2% hit rate on offense. These facts are further proof that the Mavericks have a major problem defensively.
Klay Thompson Is Out Of Rhythm
Klay Thompson was supposed to be that third option for the Mavericks after Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. And if one of them got injured, he was supposed to be able to step it up and take his game to another level until however long it was needed.
But without Luka, Klay looks much more helpless on the court. He tried to force the action tonight which is why he finished with 5 turnovers and was -21 on in 31 minutes on the court.
With averages of 14.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game on 41.6% shooting this season, Klay Thompson is clearly on a learning curve as he adjusts to his new surroundings. But if he doesn’t turn it around soon, it could leave the Mavericks vulnerable without a star to back up Kyrie until Luka comes back.
At this point, all the Mavericks can do is hope for the best. Thanks to piling up a lot of wins early on, the Mavericks have a buffer before they fall too far down the standings. Fortunately, with Kyrie Irving, they aren’t completely without a star this season but it’s clear that this team as a whole needs more before they can hope to return to the NBA Finals.
The next game for the Mavs is on Friday, January 3rd, at 8:30 PM EST at American Airlines Center. Three days later, on January 6th, they play the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum (8:00 PM EST) before a battle against the Lakers at home on January 7th at 7:30 PM EST.
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