Hoping to bounce back after consecutive losses, the Dallas Mavericks stepped on to their home court Sunday afternoon and tried to continue their recent dominance over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Suffering a 99-95 loss Thursday in Miami and falling to a 112-107 overtime defeat the following night at home against Utah, the Mavericks looked to rebound in front of their home fans. The Mavs also attempted to extend their longest current winning streak against an opponent, entering Sunday’s showdown having won 12 straight over the Lakers. But while taking the court minus center Andrew Bogut (right-hamstring strain) and backup guard JJ Barea (left-calf strain), the Mavericks found themselves playing without two proven veterans. And despite losing another key contributor before the night was over, the Mavericks (15-29) sprinted to a runaway 122-73 victory to hand the Lakers (16-32) their worst loss in franchise history.
“You know, it was a good win and a much-needed one at that,” swingman Wesley Matthews said after exiting the game with a right-hip injury. “You know, that was a good feeling. We came out and we played with the right mentality, the right demeanor, and shots were falling. And most importantly, we were playing good defense. Everybody contributed, and that was good to see.”
Continuing to utilize a starting lineup of point guard Deron Williams, 26-year-old sharpshooter Seth Curry, Matthews, leading scorer Harrison Barnes and 13-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki at center, the Mavericks tried to take advantage of a Lakers team that was without floor general D’Angelo Russell. The Mavs then opened the game on an 11-4 run, playing from in front as Curry handled the early scoring duties.
The Lakers surged back behind the scoring of forward Luol Deng and sharpshooter Nick Young, taking a brief lead before Matthews put the Mavericks back on top with a 3-pointer. But with Curry’s nine points leading the way, the Mavs took a 29-22 advantage into the second stanza.
Opening the second quarter with newly signed Pierre Jackson at point guard in place of the injured Barea, the Mavericks kept their foot on the gas while seizing a double-digit lead. Nowitzki also found a rhythm at the offensive end of the floor after a 1-of-13 shooting night on Friday, sinking a three to put the Mavs up 36-22.
The separation on the scoreboard surged to 20 from there, after Williams beat the shot clock with a jumper to go ahead 45-25 midway through the quarter. Williams found nothing but the bottom of the net a short time later with a pull-up three in transition, giving the Mavericks a 53-29 advantage with 4:16 in the half. Matthews followed suit with a three of his own the next time down the floor, helping Williams to pass Kevin Johnson (6,711) for 20th place on the NBA’s all-time assists list. And by producing their highest-scoring half of the season, the Mavs took a 67-33 lead into the intermission.
Led by 13 first-half points apiece from Nowitzki and Matthews on a combined 10-of-17 from the field, the Mavericks outshot the Lakers through two quarters, 50 percent to 35.1 percent. The Mavs also held a 28-15 rebounding advantage while converting the Lakers’ 10 turnovers into 13 points.
“Without Russell, they played really without a playmaker in the starting lineup,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. “I think it was the first time they’ve started Ingram at point guard, and it’s tough … but we did some good things. We rebounded pretty well, and the ball was going in the basket. On days like today, it looks easy. But it’s not.”
Returning to the floor without Matthews after the veteran suffered a right-hip strain in the first half, Carlisle inserted undrafted rookie Dorian Finney-Smith into the first unit. Finney-Smith immediately stepped up in the third quarter, swishing a three to put the Mavericks up 74-38.
The Mavs continued to share the wealth later in the quarter, handing the lead over to their reserves. And after sixth man Devin Harris’ trey put the Mavericks up 87-51, the home team slid into the fourth with a 90-55 margin under its belt.
Carlisle emptied his bench from there, playing the entire fourth quarter with the Mavericks’ reserves to finish off the win. And after the lead peaked at 53, the Mavs sprinted off the floor with a season-high scoring output offensively and season-low points total by a Dallas opponent at the defensive end.
Playing the majority of the fourth quarter, second-year standout Justin Anderson scored a career-high-tying 19 points in a reserve role on 5-of-11 shooting to lead seven Mavericks in double figures. Scoring 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting in 27 minutes of work, Curry continued to step up in the starting lineup. Williams added 13 points, five rebounds and eight assists in the backcourt, and Matthews scored 13 points as well before exiting the game due to the injury. Nowitzki also finished with 13 points on 5-of-11 from the field, while Jackson and Harris added 10 points apiece off the bench.
“Obviously, I didn’t see that coming,” Nowitzki admitted. “It was a quick turnaround from our back to back, and they obviously had some key guys out. They started a little unconventional without a point guard, and really we attacked that lineup really well from the beginning. We jumped out to a nice little lead, and you know how it is in this league. Usually one team gets up early, and the other team fights back to make it a close game. But we never really let that happen. This is really our first huge win of the year that I can remember, and we’ll take it. We’ll get some rest for everybody, and have two good work days ahead of us before we have another tough back to back.”
Lou Williams led the Lakers with 15 points on 4-of-11 shooting. But the Mavericks outshot the Lakers for the game, 49.4 percent to 38.4 percent, adding a 49-32 rebounding advantage and 23 points off LA’s 18 turnovers.
“Well, we had a good day, and they kind of struggled. I think we had something to do with their struggles, but we played well,” Carlisle matter of factly said.
“Whether we won by 50 or we won by one, it didn’t really matter. We needed a victory, because we still believe,” Matthews concluded. “For us to bounce back after two tough losses where we probably should have those games, and as potent as this offense can be with guys on that side of the ball, for us to put up the performance we did defensively was a good sign.”
The Mavericks will now conclude their three-game homestand Wednesday at American Airlines Center, hosting the New York Knicks. New York leads the season series 1-0 after a 93-77 home win on 14 November 2016.
No comments:
Post a Comment