The Dallas Mavericks took on the Los Angeles Clippers for the second time in as many days on Saturday night. After getting blasted Friday night, the Mavs took another absolute beat-down, losing 135-104. This game was basically the remix of what happened 24 hours earlier. Tied 8-8, in the blink of an eye the Mavs were in a 27-13 hole. The second quarter and early part of the third quarter were spent clawing back and often flirting with a single-digit deficit, but turnovers and a complete lack of defense very quickly saw the Mavs trailing by 20.
The team is obviously holding together with chewing gum and super glue, but for an outfit touted as being defensive-minded – and with P.J. Washington, Dereck Lively and Anthony Davis starting in the front court – the lack of defense was actually astonishing. Ivica Zubac was 11-for-11 from the floor before the fourth quarter got started. If you thought Friday was bad, I hope for your sake that game coverage here at Mavs Moneyball was your only exposure to the team this Saturday night(mare).
At the expense of dogpiling, there is one other observation I couldn’t help but have this entire game. The Clippers were a rival that only twelve months ago was ousted from the Playoffs by Dallas, avenging two previous Playoff losses. What could have been a set of games that added to the rivalry and been pivotal to Playoff (not Play-In) positioning, instead lacked all emotion and felt more like an awful flashback to early 1990’s Maverick games.
The Mavs have a few days off before welcoming Luka Doncic back to Dallas on Wednesday. After two straight drubbings, they need to re-center and get it together, otherwise the combination of LA encounters could spell the end of their season even if they still make the Play-In – the team looks like they’re teetering on the edge after this unprecedented season. Let’s get to the grades!
Spencer Dinwiddie: C-
8 Points / 6 Rebounds / 9 Assists / 0 Steals / 0 Blocks (33 Minutes)
Dinwiddie once again filled up the box score despite a very poor shooting night. Strong assist and rebound totals kept him out of the basement. A logo three-pointer (after missing his first nine shots) at least showed a level of chippiness and perseverance.
Klay Thompson: B
14 Points / 1 Rebound / 0 Assists / 0 Steals / 0 Blocks (25 Minutes)
When Thompson is on, it’s a joy to behold. Although he air-balled one of his three-point attempts, he was otherwise on the mark. Aside from points, his box score had all zeros for the vast majority of the game.
P.J. Washington: C
12 Points / 5 Rebounds / 1 Assist / 0 Steals / 3 Blocks (30 Minutes)
Washington added to his career highlight reel with a beautiful rejection of a Norman Powell three, then went the other way to earn two free throws, making both. Aside from that play, not much less stood out.
Anthony Davis: B+
27 Points / 9 Rebounds / 0 Assists / 1 Steal / 0 Blocks (27 Minutes)
Davis was by far the best player in a Mavs jersey tonight, though that isn’t saying too much. He had a fine game, other than rough shooting from three. In the concern department, Davis was fouled on a shot mid-way through the third quarter and immediately grabbed at his abdominal region while laying prone on the floor. He returned to action, but hopefully this will not be a setback for him in the coming days.
Naji Marshall: C
9 Points / 2 Rebounds / 1 Assist / 0 Steals / 1 Block (33 Minutes)
Naji has been pulling a bit of a disappearing act as his team mates have returned and begun acclimating. It was not a bad performance per se, but rather a somewhat non-existent one. He just didn’t participate much in any appreciable way.
Kai Jones: A
18 Points / 7 Rebounds / 0 Assists / 1 Steal / 3 Blocks (21 Minutes)
Kai Jones may be the one thing that makes much-maligned general manager Nico Harrison look good this year. An innocuous desperation pickup continues to prove to be a slick addition to the team. Jones shot 9-for-9 from the floor before fouling out and turned away three shots. How bad this game would have gone without Jones and AD is frightening to think about.
