Upon further review, here’s some second-chance points we’d like to make with our five takeaways from the Mavericks’ 131-111 victory at Cleveland on Sunday night.
Bigger sometimes is better: Rick Carlisle appears to be warming up to the idea of playing Kristaps Porzingis and Boban Marjanovic together. The pair had a profound impact on the game in the fourth quarter when they teamed on the front line together and the Mavericks outscored Cleveland 14-2 to take charge. “I love being out there with Bobie, honestly,” Porzingis said. “With that length out there, it covers a lot of space. And I think it’s also interesting to see two giants on the court, for the fans. Hopefully, we can get momentum on the court together.” The Cavaliers shot just 35 percent in the fourth quarter, largely because of the defense of the big men.
A shootout erupted: The Mavericks and Cavaliers both came in shooting the 3-ball in subpar fashion early in the season. The Mavericks were shooting it at a 32.7 percent clip. The Cavaliers weren’t much better at 33.1 percent. So naturally both teams lit it up from the perimeter. The Mavericks hit nearly half of their 3-pointers (20-of-41) and that raised their overall percentage to a more respectable 35.4 percent. Cleveland was red-hot, too, making 18-of-48 3-pointers for 37.5 percent. Overall, the Mavericks had their best shooting game of the season, canning 53.2 percent of their shots.
Oh yeah, about that Doncic kid: By halftime, Luka Doncic had 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. He finished with a triple-double (achieved before the third quarter was done) with 29 points, 15 assists and 14 rebounds. It was his third triple-double in six games. Some players – Russell Westbrook comes to mind – get criticized at times for chasing stats. So far, Doncic’s numbers have seemed to come mostly in the flow of the game. But his teammates say they do have to guard against watching Doncic too much. “I think it’s easy to do that,” Tim Hardaway said. “But as his supporting cast, we know he’s going to make the right play. And when he gets to the paint, we have to move and make sure we’re in the place and in his vision so we can make it easier on him.”
Mix and match: The Mavericks started their fifth different starting lineup in six games. Rick Carlisle wasn’t kidding when he said the lineup and rotation would be fluid. In this game, he went smaller with Seth Curry and Jalen Brunson in the backcourt to combat Cleveland’s Callin Sexton and Darius Garland. Curry and Brunson would team for 27 points and 10 assists.
Block party: Porzingis had six blocked shots, one off of his career high, which he’s done three times. What was equally important is that on all six of Porzingis’ blocks, the ball stayed in play. The Mavericks were able to come away with two of the swats while the Cavaliers had to scramble to get shots after the other four rejections. “That’s the main point of it,” he said. “When you block a shot, you want to get the ball. I was trying to keep the ball (in play) because that’s a possession for us. I got the blocks, but that’s only one part of it.”
Twitter: @ESefko
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