1. HOLD ON, WAIT A SECOND: The Mavs rightfully were incensed that no call was whistled on the crucial play that resulted in Danny Green hitting a 3-pointer to tie game at 103 and send it into overtime. Seth Curry felt Dwight Howard held him on the play, and replays indicated Curry was correct. The game was televised nationally on ESPN, and here’s what ESPN analyst Doris Burke said in explaining what happened to Curry on the play. “Watch what Dwight Howard does on this screen, OK,” Burke said. “At the end of the play, watch what he does to Seth Curry. He doesn’t only back-screen him, he holds him at the hips. And that is what allows that shot to be taken off. I mean, listen. Everybody’s rotating. But Seth would have been there and able to close more under control. You see him throw his hands up at the end of the play, because he’s frustrated that (the referees) didn’t catch it.” On Saturday, the NBA Last Two Minutes Report indicated that Howard should have been whistled for an offensive foul on the play.
  2. TRIPLE-DOUBLE KINGS: Not only did 34-year old LeBron James register a triple-double Friday night, so, too, did 20-year old Luka Doncic. James finished the game with 39 points, 12 rebounds and 16 assists, and Doncic collected 31 points, 13 rebounds and a career-high 15 assists. It marked the first time in NBA history that players on opposing teams completed a triple-double with at least 30 points and 15 assists. Doncic also is the youngest NBA player to ever put up such a staggering triple-double stat line, and James is the oldest. This was the second triple-double of the season for Doncic and the 10th of his career. In addition, this was the first 30-10-15 triple-double for a member of the Mavs since Jason Kidd – now an assistant coach with the Lakers – performed this magical feat in January of 1996. Also, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Houston’s Russell Westbrook and Doncic are the only players with multiple triple-doubles through five games this season.
  3. GAME OF RUNS: Nothing has changed throughout the years. The NBA is still a game of runs, and the team with the last significant run is normally the team that wins the game. Such was the case Friday night. The Mavs were owners of a 90-80 lead with 9:18 remaining in the game following a 19-foot pull-up jumper by Tim Hardaway Jr. But the Lakers finished regulation play on a 23-13 run to force overtime on a last-second 3-point shot by Danny Green. The Lakers then opened the overtime session on a 7-0 run and the Mavs could never recover. Earlier in the game, the Mavs jumped out to a 51-36 lead following a 12-0 run. But the Lakers countered with a 14-0 run bridging the second and third quarters to tie the game at 58-58 a little over two minutes into the second half. During the Lakers’ 23-13 stretch to end regulation, the Mavs were just 3-of-10 from the field and committed four turnovers. Overall, the Lakers turned 23 Mavs turnovers into 30 points.
  4. BOBAN MAKES FIRST APPEARANCE: Boban Marjanovic made his first appearance of the season Friday night. The massive 7-4, 290-pund center entered the game for the first time to a huge applause from the American Airlines Center sellout crowd of 20,358, and he didn’t disappoint. Marjanovic finished the game with four points, seven rebounds – he had three offensive boards – and an assist in only 11 minutes of playing time. He also had a plus/minus ratio of a plus-9, which was the highest among any of the 11 Mavs players who played. Marjanovic signed a free agent contract with the Mavs this past July 23, and he gives them some much-needed depth in the middle of the paint and an insurance policy in case one of their bigs gets in foul trouble, needs rest or has an injury.
  5. BENCH SHINES AGAIN: One game after racking up 61 points, 17 rebounds and 18 assists during Tuesday’s stunning 109-106 win in Denver, the Mavs’ bench mob was back at it again on Friday as they collected 38 points, 22 rebounds and six assists against the Lakers. That’s a far cry better than the production Los Angeles received from the Lakers, who got 22 points, 13 rebounds and just three assists from its bench. At the top of the leader board for the Mavs’ reserves was Delon Wright, who finished with 12 points and two assists in 25 minutes. Also, Tim Hardaway Jr. had 11 points and grabbed five rebounds in 27 minutes. Maxi Kleber scored eight points, and his eight rebounds helped the Mavs enjoy an overall 61-41 advantage on the boards against the Lakers. Meanwhile, Wright and Hardaway were each 2-of-4 from 3-point range, while Kleber was 3-of-5 from long distance.

Twitter: @DwainPrice

Share and comment

More Mavs News