The Mavericks are 1-1 and that’s not just in the NBA standings.
They have one game when they have done it all, won big and felt great.
They had another game when they botched things up, wasted a good effort, lost a 22-point lead and felt terrible afterward.
The good news is that they appreciated both outcomes.
That’s the beauty of the NBA. They took their loss in Phoenix, then watched film, got a little angry and made sure that one bad loss didn’t turn into two.
They came back and did their job about as well as it can be done. So, with that, here’s our three takeaways from the 137-96 whipping they delivered on Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies.
TTT: We call this a Total Team Takedown. The Mavericks had 14 players active. All 14 played. All 14 had a positive plus-minus when they were on the floor. That’s almost unheard of. Sure, it was Luka Dončić that led the way. He was awesome from the start, dropping 21 points in the first quarter. But he had help, mainly from Christian Wood, who was terrific with 25 points and 12 rebounds. He also got a lob from Luka on the break that ended with a big dunk. Said Wood of that play: “He actually knew exactly what he was going to do that whole entire play. He told me to just catch the lob, get to the paint.” Wood said Luka conveyed the strategy as they were taking off down the court. But then, everybody seems to be having fun with Luka. “It’s incredible,” Wood said. “The things he does on the offensive end, it’s amazing.”
ON THE REBOUND: The Mavericks found out just what happens when they eat the glass with unbridled ferocity. They outrebounded the Grizzlies 52-29. And quite frankly, we can’t remember Memphis getting that many rebounds. Anyway, Wood and Maxi Kleber combined for 20 boards off the bench. Dončić was his normal self with seven rebounds and JaVale McGee had six in just 13 minutes of action. And it was interesting that McGee and Wood were on the court together briefly. Don’t think that’s going to be a consistent strategy for Jason Kidd, but it’s another option. The rebounding against Memphis came after the Mavericks were bounced badly on the glass at Phoenix. Kidd knows the value of ball possession. The Mavericks got a prime lesson in its importance on Saturday.
BEST THINGS IN LIFE . . . : It’s true. They’re free. And the free throws did not cost the Mavericks handsomely like they did in Phoenix, when everybody not named Luka was a combined 8-of-21 on wide-open, 15-foot shots without having to rush anything. They came back by hitting 30-of-36 free throws against the Grizz. That’s 83.3 percent that included 10-of-12 from Christian Wood. “It was better, wasn’t it?” he said. Yes it was. As Kidd has said, if the Mavericks are going to shoot 30-plus free throws a game, they can’t make just 20 of them. They have to take advantage of the free stuff. Granted, in this game, it didn’t really matter. But in most games, it will. So it’s another lesson that could not be more vividly taught in Games 1 and 2.
Twitter: @ESefko
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