Bah-humbug.
Santi Claus made an early-December visit to American Airlines Center on Friday night and all the Mavericks got was a big, fat lump of coal.
They certainly didn’t get any nice presents in the rebounding department, largely because of Santi Aldama, the Memphis Grizzlies backup big man who ripped down a dozen rebounds and led the visitors to a 52-42 advantage on the boards.
And bear in mind that this was a night when the Mavericks had plenty of chances to get rebounds, given that they only shot 37 percent.
The Mavericks simply had one of those nights when their energy wasn’t as good as Memphis’. It showed up on the boards.
The Mavericks haven’t had many nights when they’ve been outworked. You don’t win 11 of the first 17 games without bringing the hard-hat most nights. Friday just wasn’t one of them.
“We had it within seven,” Kyrie Irving said. “We had an opportunity a few times to capitalize on their mistakes. It just takes the wind out of your sails when you play defense for 24 seconds and they end up with the basketball. Once you can hear the fans making those noises, like: again? Get the rebound. You can feel that frustration.”
And, of course, missing Luka Dončić for the first time this season had an impact. By the way, he did the right thing being with his fiancée Anamaria for the birth of their first child.
But it made life tougher for the Mavericks. And add in the loss of Tim Hardaway Jr. (back) and that was nearly 50 points that the Mavericks were missing.
Here’s our other takeaways from the loss to Memphis:
Bane of their existence: Ever since the Mavericks didn’t draft Desmond Bane in the 2018 draft, it seems like he’s been intent on reminding about it. He poured in 30 points and hit four of six shots from three-point land to lead the Grizzlies. And by the way, they may be 5-13, but when (if?) they get healthy and also get Ja Morant back from suspension, they still could be vying for a playoff spot by April.
Curry on the rise: Seth Curry has not been a frequent member of the playing rotation so far this season, but he was needed on Friday and came through with 12 points to go along with two assists, two rebounds and a steal in 16 minutes off the bench. Said coach Jason Kidd: “There were some guys that struggled, but he was one of the positives. He was good for us off the bench and we got to find a way to get him some minutes.”
Forgive and forget: While it was a tough night, the Mavericks can be forgiven for not embracing the idea of playing without Luka. It’s the first time they’ve had to do it this season. And it showed. They were a bit lost. But it’s also good advice to forget about it. They have Oklahoma City waiting on Saturday evening and the worst thing you can do with a bad loss like Friday’s is let it turn into two bad losses.
X: @ESefko
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