It was more fun than Mardi Gras for the Mavericks as they made a quick trip to New Orleans and throttled the Pelicans 139-107 on Wednesday night.
The game was not as close as the score would indicate.
As you might suspect, the Mavericks did a lot of things right. So here’s our feelgood morning-after observations about the largest victory of the season.
SHOOT TO THRILL: All 11 Mavericks who played 10 minutes or more made at least half their shots. That’s remarkable. And it’s also how you shoot a franchise-record 68.7 percent from the field, beating a mark that had stood since 1983. That 67.7 percent accuracy was so long ago, it came against the Clippers – the San Diego Clippers. The big question about this sort of performance is: where did it come from? The Mavericks had been under 31 percent from 3-point land in four of their previous five games. Yet they shot a season-best 52.9 percent from beyond the arc against the Pelicans. The answer is that it’s partly the odds leveling out. The Mavericks are better shooters than they showed the last couple weeks. But it also had something to do with New Orleans’ utter lack of defense. At one point, Dwight Powell walked through the paint from the top of the key with nobody making any effort to move over and challenge him. Expect the Pelicans to be a bit more attentive on that end of the court in the rematch.
GOOD NEWS FOR KP: After he left the Cleveland game on Monday with an ankle injury, Kristaps Porzingis was questionable for Wednesday’s game. He ended up playing 28 minutes and had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The only downer was 1-of-6 shooting from 3-point range. He was the lone Maverick under 40 percent from 3-point land. But he recognized the Pelicans’ relaxed attitude on defense, went to the paint and made 8-of-9 from inside the arc.
REMARKABLE EFFICIENCY: Boban Marjanović has 59 points this season. He’s played 63 minutes. Unbelievable. And he’s shooting 72.2 percent. Offensively, he’s a beast when he’s on the floor.
LINEUP CHANGE: Much was made of Reggie Bullock starting in place of Tim Hardaway Jr. Get used to changes like this. Coach Jason Kidd has said you don’t get a sticker for starting. Yes, all players want to be starters. But Hardaway has been around long enough to know that being on the court when games are on the line is more important than being there for the jump ball. Kidd is going to continue to shuffle lineups. That’s his job, when needed. Find out what works. Shake things up if you must. But mostly see who works best together at different points in a game. This change worked out OK, to say the least. And Hardaway can handle it. He’s done this drill before.
LUKA, LUKA, LUKA: The Mavericks trailed for a grand total of nine seconds on Wednesday when it was 8-7. A 17-4 blitz put them ahead 24-12 and New Orleans never got within 10 again. Luka Dončić was the catalyst. He had 18 points and six assists in the first quarter. And those numbers are rare. He’s had two 18-6 quarters in his four seasons. The rest of the NBA has had two (James Harden, Trae Young). Dončić is on a serious roll right now. He’s averaging 28 points and 10.8 assists in four games since returning from leg injuries. He’s shot 44.4 percent from 3-point range. This is when the Mavericks need to regain momentum after losing five of six. Luka is leading. And the schedule is favorable over the next 10 days.
Twitter: @ESefko
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