Here’s our takeaways from the Mavericks’ first 20 games

The Mavericks have hit the one-quarter point of the NBA season, a time when trends and statistics start to carry a bit more weight.

Nothing can be considered fluky after 20 games.

So what have we learned about the Mavericks as they have amassed a 12-8 record?

First off, they have improved on last season, when they were 10-10. That may not seem like a major jump, but these wins mean every bit as the ones they’ll need to get in March when the race for playoff positioning heats up.

Second, they are on a torrid pace offensively. Record-breaking, in fact, at least in terms of the franchise’s best-scoring teams of the past.

The Mavericks have an offensive rating of 117.9. That’s how many points they average per 100 possessions. That’s the best number in franchise history.

The bad news is that they have a defensive rating of 117.7. That would be a franchise high, a point worse than the 116.7 they averaged last season.

So that begs the question of whether the Mavericks are excited enough about their potent offense to override the concerns they have about the defensive side?

Coach Jason Kidd sees signs that better days are ahead for the defensive side.

“One is a 30-0 run, that’s good defense,” he said, referencing the run of points they had against Oklahoma City on Saturday, which got them back in the game and provided a jump start that carried over to the next game – Wednesday’s 147-97 blowout of Utah. “And it wasn’t just playing 2-3 or playing man-to-man. We were in a scramble mode, we were desperate.

“So if we can continue to talk about being desperate on the defensive end as much as we talk about that on the offensive end and those two match up, I think then you have something special. Of late, our defense has been trending in the right direction. It’s just a matter of: can we be consistent? We’ve been consistent on the offensive end. Now we have to be consistent on the defensive end.”

And there’s something to be said about the phenomenon that offense is the new defense in the NBA. Keep scoring, and opponents eventually will feel the pressure on their offensive end.

But it’s not all offense and defense. There have been other pluses evident during the first 20 games, Kidd said.

“The character, the bounce-back has been good,” he said. “I think we’re starting to see with the injuries, different guys being able to step up and play a different role.

“And the pace of play, us playing faster, has helped us in a big way. But also being able to learn from our mistakes and go to the next game.”

Basketball being a game of mistakes, learning from them (as well as forgetting them from play to play) is critical for any good team.

And, finally, the Mavericks also have shown improvement in the part of the game that matters most to their success.

They have shot the ball better. And Kidd has noticed that not every opponent is necessarily frightened by the Mavericks’ shooting.

But perhaps they should be.

“When you’re a jump-shooting team, you want to be consistent,” he said. “Some nights there are going to be teams that are going to let you have them to see where you’re at. If you miss, they’re in the ballgame. If you make them, you find yourself with a big lead. It’s just a matter of being consistent.”

In that respect, the return of Tim Hardaway Jr. (back) from injury is a big help. His shooting has been as good as anybody’s on the team so far.

Here’s a few other notes about the Mavericks’ first quarter of the season, tied in with what we learned in the runaway win over Utah:

• Luka Dončić has averaged 31.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game. Those numbers are on par with what he’s averaged the last couple of seasons and suggest that he’s found his consistent level. But they don’t tell the whole story. When you amass a triple-double in the first half, as he did against the Jazz, you are in rare company. Russell Westbrook, Nikola Jokic and Domantas Sabonis are the only other players since 1996-97 and none of them had as many as 25 points in the half. Luka had 29.
• Kyrie Irving has been slightly less consistent, but has been a very nice No. 2 to Dončić, averaging 23.8 points per game. He also had 26 points against the Jazz, doing so pretty effortlessly.
• Newcomer Grant Williams saw his streak of 19 consecutive starts halted when he missed Wednesday’s game with a sore right knee. That leaves Derrick Jones Jr. as the only one to play all 20 games so far. Interestingly, both of them are hitting more than 40 percent of their three-point tries.
• Young center Dereck Lively II has been one of the best rookies in the NBA so far. He’s averaging 8.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. He’s overshadowed nationally by San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama and Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren as the top rookie big men, but the Mavericks couldn’t be happier to have Lively.
• To illustrate the Mavericks’ crazy offensive efficiency, their 147 points Wednesday were tied for the fifth most in franchise history and combined with the 144 points they had against the Clippers last month, they now have two 144-plus point games in a season for the first time. It was their 11^th game of 120 or more points this season, the most in franchise history through 20 games.

X: @ESefko