If Luka Dončić gets shut out in the fourth quarter of a tight game, most analysts would figure that’s bad news for the Mavericks.
Most analysts would have been wrong on Tuesday.
After the two new Mavericks set the table nicely earlier, two of the oldsters, Maxi Kleber and Jalen Brunson, feasted at crunch time.
Kleber had one of the best all-around games of his career, including a clutch 3-pointer and some of the saltiest defense of the season, as the Mavericks took charge in the second half for a gritty 107-99 victory over the Miami Heat at FTX Arena.
It stopped the Heat’s five-game winning streak and pushed the Mavericks to 34-24 with one game left (Thursday at New Orleans) before the All-Star break.
Kleber was a monster in the fourth quarter. After newcomers Dāvis Bertāns and Spencer Dinwiddie had kept the Mavericks afloat late in the third quarter and early in the fourth, the job of finishing fell to Kleber and Brunson.
They both had 19 points. Kleber had five blocked shots as he was responsible for guarding high-scoring Miami forward Jimmy Butler.
“He played amazing,” said Dončić, who led the Mavericks with 21 points and 10 rebounds, but shot just 5-of-19 from the field and 0-of-4 in the fourth quarter. “A lot of games he plays amazing, especially on the defensive end. You can’t see that on the stat sheet. But he’s been really good for us. We’re just happy to have him.”
Kleber had 10 of his points in the fourth quarter. Brunson had nine of his in the final period.
The Mavericks had gotten six of Bertāns’ 12 points late in the third quarter to go up 81-78. They never trailed in the fourth and opened up an 11-point advantage.
But it wasn’t until Brunson and Kleber sank key shots that it was a done deal. Brunson’s corner-3-pointer with 1:49 left made it 104-95. The Heat scored twice, but Kleber iced it with a 3-pointer with 37.3 seconds left.
“Maxi played great offensively and defensively,” coach Jason Kidd said. “He let the game come to him, took great shots offensively. And then defensively took the challenge of guarding Butler one-on-one. Guys were just covering for each other on the defensive end, which we’re kind of built on.”
Their late-game heroics might not have been possible if not for Bertāns and Dinwiddie, whose floor game produced four points and five assists.
It was Dinwiddie who found Kleber with a lob for a dunk and a 93-83 lead three minutes into the fourth quarter.
“I thought Davis was great,” Kidd said. “I think he was excited to play. He hasn’t played in a little bit. He was going to get some of the rust off. He had some great looks for us.
“Spencer was great. You could see he looks comfortable. We can get him the ball and have him run the offense and make plays. So I thought both of them were great.”
The Mavericks were coming off a 99-97 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday in Dallas. In that game, Dončić had 23 points in the fourth quarter.
That the Mavericks could win in Miami without their superstar point guard scoring in the fourth quarter represents a nice step forward in terms of chemistry and team-building.
“If they’re going to double, somebody’s going to be open,” Dončić said. “We have to play four on three. It was good spacing and that’s what won the game. I’ve been doubled a lot. It’s just a matter of time. We’re going to be better and better on this.”
Bear in mind that the Mavericks’ bench had just four points against the Clippers on Saturday.
With Kleber, Bertāns and Dinwiddie leading the charge, the Mavericks’ reserves outscored the Heat backups 38-25.
It was clear that it would be a quick study for Dinwiddie and Bertāns. There would be no dipping a toe into the water.
It was going to be a headfirst dive.
That’s because the Mavericks were short on backcourt personnel as Trey Burke (left shoulder), Reggie Bullock (left hip) and Theo Pinson (finger fracture) all were out, as was big man Marquese Chriss.
So the two newcomers were going to be leaned on in their Mavericks debut.
The fact that the Heat were determined not to let Dončić continue his incredible offensive roll of late.
In his three games last week, he averaged 43 points, including 48 in the two most recent games against the Los Angeles Clippers. No wonder he was the Western Conference’s player of the week.
But against the Heat, the going got tough.
That’s OK. The newcomers set the table. Then Kleber and Brunson feasted.
Twitter: @ESefko
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