NEW ORLEANS – The Mavericks got another reminder on Tuesday that nothing is ever easy in the NBA.
And a harsh reminder it was.
With the New Orleans Pelicans missing 60 percent of their starting lineup, the Mavericks still found themselves trailing most of the game as the young, scrappy and hungry home team was determined to overcome a manpower shortage.
In the end, the Mavericks couldn’t stop it from happening.
Despite Christian Wood, Spencer Dinwiddie and Luka Dončić going off for 84 combined points, the Mavericks came out on the wrong end of a 113-111 decision at Smoothie King Center.
Luka’s 3-point heave at the buzzer clanged off the rim after the Mavericks had given themselves a chance to pull out the victory. But the error of their ways for large portions of the game derailed them.
The Mavericks were down 21-7 less than five minutes into the game.
“Bad defense,” said Dončić. “First quarter was bad defense. We started relaxed.”
Dončić would finish with 37 points. Dinwiddie had 24 and Wood 23. But the Pelicans found a way despite being shorthanded.
“You got to show up,” coach Jason Kidd said. “You got to go take the win. No one’s going to give you anything in this league. We didn’t play well down the stretch.”
Nor at the beginning. They recovered, somewhat, but still were down 101-100 nearing the midpoint of the fourth quarter when things went haywire.
The Pelicans got up 112-107 with under a minute left, when it got interesting.
The Mavericks got a Luka layup with 30 seconds left to make it a one-possession game. They then forced a C.J. McCollum miss. But Dončić then went for a layup with 4 seconds left.
The problem was that only got the Mavericks within 112-111. But Kidd said postgame that the strategy was sound, electing to play the free-throw game in the final four seconds.
It had a chance of working when the Pelicans missed one of two free throws, but Luka’s look was not a great one at the buzzer.
Kidd said the late strategy was smart, but the execution was lacking on the final play.
“We knew the red (double-team) was coming and we just didn’t execute,” he said. “Luka had to take a tough shot. A lot of times you look for him to bail you out. We just didn’t execute. We have to do better.”
And as for the layup with 4 seconds to go?
“We could have called timeout, but Luka has the ball and I trust the next thing he’s going to do,” Kidd said. “For him to take the layup is smart because now it becomes a free-throw game and we get the ball to tie or to win.
“And that’s what happened. I think everyone thought he was going to pull up for a 3, but I thought he took the right play to get the two points.”
Dončić said this finish was similar to the one in Phoenix last week, which also ended with a buzzer beater that did not fall.
“Two hard shots,” he said. “Two or three seconds. So, I probably should get a better shot than that.”
Asked if it should have come down to that with New Orleans missing three starters (Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones) who combined for more than 50 points and 15 rebounds on average in the Pelicans’ first three games, Luka said:
“It’s basketball. They’re NBA players. They have a great team and were moving the ball. So it can happen.”
It wasn’t like the Mavericks were caught by surprise. Before the game, Kidd had said these words:
“This is dangerous. They’re a team that has a lot of confidence, so we have to be ready. There can’t be a letdown because of who’s not playing. That happens a lot in this league, you’ll see a team that has their star player out win those games because the opponent relaxed. We have no room to relax.”
No doubt Kidd was not happy about being right with that theory after the game.
Campazzo makes debut: With 2:30 left in the first quarter, Facundo Campazzo entered his first game with the Mavericks.
The free-agent signing had his visa problems resolved and could officially go to work, which was a good thing with the Mavericks’ injuries.
It didn’t take him long to make a positive impact. His 3-ball from the corner to open the fourth quarter put the Mavericks up 92-87.
Said Kidd of the 5-10 Argentinian: “Campazzo is a smart player. So he’s picked up things extremely quick. Everyone’s going to make mistakes. But seeing what he does is something that we haven’t had. So we’ll see him out there tonight.”
MASH units busy: Both teams were missing players, but the Pelicans were hit the hardest with three starters out.
Without Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Herb Jones, the Pelicans resorted to starting Jose Alvarado, Trey Murphy III and Naji Marshall.
Said Pelicans’ coach Willie Green: “First and foremost, we don’t like it when guys are out and get injured, but we definitely understand it’s part of the game. We want them back as soon as possible, However, it is an opportunity for guys to play more minutes.”
The Mavericks were without Tim Hardaway Jr., who suffered from right ankle soreness.
“We’ll re-evaluate him tomorrow and see how he feels,” coach Jason Kidd said. “I just know he thought it was sore and it’s a long marathon so we’re just being cautious and we’ll see how it feels tomorrow.”
Hardaway joined Frank Ntilikina (right ankle) and Davis Bertans (right knee) in street clothes.
“They got a good workout today,” Kidd said of Bertans and Ntilikina. “There was a lot of positive feedback. I talked with Frank yesterday at the hotel and he said he’s feeling good. We’ll see how he feels. Both of those are going in the right direction so hopefully soon.”
Twitter: @ESefko
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