The 5 takeaways from the Mavs’ 110-101 victory over the Indiana Pacers
Feb 28, 2019Dwain Price
AND A TEENAGER LED THEM: On Luka Doncic’s last day as a teenager, the Pacers put him through a physical torture test. Wesley Matthews constantly dogged Doncic every step of the way up the floor. And Kyle O’Quinn whacked Doncic so viciously across the face – and was assessed a Flagrant Penalty-1 – that some in the crowd may have feared for his safety. When the dust had finally settled, Doncic not only passed the test with flying colors. But the rookie from Slovenia celebrated by producing game highs of 26 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, and added a pair of 30-foot 3-pointer daggers late in the fourth quarter that helped the Mavs snap their five-game losing streak.
BRUNSON STEAL OF THE DRAFT: If the NBA had a “Steal of the Draft” category among their many post-regular season awards, Jalen Brunson would win it hands down. I still can’t figure out how so many great basketball minds “allowed” the consensus National College Player of the Year to slip to the second round of last summer’s NBA Draft. What did they NOT see that the Mavs obviously saw? Anyway, Brunson was 9-of-14 from the field and 3-of-6 from 3-point land while pouring in a career-high 24 points against the Pacers. He also dispensed five assists and picked up a team-high three steals while scoring 22 or more points for the second time in the last four games.
HARDAWAY FITTING IN: From what I can gather, I think Tim Hardaway Jr. may need to start investing in some real estate around here, because he appears to have found himself a home with the Mavs. The floodgates to the points have come so frequently for Hardaway that after pouring in 20 points against the Pacers, he now has scored 20 or more points in five of the past seven games, including the last three. Against Indiana, Hardaway converted 7-of-16 shots from the field and also was 4-of-9 from beyond the 3-point arc. In addition, he added three assists and two steals, and topped it all off with a game-high plus/minus of a plus 19.
THE BALL WAS HOPPING: If you batted your eyes too quickly, you may have missed one of basketball’s more precious sites Wednesday night. That’s because the basketball was hopping around the court at a breakneck pace. At least from the Mavs’ perspective. In all, the Mavs finished the night with 27 assists. That’s only the third time in the past 22 contests that they’ve amassed at least 27 assists in a game. In fact, eight of the nine players coach Rick Carlisle played distributed at least two assists. Luka Doncic led the way with seven assists, Jalen Brunson had five, while Tim Hardaway Jr., Dirk Nowitzki and Maxi Kleber each handed out three helpers.
DIRK IN A GROOVE: The rehab from surgery on his left ankle last Apr. 5 forced Dirk Nowitzki to miss training camp and the first 26 games this season. But Nowitzki has finally found his groove. With the 11 points he tallied against the Pacers, Nowitzki has manufactured double-digit scoring in each of the past three games. Prior to that, the 21-year veteran had produced double-digit scoring in only three of the other 27 games he’s played in this season. What’s more, Nowitzki collected a season-high tying five rebounds for the third time in the last four games. He also made a season-high tying three 3-pointers for the second time in the past three games, and distributed a season-high three assists.
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