The 5 takeaways from the Mavs’ 111-81 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies
Mar 3, 2019Dwain Price
POWELL RISING TO THE TOP: Without a doubt, Dwight Powell is playing some of the best basketball of his career. While punching the time clock on Saturday, the five-year veteran finished with 13 points, a team-high eight rebounds, a team-high four assists and a team-high tying two steals. It marks the first time in Powell’s career that he’s scored at least 10 points in five consecutive games. In the past five games, Powell is averaging 16.2 points, seven rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.3 steals in 32.2 minutes per contest. What’s more, he’s shown that with increased minutes, his production has also increased.
SHOTS MISSED THEIR TARGETS: When the Mavs take the time to go back and watch the film from this game, they’ll see where they had more than their fair share of open looks at the basket. Unfortunately for the Mavs, the ball missed its intended target way too may times. Overall, the Mavs were 26-of-85 from the field for 30.6 percent and 7-of-40 from behind the 3-point line for only 17.5 percent. That includes scoring just 32 points in the second half when they were 10-of-40 from the floor and 4-of-20 from 3-point land.
DIRK CRASHED THE BOARDS: Dirk Nowitzki didn’t shoot the ball nowhere near his high standards on Saturday night. The 21-year veteran was just 2-of-10 from the field – he was 1-of-6 from 3-point land — and finished the game with seven points. Nowitzki, however, was very aggressive on the boards and wound up second on the team in rebounds with a season-high seven. That includes grabbing his first offensive rebound of the season. Nowitzki scored on a put-back basket on the play less than three minutes into the game.
ROARING 20s FOR LUKA: Another game, another 20-point outing for Luka Doncic. The odds-on favorite to win this year’s Rookie of the Year award, Doncic scored 22 points against Memphis on 7-of-14 shots and in just 26 minutes. And he left the game for good with 2:49 remaining in the third quarter. Doncic has now scored 20 or more points in 34 games this season, including the past three. Jay Vincent (53 in the 1981-’82 season) and Jamal Mashburn (37 in the 1993-’94 campaign) are the only Mavs rookies with more 20-point games in a season.
NO GAS IN THE TANK: The Mavs tried, on numerous occasions, to shift their engine into a higher gear. But apparently there was no gas left in the tank. Whenever the Mavs tried to make a run, it quickly got derailed by the Grizzlies, and Memphis ultimately ended up making a much bigger run. In the end, this was the worst loss of the season for the Mavs in terms of point differential. And the Mavs were clearly disappointed, particularly since they were coming off of Wednesday’s impressive 110-101 victory over the highly-touted Indiana Pacers.
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