Final: Mavs 119, Nets 118
Box Score | Highlights
Behind the Box Score
As refreshing as the Mavs’ hot start was, unfortunately Dallas turned it over 14 times in the first half alone, which led to 15 points for the Nets. Deron Williams missed the game due to injury, which probably in part explains the increase in giveaways: The Mavs were without their starting point guard. But the key to winning any game is to hold on to the ball and limit easy chances for your opponent, especially when you’re hitting so many shots as a team.
We saw an extreme differential in Mavs offensive efficiency depending on pace in the first quarter. In the 14 possessions the Mavs got the ball across midcourt in three seconds or less, Dallas scored 27 points, or 1.93 points per possession. That’s basically a basket every time down. On the other hand, the Mavericks scored only 5 points on the eight possessions in which it took four seconds or longer to get the ball across halfcourt. Dallas plays small a lot, so if the guards can push the ball up the floor, the offense will usually put the defense in a very stressful position, potentially leading to easy looks for the Mavs.
Notebook
In a moment that transcended basketball, Dirk Nowitzki passed Shaquille O’Neal for sixth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list early in the second quarter, knocking down a mid-range jumper on a pass from J.J. Barea. The only players ranking ahead of him now are Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. There’s never been a player like Nowitzki, and there may never be another one. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime talent.
Dallas fell behind by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter yet still managed to come back and force overtime — a wild overtime at that. For the second night in a row, the club staged an incredible late-game comeback, this time getting the win. It speaks volumes about the team’s resilience, especially playing with a shorthanded roster without Deron Williams and Devin Harris.
After Rick Carlisle said the Mavs need to up the effort, Dallas responded early in the game, taking a lead as large as 13 in the opening frame. The Mavs hit five 3s in the first quarter alone and had nine by the end of the half. Dallas took an 83.3 effective field goal percentage into halftime. Outside of the stats, though, the Mavs just appeared to be more tuned in to what was happening, playing with aggression and force on both ends of the floor — they set harder screens, ran through their sets quicker, and talked more on the defensive end.
With Deron Williams out due to a hamstring injury, J.J. Barea got the start alongside Raymond Felton in the backcourt. Carlisle said before the game that he doesn’t know a timetable for Williams’ return, so this could potentially be a group we see to start games for a while. However, Chandler Parsons is probably going to return to the starting group soon, so the lineup could very easily change again. Regardless, Barea was unbelievable in this game, especially in the first half, when he scored 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting and 5 assists in only 16 minutes. He also hit a go-ahead floater and converted the and-1 to put the Mavs up 108-105 with 12.4 seconds left. He scored a career-high 32 points in the game, playing an absolutely vital role in the outcome. Nowitzki’s historic moment will rightfully dominate the headlines — oh yeah, he hit the game-winner, too — but Barea’s spectacular performance won’t go unnoticed, either.
Nowitzki hit two corner 3s in this game, which might not seem like a crazy occurrence, but it is. Before tonight, he’d hit only one three-pointer from the corner all season long. He rarely ever wanders to that part of the floor, but the Mavs found him in the left corner for some wide-open looks in this game. I wonder whether we’ll see him venture to that area more often moving forward, especially now that Parsons is getting more chances as the ball-handler. It makes sense to use Nowitzki as a spot-up shooter in those scenarios, and the corner 3 is the second-most efficient shot in basketball behind only the layup.
What’s Next
The Mavs (16-13) play the Chicago Bulls (15-11) Saturday at American Airlines Center. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. Central.
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