Final: Mavs 107, Pelicans 98

Box Score | Highlights

Behind the Box Score

The Mavs were very active on the defensive end, working to disrupt the passing lanes and force deflections. Dallas forced 14 deflections tonight, besting the previous season-high of 13. It’s not a stat that shows up in the box score, and a deflection doesn’t always result in a steal, block, or turnover, but it slows down the opponent and usually leads to broken play situations, which are hugely positive for the defense.

After righting through a tough second quarter where they only scored 0.667 points per possession, the Mavs rebounded very well after the break. In the third quarter, Dallas scored 1.304 points per possession, a blistering clip. Considering the league average is always just above 1.00, the Mavs were scorching. What’s more, Dallas started the fourth quarter by hitting its first eight field goal attempts, good for 2.1 points per possession during that stretch. That is insane efficiency. It was one of those times when everything was clicking. Special stuff.

Dallas was able to get out in the open floor and run tonight, something that didn’t happen much against the Hornets or Raptors in the last two games. The Mavs had 10 possessions that the team qualifies as fast break opportunities, and converted those chances into 15 points. Fast break chances usually lead to easy shots — layups and dunks, mostly — so it’s always good to get more of those.

Notebook

  • Dwight Powell had another high-impact performance, especially in the first quarter. The big man has 7 points on 3-of-5 shooting in the first and finished with 15 points and 7 rebounds on the night. It’s Powell’s third consecutive game scoring in double-digits. He even blocked Anthony Davis at the rim. Seeing young guys develop so quickly in front of our eyes is a pretty cool thing.

  • Chandler Parsons looked about as sharp as he has all season in this one. Twice he drove around Luke Babbitt for dunks, and a corner-three went all the way down before bouncing out. The forward played all of his minutes in the first half this time around, and expect that to continue being the case until he can play enough minutes to get some time in the second half. But for now, what matters is Parsons looked aggressive and bouncy, and that was a huge help to the offense.

  • Dirk Nowitzki was 2-of-10 at one point, but responded by knocking down his next six shots. After fighting through a rough shooting night against the Hornets and getting off to a difficult start tonight, it was obviously great to see the German find his touch again. He’s had a terrific season outside of those two stretches and looks as good as he has in a long time.

  • Jeremy Evans and Justin Anderson got some run in the first half, with Evans playing some center next to Nowitzki and for stretches guarding Anthony Davis. The lanky Evans threw down an alley-oop and nearly had another but a lob pass got away from J.J. Barea. He also had a majestic block against Davis in the fourth quarter. The two young guys haven’t been in the rotation consistently to start the season, so they’ve got to continue taking advantage of the opportunities to play when they do come. Al-Farouq Aminu, for example, wasn’t getting consistent minutes to start last season but ended up becoming one of the most important players on the team. Rick Carlisle’s mantra is “stay ready,” so that’s what they’ve got to do.

    What’s Next

    The Mavs (3-3) play the Pelicans (0-6) again Tuesday at the Smoothie King Center. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. Central.

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