Here are my 5 takeaways from the Dallas Mavericks’ 121-100 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night at Talking Stick Resort Arena:
1. MAVS NEED TO PLAY DEFENSE FOR 48 MINUTES: This was an odd defensive performance by the Mavs, and the film will bore that out. In the second and third quarters, the Mavs played some terrific lock-down defense, holding the Suns to a total of 46 points. That includes limiting Phoenix to just 19 points in the second quarter on 7-of-22 shooting. But in the first and fourth quarters which coach Rick Carlisle described as “disastrous,” the Suns scored a total of 75 points on 28-of-39 shots. That includes converting 13-of-19 baskets from 3-point land. Overall, the Suns shot 54.3 percent from the field and 55.9 percent from 3-point range (19-of-34).
2. THE LUKA DONCIC SCORE CARD: In his first NBA game, Doncic had some bright moments and some not so bright moments as the rookie from Slovenia finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists in 32 minutes. In the early goings Doncic connected on a wrap-around pass to DeAndre Jordan for a dunk, a bounce pass to Jordan for a dunk, and then went sprinting down the floor for a coast-to-coast layup after grabbing a defensive rebound. But Doncic also turned the ball over four times, was 5-of-16 from the field and misfired on all five of his 3-point attempts. After the game he talked about finally being able to live out his dream and play in the NBA.
3. BENCH PLAYERS SHOWED THEIR WORTH: Despite not having their top reserve — Dirk Nowitzki is sidelined with a sore left ankle — at their disposal, the Mavs bench players still outplayed their Suns counterparts. The Mavs’ reserves finished the game with 39 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists, and were 14-of-27 from the field. By contrast, the Suns’ bench warmers collected 37 points, seven rebounds and five assists, and were 13-of-25 from the floor. Dwight Powell led the Mavs reserves with 16 points (6-of-8 shots) and five rebounds in only 17 minutes. Meanwhile, J. J. Barea came off the bench and picked up nine points and a game-high 10 assists in just 21 minutes.
4. MAVS OFFENSE NEEDED SOME SCORING PUNCH: In today’s fast-paced NBA game, 100 points is not a lot of points. The Mavs actually got off more field goal attempts and tossed up one less 3-point attempt than the Suns. But the Mavs were just 38-of-88 from the field for 43.2 percent and 10-of-33 from 3-point territory for 30.3 percent. The Suns had five players score at least 17 points, while Dwight Powell topped all Mavs scorers with 16 points. Harrison Barnes, the Mavs’ top scorer the past two seasons, should give the offense a boost when he returns from a strained right hamstring. And so will Dirk Nowitzki, who is the NBA’s No. 6 all-time leading scorer.
5. DEANDRE JORDAN MADE AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT: As first impressions go, DeAndre Jordan had a very impactful one in the Mavs’ debut against the Suns. The 6-11 center scored all 11 of his points on 5-of-8 shots in the first quarter. Three of Jordan’s baskets came on dunks, including the game’s first basket off a nifty feed from rookie Luka Doncic. Unfortunately, Jordan got himself into foul trouble and didn’t attempt but one more basket – and he missed it – the entire game. However, he did grab a game-high 12 rebounds, blocked a shot and thwarted a few efforts at the basket by the Suns. More than anything, Jordan helped the Mavs hold Phoenix to just 36 points in the paint.
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