DALLAS, TEXAS — After completing their first comeback of the season, the Mavericks found out shortly after they would be without guard Jalen Brunson, guard Josh Richardson and forward Dorian Finney-Smith due to Covid 19 protocol. Dallas reached the .500 mark and gathered much momentum, but entered tonight somewhat shorthanded hosting the Magic in their third home game of the season winning 112-98.
Even though this team is shorthanded, the Mavericks have the opportunity to push forward and better their record as the season heats up. Winning games early is important.
Dallas got much needed help out of the players that were available. Rookie guard Josh Green started at small forward for the Mavericks tonight in place of Dorian Finney-Smith, Tim Hardaway Jr got the start for Josh Richardson, and Trey Burke filled in for Brunson serving as the backup for Doncic and leader of the second unit.
If Dallas wanted to begin their first winning streak of the season it would take the effort of the entire team.
What has plagued the Mavericks throughout the season has been starting the 1st quarter off with a bang. The team at times has struggled to pull it all together and when Dallas trails in the 1st it doesn’t translate to wins.
Dallas began the first quarter in slow fashion, but turned it around with their most efficient first quarter of the season.
The Mavericks received healthy contributions out of Trey Burke off the bench who knocked down 3 three point shots, Tim Hardaway Jr who scored 8 points and hit 2 shots from beyond the arc, and Luka Doncic who knocked down 50% of his shots from the field and a three pointer to boot.
Tonight the Mavericks boasted their best field goal percentage in the first quarter this season knocking down 66% of their shots from the field. Dallas was efficient and showed a good sample size of how well their offensive game thrived after leading the league last year in offensive efficiency. Dallas finished out the 1st quarter with a healthy 36-27 lead.
Another thing that has plagued the Mavericks this season is sustaining early leads and not allowing the opposing team to creep back in the game.
After a solid first quarter from the field the Mavericks production dipped. Dallas only made 8 out of 22 shots in the 2nd quarter which is 36% from the field and were outscored by the Magic 23-20. This is a trend that has hung over this Maverick team since the beginning of the season. The Mavericks were able to sustain their lead but instead of leading by 9 the Mavericks lead was cut down to 6 points going into halftime keeping hopes alive for the Magic.
The Magic took advantage of the Mavericks narrowed lead and gained a 65-61 lead eventually for the first time since their first bucket of the game. Dallas was able to get back on track and outscored the Magic 29-25 in the third quarter. A player who has consistently stepped up for the Mavericks in crunch time this season is Tim Hardaway Jr. Hardaway Jr knocked down 6 out 8 shots in the third quarter adding to his impressive scoring total of 30 points and to end the 3rd quarter Luka Doncic knocked down a three pointer before time expired, helping the Mavericks secure a 85-75 lead going into the 4th quarter.
The 4th quarter was a defensive stalemate for the opening minutes with both teams accounting for 6 points combined in 4 minutes. Trey Burke broke the ice and added to his point total knocking down two consecutive shots from beyond the arc giving the Mavericks 95-81 lead and placing him inches closer to his first 30 point game of the season.
Luka Doncic finished the night with his second triple-double of the season (20 points, 10, assists, 11 rebounds, Hardaway finished the night with 32 points knocking down 57% of his shots, and Burke finished the night with 29 points knocking down 7 out of 8 shots from three. The trio accounted for 79 of the Mavericks points as Dallas defeated the Magic 112-98 to capture their second home win of the season.
The story of the night for the Mavericks was how well this team performed despite being down their backup point guard, their starting shooting guard and small forward, and another highlight was how well the team played on defense. Dallas was able to put together a win against a team that sat at 6-3 entering tonight’s game. This just confirms how deep the Mavericks can go on their bench when key players might not be available.
The Mavericks are officially on their first win streak of the season as they look to get another win when they host the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday.
