Other than that hot streak from Parsons and the occasional Dirk jumper, this game was just overall not fun. The game started ugly, with both teams struggling with poor shooting and turnovers. Seriously, both teams started the game by going 0-5. But then Atlanta woke up. And Dallas.... sooo did not.
The Mavs hung in for a while, but at no point did they threaten to take a lead. Just a boring stinker of a loss.
Four games left until the All-Star Break. This team looks exhausted. Hopefully they can find a way to limp into the break with a win or two.
Too too too much Barea
J.J. Barea played 31 minutes tonight. It went about how you would expect, if you've been watching this team the past couple of years. J.J. can occasionally be an effective offensive weapon when used right--unfortunately, getting starters minutes is not the right use of his skills. Yes, his stats don't look that awful. 15 points and 4 assists could be much worse. But if you were watching, you saw the problems.
Overconfidence in bad shots. Over-dribbling. A complete inability to stay in front of Jeff Teague.
To be fair though, Teague kinda went super nova tonight. 32 points on 12-15 shooting is insane. At one point, Teague and Kyle Korver were a combined 8-8 on threes. Perimeter defense was a huge problem tonight, which honestly isn't all that surprising when you're playing Barea this many minutes.
But look. Deron Williams messed up his hip early on in the game. Devin Harris still hasn't returned from whatever is ailing his toe. Given the choice between Barea and Ray Felton, we all know which direction Rick Carlisle is going.
Chandler Parsons owned the second half
Like most of the Mavs, Parsons had a very forgettable first half. But the dude absolutely went off in the second half. He finished the game with another double-double: 19 points and 11 rebounds. All but 2 of those points were scored in the second half--and honestly Parsons probably could've put up quite a few more if the game had been close and Carlisle felt it worthwhile to leave him out there for the end of the game. There was a long stretch there in the 3rd quarter where it felt like Parsons was the only Mav who could remember what scoring looked like.
The best part is that he really did everything. #HandsomeBasketball was throwing in reverse layups, soaring dunks, drawing fouls on made jumpers at the elbow. He hit most of his free throws, which had been a problem for him at times. And he continued his trend of rebounding out of this mind.
Chandler Parsons has been such a bright spot lately, and I was so worried that tonight was just going to be an off night for him after the first half. Fortunately, he found himself during halftime. He continues to look like the best player on this team, and it isn't like Dirk isn't looking great. That's how good Parsons has been lately.
It just wasn't enough tonight.
Mixed bag from Wesley Matthews
I think Wes could use the All-Star Break more than anyone. What he's done coming back from that Achilles injury is nothing short of amazing. But he looks off right now.
Tonight was sort of a weird night for him. Offensively, he was actually pretty good. He quietly had 11 points, and his passing was on point. He only had 3 assists, but he tossed many more pretty passes than just the three that his teammates scored on.
But this may have been one of his worse nights as a Mav defensively. I noticed him get fooled on some of the Hawks half court movement more than a couple of times. He also had a couple of dumb fouls. Teague and Korver blowing up all over the Mavs wasn't just because Barea played 31 minutes.
It was just a weird game. I honestly think Wes is going to rebound and be huge for Dallas as the season winds down. But not so much tonight.
People are talking too much about Dirk's hair
The Fox Sports Southwest crew jumped in on what was a trending topic on twitter earlier today: Dirk's recent hair cut. Not to take away from all the glorious basketball that happened tonight, but I figured we might as well address this.
Honestly, Dirk's hair looks perfectly normal. I don't get why everyone from Cuban to Parsons was clowning him about it. And more importantly, it clearly had no affect on his shot, as he went 4-11 for 18 points.
I think Dirk looks good. Everyone leave him alone.
In conclusion, no, this game didn't go the way we wanted. But at least we all got to listen to Sir Foster for a while. Worse things have happened. Dallas will try to rebound against the Heat on Wednesday.