If a game is not televised, but no one is there to see it, was there really a game? Unfortunately for me, the recapper, who just spent ten minutes looking for some sort of audio or video (which does not exist, by the way which does exist, but I was too tired to find at 6am in the morning), the game does exist. Once again, it'll be all recaps and box scores on my end. On the other hand, at least its a good game to recap...lots of good things happening for the Mavs here, much different than the previous game against the Cavs.
- Steve Novak is the story, leading all scorers with 22 points. He knocked home 6 threes on 10 attempts, playing 22 minutes in route to a Mavs victory. Even though he has outplayed Brian Cardinal (who finally knocked down a triple tonight, but grabbed only 2 rebounds in 20 minutes), I still would not be shocked if Cardinal is the one who ends up on the roster. The Mavericks apparently like Cardinal because of what he does besides shoot -- his veteran savvy, ability to draw offensive fouls, and habit of getting easy buckets for himself off rebounds. Perhaps Novak's great shooting helped change their mind, but to say Novak has completely surpassed Cardinal, at this point, I do not believe to be correct.
- Progress for our preseason Mavs, who only turned the ball over 14 times. Good to see they are starting to get into season shape.
- Dominique Jones, who I have been hard on in a couple previous recaps, had a great game. He scored 15, but more importantly, he shot very efficiently. 5/9 from the floor (and one of those shots was a half court heave to end a quarter) and 5/6 from the FT line, and knocked down a mid range jumper in the third. The free throws, in my opinion, are the key from his box score, because so far he had been having trouble getting to the line, one of the biggest strengths in his game. He also dished out 7 assists in 27 minutes (though he did turn the ball over four times), reinforcing my belief that he needs to be a backup PG this season until he gets a more consistent jumper. Great to see improvement.
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Alexis Ajinca played some 4, and he played excellent. In 19 minutes, he scored eight points, knocking down a trio of mid range jumpers (including a 22 footer from the top of the key...I'm telling you, think kid has some range), and he also swatted 3 shots. He also grabbed a couple offensive rebounds (four boards total) while picking up only two fouls in the process. I really like what this kid can do, both now, as a backup 4/5, and his potential for the future. (update: Oh, and his one non-jumper field goal? A one-handed putback slam showing his nice athleticism.)
- Quick run down of everyone else: JJ Barea had a nice game starting at PG, going for 12 and 7. Stevenson, whose turn it was to be evaluated at the 2-guard spot, did not, going 0 for 7 attempts from the field. Chandler grabbed 7 rebounds, and Mahinmi had three offensive boards.
- Did anyone else know TMac is apparently with Detroit now? Less surprisingly, he did not play due to an injury.