The 4 and 21 (away) Minnesota Timberwolves come into Dallas looking to extend their two game win streak that was started by the Clippers and Knicks. The Mavericks have been up and down lately, looking okay in short spurts but seemingly unable to put together a complete game.
Does youth outclass veteran cunning?
Game as a Whole:
The Mavericks are who we though they were. They return to their losing ways as they crash and burn in the fourth after battling valiantly to get back into the game. Where did it all go wrong for the Mavericks? Starting at the end of the third where the Timberwolves made a three at the buzzer, the Dallas Mavericks couldn’t seem to slow Minnesota or figure out how to put the ball in the basket.
Dallas made it a game with the help of Beaubois and the three-guard line up (expect to see more of that in the future). Unfortunately for the Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki fouls Corey Brewer on a three, which essentially gift-wraps the game for the Timberwolves. In the end, veteran teams should never let it get that close but this a different Mavericks team.
Let’s look at the quarters…
1st Quarter:
- Dirk isn’t starting?! He was late to shoot around. Tsk Tsk.
- Dallas controls the tip.
- Kidd starts with a midrange jumper that doesn’t fall.
- 11:04, Howard drives and makes an awkward layup. We’ll take it.
- We’re taking jump shots that aren’t going in. Hint: try something else.
- 8:52, Marion with the assist to Dampier who hammers it home. The Mavs get it back when the Wolves mess up the inbounds pass.
- 8:38, Kidd takes advantage of the extra possession by getting his 93rd 3-pointer of the year.
- Corey Brewer has made two threes already in the game. That means the Mavericks should guard him out there.
- Marion gets back-to-back offensive rebounds. He then scores on the 3rd chance, showing that hustle pays off!
- Dirk makes his first appearance at 6:48. Consider his wrists appropriately slapped.
- 6:30, Terry gets an unassisted basket.
- 5:56, When Kidd gets his feet set, those 3-pointers are a sure thing. He’s now 5th all time in NBA history.
- 4:47, Dirk gets on the board with a pretty little jumper.
- 4:11, When Damp can’t find a way to score under the basket, he passes out to Howard who makes a short two.
- 3:46, Roddy comes in for Kidd. Beaubois is now the backup point guard. Sorry, Barea.
- 2:29, Gooden makes an excellent shot fake, and then drives in for a nice layup to get some points on the board.
- 2:02, Terry drives hard to the basket and gets fouled. He makes both free throws.
- 1:15, Terry brings the ball down on a fast break, but when the ball doesn’t drop, Roddy is right behind him to tip it in. Excellent teamwork.
- :31.0, Beaubois is fast. He speeds into the lane for a quick layup.
2nd Quarter:
- Roddy still in as PG to start the 2nd quarter. He makes a lovely three at 11:36.
- 10:12, Gooden makes a nice little running jumper after the T-Wolves commit a turnover on the Dallas end.
- 9:11, Gooden is fouled by Al Jefferson. He makes both shots.
- 9:09, Beaubois forces a turnover by the T-Wolves on the inbounds play. Excellent hustle.
- 8:18, Dirk drives to the basket and earns a trip to the line. He makes them both.
- 7:55, Dirk gives Dallas their first lead of the game with his specialty shot. Minnesota quickly takes the lead back.
- 6:54, Marion takes it to the hoop strong. The lead is seesawing!
- 5:18, Dampier misses his first shot but gets his own rebound and puts it in.
- 3:15, Dampier picks up his third foul on the Mavericks’ 11-0 run. Dallas is currently up by eight.
- 2:22, Terry throws a pretty great behind the back pass to Howard (first behind the back pass I have ever seen Terry execute). Howard misses but gets his own rebound and scores.
- As for Ryan Hollins, he was definitely a spark for the Mavericks but he seems to fit much better with the Timberwolves.
- Howard already has 11 for tonight and has been aggressive. One can hope all this negative talk would inspire him to prove something.
3rd Quarter:
- As Howard gets to play more minutes with Marion they will establish more of a chemistry that will pay off in spades. Everyone needs to give them time.
- The Mavericks have started the quarter 0 for 3. Timberwolves have gone ahead on a three.
- 9:24, Marion tries to pass before gathering in the ball (he was a bit out of control to begin with) and it ends up sailing way out of bounds.
- Terry and Dirk are currently the only two Mavericks to score this quarter.
- 7:19, Back-to-back Maverick offensive sequences have ended with turnovers. The ball has been going to Terry in both cases.
- 6:18, Kidd realizes that since nobody else wants to score he is going to have to do it himself. Misses a three, misses a layup and finally gets a put back bucket plus the foul.
- 5:21, Worst sequence in the game for both teams. We see a no call on Nowitzki, a turnover by the Timberwolves, a turnover by Dallas, and then a throw-away by the Timberwolves just for good measure.
- It is surprising that the Timberwolves aren’t up by more than six as they shoot 10 for 14 from the three-point line.
- 2:37, Beaubois comes in as the shooting guard to hopefully give the Mavericks some spark.
- The Mavericks get booed on their home floor, classy.
- :28.9, Beaubois shows why you need to have the behind the back pass in your arsenal.
4th Quarter:
- Beaubois starts the quarter off with a nice assist to Dirk.
- Terry has been a turnover machine in the second half. I find it strange how no one has asked for Terry to be traded.
- Every time the Mavericks start to make a surge they make a mistake on the defensive end to give Minnesota the game.
- Wilkins, who has been playing out of his mind, picks up his fifth foul.
- 9:28, Two clutch three-pointers for Beaubois. He is keeping the Mavericks in the game.
- 7:10, Kevin Love leans into an offensive foul that Beaubois picks up.
- 6:36, Beaubois is making a strong case for more minutes on this team. Barea hasn’t played a minute tonight, but can he even really make a case for being on the floor?
- Kidd, Terry and Beaubois are all on the floor now. Mavericks come out with a zone defense on the Timberwolves.
- 5:13, Kidd gets all the way to the cup and is fouled. Mavericks shoot foul shots the rest of the way.
- 4:02, Hollins tries the flop on a Nowitzki spin move, the refs don’t buy it.
- 2:35, Jason Terry with a steal and then Hollins fouls out on a Kidd foul.
- 1:51, Veteran move by Nowitzki to take it to the basket and draw the foul. Makes one of two to tie the game.
- 1:25, Dampier makes 1 of 2 and the Mavericks are still down 1.
- Nowitzki makes what could be the costliest mistake of the game, fouling Corey Brewer on a three.
Some Choice Statistics:
- This is the first time since 1999 that Dirk hasn’t started in a game in which he is available to play.
- The Mavericks scored 14-second chance points in the second half.
- In the last seven games the Mavericks have given up over 100 points six times.
Closing Thoughts:
Beaubois could be the savior of this Maverick team if he continues to get the same amount of playing time. Dallas is in need of someone who will take the ball hard to the basket and who can stay in front of the opposing teams’ point guard. Howard also should be inserted back into the starting line up as he has begun showing signs that his slump is coming to an end.