Jason Kidd hit six shots from beyond the arc and finished with 20 points (game-high) to lead the Mavericks to victory over the Sacramento Kings, 116-100. It was the first game of the season for Roddy Beaubois and he did not disappoint as he finished the game with 13 points, six assists and three steals in 21 minutes of action.
Mavs Owner Mark Cuban said that tonight was all about "survival" for Beaubois. Cuban also joked prior to the game that Beaubois would come out wearing a Superman cape and enter to the Mighty Mouse theme. Well, he was not THAT far off. Instead, he was greeted by a pregame video clip from the movie "Rudy," with his head superimposed and fans responded by loudly chanting "Rod-dy! Rod-dy!" He entered at the 9:53 mark of the first quarter, drawing a standing ovation. The Mavericks made sure to get him involved early in an attempt to get him rolling.
Dallas has now won nine straight against Sacramento, including 25 of the last 30 match-ups. The Mavericks recorded their second consecutive season sweep of the Kings with the victory. The blowout was a change of pace as five of the last six meetings between the two clubs have been decided by eight points or less, including three games that the Mavericks have won by exactly two points. Now, the Mavericks have won the last 14 meetings in Dallas against Sacramento.
Home cooking has done the trick for the Mavericks as the win marked Dallas’ seventh consecutive home win, tying their season-best stretch for consecutive wins at home (won seven straight at home from November 23-December 11). Dallas has now won 12 of their last 13 games. The Nuggets snapped the Mavericks’ 10-game winning streak with an Arron Afflalo buzzer beater at Denver on February 10. Also, Dallas has scored 100-plus points in 11 of its last 12 games. The Mavericks are 28-2 when they reach the century mark.
Did THAT Just Happen?!
- Beaubois' first bucket was quite a thing of awkward beauty. Beaubois tried to throw an entry pass to Tyson Chandler and it hit DeMarcus Cousin's leg. It was a loose ball situation and Beaubois was able to grab it and run into the lane for an acrobatic layup. He did a around-the-world, scoop layup for his first made basket. The basket was at the 6:32 mark of the game and gave the Mavericks a 10-9 lead. Early in the game, he also showed off the blazing speed that fans have grown to love. Beaubois had multiple runaway layups and no member of the Kings had a shot in the world of being able to chase down Beaubois.
- It really does not have anything to do with the game, but the Mavericks essentially conducted their own line change in basketball form. With 4:05 left in the second quarter, the Mavericks swapped out Dirk Nowitzki, DeShawn Stevenson, Brendan Haywood and Jason Terry for Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Tyson Chandler and Peja Stojakovic. Nine Mavericks logged at least 20 minutes of action. This team is ridiculously deep with talent and they will try to take you out in waves.
- Brendan Haywood continues to show that he loves to play against the Sacramento Kings. Over his last two match-ups against the Kings, Haywood averaged 8.0 points, 4.5 rebounds while shooting 77.8% from the field in 21.5 minutes of action. Carlisle mentioned after the game that Haywood has been a match-up play against the Kings due to him being the best defender to go up against DeMarcus Cousins. He responded by recording his first double-double of the season with a season-high 12 points, 10 rebounds and shot 62.5% from the field in 22 minutes of action. The Mavericks are 3-0 when Haywood scores in double figures.
- The third quarter was incredible. The Mavericks had a 13 point lead to start the quarter and the Kings got the game tied up 68 within the first five minutes of the quarter. Jason Kidd took over the game and scored 17 of his 20 points in the third quarter on 6-7 shooting from the field and 5-6 from beyond the arc. The Mavs outscored the Kings, 35-28, in the quarter and took a 20 point lead into the final quarter.
- Who is Jermaine Taylor and how did he score 17 points? The second year guard was the hottest player on the floor in the first quarter as he totaled 12 points on 5-7 shooting from the field. Taylor finished with 17 points (new career high).
Box Score Revelations
- The Mavericks had eight players that scored in double figures. Kidd (20), Marion (14), Nowitzki (13), Beaubois (13), Stojakovic (12), Haywood (12), Terry (12) and JJ Barea (11). It was the first time since April 6, 1993 that the Mavericks had eight players score in double figures. That game saw Terry Davis, Jim Jackson, Sean Rooks, Derek Harper, Dexter Cambridge, Donald Hodge, Brian Howard and Morlon Wiley all score at least 10 points. The Mavericks are now 12-1 when at least six players score 10-plus points. At least five Mavericks have scored in double figures in 12 consecutive games.
- Brendan Haywood led the Mavs in the rebounding department with 10 rebounds. The Mavericks lost the rebounding battle over the Kings, 40-35. Dallas has out-rebounded the opposition in seven of the last 10 games. The Mavericks are 22-5 when they out-rebound their opponents this season. Mavs Moneyball will have more on the rebounding situation later this week.
- The Mavericks tied a season-high with 54 points in the paint. They also had 54 in the game against Memphis in Memphis on 11/10. Beaubois' aggression certainly goes a long way in boosting those numbers, but the Mavericks have been trending the right way as of late in that department. They scored 50 points in the paint in their game against Denver and then 52 points in the paint against Houston.
- The Beaubois effect might have also played a role in the categories of steals and fast-break points. The Mavericks were averaging 13.2 fast-break points, they had 21 against the Kings. They were also averaging 4.4 steals/game, Dallas had 11 against the Kings.
- Jason Kidd's stretch in the third quarter with the three-point shot was nothing short of impressive. It was only his second time since 2002-03 to have five made threes in a quarter (February 27, 2007 vs Washington). Kidd went 6-9 in that game as a member of the New Jersey Nets and finished the game with 26 points. Kidd hit six shots from beyond the arc against the Kings and that marked a season-high (previous high was five against the Los Angeles Lakers on January 19, 2011).
- JJ Barea made the most of his 20 minutes as he posted his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 assists. It marked the second time this season that he's handed out at least 10 assists (13 versus New Jersey on December 9, 2010). Carlisle mentioned after the game that Barea's thought process has evolved. Barea said that he feels more comfortable in the sense what he knows what each player likes in terms of specific passes and the results indicate that.
- It was not all good for the Mavericks as DeShawn Stevenson got the start and went 1-4 from the field with just three points. His jumper has struggled as of late and it appears that his playing time could get drastically cut with Beaubouis' return to the lineup.
- Ian Mahinmi had 7 minutes of action and he made every one of them count in the fouling department. He fouled out with zero points and one rebound.
- With all of the scoring, you would think Dallas made a lot of trips to the free throw line. They Mavericks shot six free throws and hit three of them. Another baffling part of the statistic is the fact that all six attempts were taken by bench players (Haywood, five and Terry, one). The three makes marked the fewest made free throws in team history and was only the 10th time since 2000 that a team has won with three made free throws or less.
Tweetings From the Mavs Universe
- "Ready to see Roddy B!"
@alhint1206
- "This Roddy party is already way outta control...kegs are being lowered from the rafters"
@skindoeshoops
- "Love how quickly Kidd puts the rock in Roddy's hands when they're on the court together. Like releasing a windup toy. True sign of respect."
@benandskin
- "FREE BRENDAN HAYWOOD!!!"
@espn_macmahon
- "Haywood would be an all star w Sac on the schedule 82 times...."
@sbass1310
If You Don't Like What I Said, Read What They Said
- Rick Carlisle on Beaubois and a potential name change, "‘Roddy’ was the flashes of brilliance but never any consistency player last year. ‘Rodrigue’ is the new guy. I think he has matured. He got a lot of experience last year. He played over 700 minutes, which is a lot for a rookie to play. And he started 20 some-odd games, which is significant. And he got some playoff experience, which is a different animal and he had some success there. That gets you hungrier for more. This kid I really think he wants to be more. I really think he’s not just a guy with natural ability. I think he really wants to be a special player, and he’s learned about what it takes in terms of work to get there."
- Carlisle on Beaubois' night, "I thought it was, all things considered, pretty solid. Predictably, there were some ups and downs, but the important thing was he was able to get involved."
- Carlisle on the depth of the team, "This team is built around a lot of important, valuable pieces. Most nights, we'll go nine deep but we have the ability to go 12 deep."
- Beaubois on his night, "This night is a great feeling. I didn't have any expectations -- just to enjoy it because I've been waiting for it for a long time. I think I'm ready to go."
- Beaubois on what he needs to do next, "I have to find my rhythm. I turned the ball over a couple of times. It’s normal when it’s been a long time. I need to find my rhythm back, for sure."
- Beaubois on the support from the fans, "I really liked it. It feels great to be a part of it again, and I’m happy about that."
- Kidd on the flow offense, "I don’t know how many times we’ve scored over 100 points, and our record is pretty good when we have scored over 100 points. The beauty of this team is that everyone is touching the ball, and we’re getting wide open—make or miss. There are not really contested shots when we’ve got two or three guys with their hand up. We’re making that extra pass and everybody is touching it. When you have that type of game or system, it’s hard to guard."
BG's Baller of the Game:
Baller status has been granted to Jason Kidd. On a night where the buzz was centered around Roddy Beaubois and you had double-doubles from JJ Barea and Brendan Haywood, Jason Kidd saved the day with his third quarter performance. With the way Barea and Beaubois could allow Kidd to rest up during the final stretch of the regular season. A well-rested Jason Kidd could go a long way in getting the Mavericks were they ultimately want to go.
The Mavericks will have one more game to play before the All-Star Break. They will travel to Phoenix to take on the Suns. They can record their 40th win before the break with a victory on Thursday. Dallas was 32-20 at the All-Star Break last season. The game against the Suns will tip off in Phoenix at 9:30 pm CST.
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