Dallas Bench Out to Prove They Are Second to None

The game against the Philadelphia 76ers was a battle of the top two benches in the league in terms of scoring production. Philadelphia came into the game leading the league with 40.1 points/game from their bench. The Mavericks bench ranked second in the league at 39.3 points/game. In the battle of the benches, the Mavericks bench outscored the Sixers bench 54-29. The Sixers still have the higher overall average in bench production with 39.9 points, but the Mavericks are nipping at their heels at 39.5 points. "All season long, I’ve been telling everybody we’re the best bench in basketball," Terry said. "Obviously, what (the Sixers) do offensively, they were number one (On Tuesday), we came out and we did what we do. Pretty soon they’re gonna talk about us."

Coming off the bench, Jason Terry led all players with a season-high 30 points. That means Terry outscored the Sixers bench, 30-29. Terry's bench running mate Shawn Marion also chipped in 10 points and 10 rebounds, marking his seventh double-double of the season. "Anybody on our team is capable of going out there and having a big night," Marion said. "It just so happened it was Jason (Terry) and Jason (Kidd) on this night. We have so much experience that any one of us can do it on any given night and that gives us added confidence as a group." Dallas is 36-8 when its bench outscores the opposing team’s bench. The Mavericks are 32-3 when at least two reserves score in double figures.

Lost in the shuffle of the bench domination, Jason Kidd recorded his second triple-double of the season and 107th of his career. Kidd finished the game with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists and zero assists. "This is a special team in the sense of our focus," point guard Jason Kidd said after the game in Philadelphia. "If a person goes down, it gives an opportunity for another one to step in and be able to help. And that just goes to show the depth of this team — not just one person but two."

Starting on January 25, the Mavericks’ bench saw a dramatic uptick in production. Dallas' bench outscored the Clippers’ bench 63-28 in the win over Los Angeles. It was the first time that Dallas recorded 60-plus bench points since March 27, 2010 (65 at Golden State). Jason Terry (28), JJ Barea (25) and Shawn Marion (10) combined for all 63 of Dallas’ bench points in the win 112-105 over Los Angeles.

Seven games later, Dallas’ bench outscored the Cleveland's bench by a 49-point margin (60-11) in the 99-96 victory over the Cavaliers on February 7. Jason Terry led all Mavericks in scoring with 23 points.

Two games later, the Mavericks’ bench outscored the Nuggets’ bench, 72-12, in the 121-120 loss at Denver on February 10. The 72 bench points marked the most Dallas has scored in a game since April 13, 1995 (70 at Seattle). What’s more, it was the most points recorded by any team’s bench in the NBA this season. It also marked just the fifth time in franchise history that the Mavericks scored 70-plus points off the bench. Jason Terry scored a team-high 25 points for the Mavericks in the loss to Denver. The Mavericks have scored 60-plus bench points five times this season (4-1 record).

Jason Terry is the leader of the bench squad and he has some impressive numbers to speak of. Terry has played in eight games where he has outscored an opposing bench.

23-22 (vs Kings on 12/4)

20-16 (vs Warriors on 12/7)

18-11 (vs Trail Blazers on 1/4)

15-14 (vs Rockets on 1/27)

21-20 (Bobcats on 2/5)

23-11 (Cavaliers on 2/7)

25-12 (Nuggets on 2/10)

30-29 (76ers on 3/1)

 

The Mavs are 7-1 in those games, the loss was to Denver on 2/10. In that game, Terrry outscored the Nuggets bench, 25-12. In the 8 games Terry outscored the opposing benches, the totals add up to 175 for Terry and 135 for the opposing benches.

The game against Philadelphia is a telling example of how powerful the bench is. Roddy Beaubois and Peja Stojakovic combined for 10 points on 5-14 shooting from the field. In addition, the Mavericks had to play the entire second half without the heart and soul of their defense with Tyson Chandler nursing an sprained ankle. Despite all of that, the Mavericks scored 101 points and held the Sixers to 93 points.

News came on Wednesday afternoon that Chandler will miss at least the next two games due to his sprained right ankle.

"We just keep coming, wave after wave," said Jason Kidd when speaking about the depth of the team. The bench for the Mavericks continues to be a threat as their depth is a major key to their overall success. They are out to prove they are the best bench in the NBA and time will tell how far the bench will actually be able to carry the Mavericks. 

 

Twitter?  I don't even know her!  Oh......

You can stay connected with all things Dallas Mavericks by following Bryan Gutierrez on twitter @BallinWithBryan