Dallas Mavericks Summer League Game Two Impressions

The Dallas Mavericks defeat the Toronto Raptors 85-75 in their second Las Vegas Summer League game at the Cox Pavilion. Dominique Jones once again leads the charge for the Mavs with 21 points on 6-12 shooting, outshining the Raptors top 10 selection, rookie Terrence Ross.

Some impressions from the game after the leap:

Dominique Jones

- He didn't hit 30 again, but after stating a desire to be more efficient offensively and limit his turnovers, Jones did just that, with just one TO, and scored his points on far fewer shots. What ties into that last point is that Jones was able to get teammates involved a little more, though his favorite target on offense still clearly remains himself(and understandably so). Jones again hit a couple of shots from outside, and looked confident taking them.

Jae Crowder

- Crowder made probably two of the prettiest passes of the night, leading to easy baskets. His passing and understanding of spacing is a joy to watch, and for someone who played power forward he is remarkably skilled with the ball. He also had a monster block and smothered Terrence Ross on the stretches the two were matched up. So, for the most part, the idea that Crowder is better suited to playing the 4 is being quickly dispelled. A couple of missed free throws kept his scoring line down to 15 points, but otherwise the adjustment for Crowder to playing outside is just awaiting some improvement on the jumpshot.

Bernard James

- Sarge had a double-double, recording 13 points and 11 rebounds, but he got a taste of what NBA life might be like as he was matched up with bonafide player Ed Davis, who often got the better of James, en route to a game-high 23 points. Obviously, we continue to root for Bernard, but he is going to face opponents just as good if not much better than Davis every single night. On offense, James finished several nice passes for easy dunks, but wasn't able to connect on the few midrange jumpshots he took. This is not a crucial area for him, but the career 52.7% free throw shooter at FSU could certainly benefit from having something in his arsenal.

Tu Holloway

- Holloway did not play in yesterday's game, but got some burn today and made some plays, hitting all three of his attempts and making a nice pass for an assist in just 9 minutes. Holloway was a highly productive guard at Xavier, averaging 18 and 5 and a boatload of free throws his final two seasons, and while he's unlikely to make the Dallas roster, the college resume makes him a name to remember.

Drew Gordon

-Gordon responded with a better showing his second time around, putting up 6 and 7 and hustling for three offensive boards. I would make the case that a big reason Dallas has won so comfortably these first two games might be because of their depth inside, as they dominated Toronto on the glass and padded their field goal percentages both games with plenty of layups and dunks.