The Dallas Mavericks beat the Detroit Pistons 115-105 Thursday night. The game was a lot closer than the 10-point margin would typically indicate, but a win is a win, especially considering Luka Doncic and Dorian Finney-Smith did not play. The Pistons, however, sat Jerami Grant and several other players, so a playoff team like the Mavericks should have been able to easily put away a team that’s pretty openly tanking.
Tim Hardaway Jr. led the way for the Mavericks with a career-high 42 points. Trey Burke continued his recent hot play, chipping in 15 points from the bench. Isaiah Stewart and Frank Jackson both led the Pistons with 20 points each. Hamidou Diallo had a double-double, putting up 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Here are three stats that explain the win:
18: The difference in field goal attempts between the Mavericks and Pistons
Dallas shot 18 more field goals than Detroit, and at one point the disparity was more than 20. But the Pistons hit their shots at a higher rate, finishing the game with a 50% field goal percentage, and that helped them keep the game close. Their poor shooting elsewhere is what doomed them.
11: The number of free throws the Pistons missed
For once, the Mavericks hit their free throws and an opponent did not. The Pistons got to the charity stripe 34 times, giving them 11 more attempts than the Mavericks had. But Dallas only missed one free throw, and Detroit missed 11. That’s a big number in a game with a 10 point gap in the final score.
17: The number of consecutive points Tim Hardaway Jr. scored in the 4th quarter.
Hardaway has been the difference in several games this year, but lately, he’s been in a slump. Putting up a career-high 42 points in a game where your team needed you badly is an incredible way to bust out of that slump. Hardaway stepped up and put the team on his back. His 17 straight points in the 4th quarter were the turning point of the Mavericks’ win. Hopefully, his 6-of-10 shooting from behind the arc is a sign that things are turning around for him, and not just a fun night in Detroit.
Here’s the postgame podcast, Mavs Moneyball After Dark. If you can’t see the embed below “More from Mavs Moneyball”, click here. And if you haven’t yet, subscribe by searching “Mavs Moneyball podcast” into your favorite podcast app.