Stats rundown: 3 numbers after the Mavericks take down the Nets, 113-109

The Dallas Mavericks notched a gutsy win against the Brooklyn Nets, 127-113, keeping sole possession of the fifth seed for at least a little longer. With both teams down key contributors, it was a grind at times, but the Mavericks did just enough to stave off Kyrie Irving’s 45 points.

Here are a few stats to key in on after the win:

1: The number of field goals Kevin Durant made in the second half

This is largely the key to the game as Durant struggled to get anything going in the second half after getting in foul trouble earlier in the game. Durant finished the game shooting 7-of-21 from the field (0-of-4 from three) for 20 points. Conversely for the Mavericks, Dorian Finney-Smith scored 17 points and was a game-high plus-23 swinging the forward matchup wildly in the Mavericks’ favor. Here’s Durant’s shot chart from the second half via nba.com:

2: The number of two-point field goals Luka Doncic made the entire game

Doncic looked pretty sluggish most of the game, and his only two buckets inside the arc both came with less than 3:30 remaining in the fourth. One play, in particular, stood out as Doncic bullied Irving to the rim, but left the lay in short failing to finish through contact. It was a shot Doncic finishes every time but that one. He finished the game with 24 points, but his shooting numbers were terrible. He made 7-of-22 from the field, including 5-of-13 from deep, but worst of all he was 5-of-10 from the line. Doncic finished the first half cashing in five of his nine triples, which means he missed all of his attempts in the second half. There’s a lot to be said about the Mavericks beating a great team with Doncic playing like he did.

5: This is the fifth game out of the past six the Mavericks shot above 40 percent from three

The one game they didn't was the loss against the Sacramento Kings. Tonight, Dallas connected on 44 percent of their triples as Josh Richardson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Finney-Smith combined to shoot 9-of-17 from three. That’s a huge lift from the starting lineup, and one that the Mavericks don’t normally receive. Hardaway and Finney-Smith hit clutch threes down the stretch continuing their sharp-shooting as of late.

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.