Some quick thoughts before the Mavericks face the Jazz in Game 2

I tweeted some thoughts about Game 2 on Twitter earlier today, and our managing editor Kirk really, really hates giving away content on Twitter when it could be placed here on our wonderful website. So here’s a post with my quick thoughts before the Mavericks and Jazz play Game 2 tonight in Dallas.

• Defensively, Dallas pitched a perfect game in Game 1. No major adjustments are needed and I think overreacting to Bojan Bogdanovic’s performance would be foolish.
• Utah regular season three point rate: 43.3 percent. Game 1? 23.9, according to Cleaning the Glass data
• Mavericks win Game 1 with an average offensive performance. As I wrote, need a major improvement from Jalen Brunson/Spencer Dinwiddie: 13 combined assists considering how much those two handled the ball is not good.
• Dinwiddie/Brunson combined to go 1-of-7 from three. Have to make Jazz pay in their drop coverage.
• Only 22 minutes for Dwight Powell. Mavericks can thrive on offense without Powell when they have Luka Doncic, not sure they can without. I’d like more Powell minutes so Dinwiddie/Brunson can have an elite screener to give them better space/passing angles.
• Mavericks desperately need someone from the bench to go off. Not sustainable playing Reggie Bullock and Dorian Finney-Smith 44 minutes each and getting 14 total bench points.
• Mavericks need to get more creative on offense to get Dinwiddie/Brunson going downhill in space to force the Jazz into rotations. Finney-Smith had only five three point attempts in Game 1. That’s bad, he needs more.
• While the offense needs to be better with less Brunson/Dinwiddie dribbling into bad shots, Mavericks went 3-of-9 on corner threes in Game 1. Have to be better when they do get open looks.
• Might be time to give Josh Green’s minutes *gulp* to Trey Burke. It might be worth a shot to inject life into the offense. Mavericks were crushed in Game 1 when there was only one of Dinwiddie or Brunson on the floor.
• Starting lineup (Dinwiddie/Brunson/Bullock/Finney-Smith/Powell) played 13 minutes and outscored the Jazz by five points in Game 1. Dallas just really needs one bench player to do *something* and they can win Game 2.
• Davis Bertans only had three 3-point attempts in 18 minutes in Game 1. If he’s playing, he has to shoot more.
• Aside: it’s very disheartening to see the Mavericks get nothing from their bench and seeing DNP-CDs for Trey Burke and Sterling Brown, two players the Mavericks gave multi-year contracts to help improve their depth. Hoping for chaos Josh Green tonight.

Enjoy the game everyone. Let’s see if the Mavericks can even the series.