Mavs Moneyball - Gameday: Dallas Mavericks at Sacramento KingsRick Carlisle approved.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50869/mmb-fav.png2016-03-28T22:26:34-05:00http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/rss/stream/110760832016-03-28T22:26:34-05:002016-03-28T22:26:34-05:00Mavs steal a game, beat Nuggets 97-88
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<figcaption>Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Mavericks' ragtag group won on the second night of a back-to-back, pushing them back into a tie for the No. 8 seed.</p> <p>Keeping playoff hopes alive, the Mavericks stole a victory on the second night of a back-to-back in Denver, beating the Nuggets 97-88 on Monday to snap their three-game losing streak.</p>
<p>With nothing to lose, Rick Carlisle changed the starting rotation again, going with his regular starters -- Dirk Nowitzki, Wesley Matthews and Raymond Felton -- while adding the team's two youngsters, Justin Anderson and Dwight Powell. After a slow start, the move work. Anderson and Powell are athletes who work against a mobile Denver unit, particularly Powell, who makes more sense against Kenneth Faried than anyone else on the Mavericks roster. I'm not sure that warrants Powell another starting lineup nod, given Faried's uniqueness, but it worked on Monday.</p>
<p>Dallas took a lead late in the first quarter and never gave it up. It never felt like the Mavericks had complete control -- well, OK, they didn't -- but they kept making shots when Denver drew close. The cycle repeated itself several times, with the Nuggets making a mini-run that left them a point or a shot or a couple possessions away from taking the lead, only to see Wesley Matthews or Anderson hitting a timely shot or two that put Dallas back ahead. It wasn't a method convenience for calming blood pressure, but ultimately it worked.</p>
<p>Give the Mavericks credit -- despite playing deep into the bench, the team also committed just four turnovers for the entirety of the game. That's two turnovers shy of an NBA record, and incredibly impressive all things considered. (They took an unforced shot clock violation at the end of it, too.)</p>
<p>The win puts Dallas back in the playoffs, at least before you consider tiebreakers. The Mavericks' path is still more difficult than the other three teams, but it's not out of reach. Dallas needed this win to keep hope alive, and, well, hope is alive. It's being held for ransom somewhere maybe, sure, but it has a pulse. Don't count out Dirk or Rick Carlisle, I firmly believe, and for that matter alone, don't count out Dallas. Not yet, anyhow.</p>
<h4>Dirk looked his age</h4>
<p>If the Mavericks ran a front office that made successful transactions that put actual, bonafide talent around Dirk in his twilight days, this was the type of game where he would have played 20 minutes. His shot wasn't falling with any regularity, despite frequent open looks, and his defense suffered against quicker Denver units.</p>
<p>But missing two starters, with Rick Carlisle mining the very end of his bench for decent minutes out of anyone breathing, Dirk instead trotted out there for 33 minutes in Denver's altitude on the second night of a back-to-back. You hate that it has come to this, but Nowitzki came through anyway, hitting a couple second half jumpers that were important, 4-of-17 shooting line be damned.</p>
<p>With a proper day off, given the tear Nowitzki's been on, you have to hope that his groove will return Wednesday when the team comes home to play the New York Knicks.</p>
<h4>Powell's future in the NBA</h4>
<p>Let's talk more about Dwight Powell and what he could become. In his first NBA start, we were reminded of his athleticism several times, including a difficult alley oop dunk running down the lane where he caught a pass thrown behind him and still tossed it in.</p>
<p>That's Powell's best attribute right now, his athleticism. He's an average defender at best and hasn't shown innate shot blocking abilities, although perhaps that could improve. As a center, he's often overpowered in the post and as a rebounder. As a power forward, he just doesn't space the floor well enough.</p>
<p>Of everything listed, Powell improving his jump shot makes the most sense. The Mavericks work with him constantly, having him shoot threes throughout summer league and working with him before games. His mechanics are sound, if a bit too rigid. It hasn't worked yet -- Powell missed nearly everything on Monday. But if Powell could develop outside touch in any capacity, you could imagine him playing a role as a backup four who occasionally slides to the five against smaller opponents. In this scenario, Powell would be an athlete off the bench who can hit stretch the floor and rebound at above average rates for his position while giving Dallas small ball versatility.</p>
<p>But saying isn't doing, and sometimes, players just can't learn skills no matter how much practice they put in. Powell could try bulking up, but I don't see him ever becoming an effective, full-time center. No, power forward with range is where his future lies, if he can accomplish that. Imagine Jared Sullinger or Darrell Arthur. As hard as Powell works, we can all hope another summer in the gym will allow him to reach that ceiling.</p>
<h4>Anderson's great game</h4>
<p>Since we talked about Powell, we might as well praise Anderson, too. He was fantastic, showing a natural ability for where the basketball will be and making plays once he's there. His 11-point, four-rebound, two-block night was crucial for Dallas to hang in this game.</p>
<p>While it's true Anderson only had one good season shooting the ball in college, I still like him a lot as a 3-and-D cog off the bench for this team as soon as next year. A lot of rookies struggle shooting, especially when they're in and out of the rotation. Anderson has developed significantly since the beginning of the year -- he and Carlisle will both say so -- and I can't tell you the last time the Mavericks had a wing player able to dunk four times in a single game. Playoffs or no, it'll be fun watching Anderson get after it the rest of the year. He's earned those minutes during this season's final two weeks.</p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2016/3/28/11322144/mavericks-97-nuggets-88-dallas-steals-a-road-game-keeping-playoffTim Cato2016-03-27T19:26:13-05:002016-03-27T19:26:13-05:00Mavs drop embarrassing 133-111 loss to the Kings
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<figcaption>John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>On the road against a bad team, Dallas played like a team content with missing the playoffs.</p> <p>So, sure, the Mavs didn't have two of their starters. On the other hand, they were playing the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.sactownroyalty.com/">Kings</a>, who were 28-44 coming into this game and possibly the most dysfunctional team in the history of the NBA. And, oh yeah, Dallas is supposedly fighting for their playoff lives.</p>
<p>What I'm saying here is that losing to the Kings in late March, and doing so in such pathetic fashion, tells you everything you need to know as this team closes out the season. The Mavs lost by double digits and never once felt like they might actually win this game. Against the Kings. THE KINGS!</p>
<p>It got so bad that by the end of the game Carlisle basically said f*ck it, throwing out a four-big-man lineup with <span>Justin Anderson</span>, <span>Charlie Villanueva</span>, <span>Dwight Powell</span>, <span>Salah Mejri</span>, and <span>JaVale McGee</span>. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever write that. Yeah. This game. So what do you guys want to talk about? Here are a few takeaways.</p>
<h3>Defense, what is that?</h3>
<p>THE SACRAMENTO KINGS SCORED OVER 100 POINTS IN THE FIRST 3 QUARTERS. To be fair, the Kings have the fastest pace in the NBA. This is a team whose strategy is to score points, and quickly. But they're also 15 games under .500, so it isn't like you HAVE to let them do this.</p>
<p>Just to reiterate, the Kings shot 62% from the floor. At the end of the third quarter, they were hitting fully half of their three point attempts. As will discussed shortly a good portion of this was simply Boogie having his way with the Mavs. But Seth Curry (no, SETH, not Steph) hit half of his threes against the Mavs, scoring 14 points. Willie Trill Cauley-Stein looked like an All-Star against the various Mavs who half heartedly watched as he drained sick jumpers and maneuvered for easy layups to drop 21 on dallas. Collison chipped in 17 as well, and <span>Ben McLemore</span> went for 14.</p>
<p>As bad as it was, it honestly didn't feel like the Mavs just failed to show up. It never felt quite like they were phoning it in or just didn't show up. The Kings just had a REALLY good game while the Mavs couldn't get anything going for more than a couple of possessions at a time. Which is almost scarier than if the Mavs had looked like they just couldn't be bothered with this game.</p>
<h3>Boogie Cousins is an unstoppable monster</h3>
<p>Having watched this game without constantly checking the box score, I was more than a little surprised to see that Boogie didn't go for 40 points or something. It felt like he was constantly scoring and-1s, especially for a stretch there in the second quarter. He especially trashed Zaza, which eventually led to a technical against Zaza. After that we didn't see the almost All-Star from Georgia in the game again.</p>
<p>Salah tried. Zaza tried. Dirk tried briefly. Lee tried. Powell tried. All failed to stop Boogie, or even really offer any resistance at all. Boogie was the Borg out there. Resistance was futile. It got so bad that JaVale McGee got some serious burn. I can't remember the last time Pierre played in a game, but he started the second half of this one.</p>
<p>Boogie finished with 20, 12, and 5. And didn't really play at all in the fourth quarter. Say what you will about this Kings team, but dammit if Cousins isn't one of the best big men in the game today.</p>
<h3>My favorite young players got some burn</h3>
<p>I still can't fathom how Justin Anderson isn't getting minutes. Yes, he had one boneheaded possession to start his time in the game. But he very clearly has a lot of talent and wants to work hard for this team. Oh yeah, and two starters on the perimeter are out with injury. Simba got some burn tonight and put up 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. Maybe my favorite play of the game came late in the first quarter, when Anderson tricked his defender in the corner with a shot fake, drove into the paint while fooling another defender with a pass fake, then dumped the ball off to a wide open <span>Dirk Nowitzki</span> for one of the easiest layups of the big German's very long career. The kid is a basketball player. I'd love to see him play more.</p>
<p>And then there was Dwight Powell. I kind of get why he hasn't been playing. Until he starts hitting jumpers again, he is a poor fit for this team as a power forward, and the minutes at center are being sucked up by Salah Mejri, <span>David Lee</span>, and Zaza Pachulia. That said, with Boogie destroying the guys i just mentioned, both JaVale McGee and Dwight Powell were given more minutes tonight than they've had in months. And Powell looked like he usually looks, which is to say he was decent without at any point flashing any hint that he might actually be good. This hurts me to say, but maybe this is who he is.</p>
<p>However, Justin Anderson needs to play more. Please, Rick, give us what we want.</p>
<p>The Mavs are now 3 games below .500 and solidly 9th in the West. It feels like this is it. And yet, as I was writing this, the Rockets dropped their game against the Pacers, falling to 8th. Utah looks solid, and Dallas is somehow only a half game back of Houston. So I guess the Mavs and Rockets will now battle it out for who can end the season in the saddest fashion to avoid becoming fodder to the Warriors' death march to the NBA Finals.</p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2016/3/27/11313648/three-takeaways-from-the-mavs-embarrassing-133-111-loss-to-the-kingsBailey Grey2016-03-27T00:00:02-05:002016-03-27T00:00:02-05:00Mavs need this win against the Kings
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<figcaption>Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>After giving the Warriors a serious scare without the help of Dirk or Deron Williams, the Mavs will try to get an actual win against the Kings.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Mavericks</a> face the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.sactownroyalty.com/">Sacramento Kings</a> on a day's rest after managing to play the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">Golden State Warriors</a> very closely even while resting Dirk and missing <span>Deron Williams</span>. With most of the remaining games must-wins for Dallas if they're looking to make the playoffs, this could give the team the physical and mental boosts they need to get a win over the Kings.</p>
<h4>What happened last time these two teams played?</h4>
<p>The Mavericks hosted the Kings earlier this month. The game was supposed to give the Mavericks a bit of a cushion before they entered a particularly tough stretch in their scheduled later in the month, but was instead the <span>Rajon Rondo</span> revenge game. The former Mav put up 18 points and 12 assists, which combined with <span>DeMarcus Cousins</span>' double-double to beat Dallas despite <span>Chandler Parsons</span>' 28.</p>
<p>The teams have played a total of three games this season, and Sacramento has the 2-1 edge.</p>
<h4>What have the Kings done lately?</h4>
<p>Despite seeming to have the Mavericks' number this year, the Kings are struggling. They're seven games behind Dallas and Utah for the eight seed in the Eastern Conference, and while they haven't been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, it's incredibly unlikely to happen.</p>
<p>The Kings have also been plagued by some off-court drama this season, with <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2016/3/13/11217572/demarcus-cousins-blames-george-karl-for-his-one-game-suspension">tensions running high</a> between Cousins head coach <span>George Karl</span>.</p>
<h4>Why is this a must-win game?</h4>
<p>It's not so much that this particular game is a must win as that the Mavericks have a razor-thin margin between making and not making the playoffs this year and not that many games left to play. Right now, just a game and a half separates number six Portland from number nine Utah. The Mavericks are currently tied with Utah, but the tiebreaker gives them the eight seed (though that may change).</p>
<p>Dirk is expected to play tonight, but Deron Williams is still out. He's undergoing an MRI because of an abdominal strain.</p>
<h4>How to watch</h4>
<p>Early tip-off alert: tonight's game starts at 5:00 p.m. Central. As usual, you can watch on Fox Sports Southwest or via NBA League Pass.</p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/game-coverage/2016/3/27/11311254/mavs-head-to-sacramento-looking-to-stay-alive-in-playoff-raceKate Crawford