The Mavericks left Washington with a 109-87 victory over the Wizards on Saturday night. Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 26 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Russell Westbrook paved the way for the Wizards with 26 points and 14 rebounds. The game had a feeling of resistance, since several players were out for both teams. The Wizards were without Bradley Beal and Rui Hachimura, while the Mavericks were without Kristaps Porzingis and Maxi Kleber.
Both teams struggled to start the game, although the Mavericks achieved a five-point lead at the end of the first period. Nothing much changed in the second quarter, although Nicolo Melli took the lead with energy, scoring eight points. The energy was welcome, as the Mavericks usually performed poorly for the second night in a row.
The Mavericks moved away slowly in the third quarter, increasing the lead to eight. Doncic fought behind the hoop throughout the game, but he dominated in painting and midfielder. The Mavericks finally eliminated the Wizards in the fourth, increasing the lead to twenty in one point with two minutes remaining. Both teams fired badly throughout the game, but the Mavericks finally came to life in the end, shooting 56% in the fourth period. This happened despite Luka having played just over five minutes in the last quarter.
The Mavericks basically smothered the Wizards during the game and finally overcame their own bad kick to close the game. Here are three observations of a rare victory on the second night in a row.
Melli started and made the most of it.
With Kleber out, Melli dropped and impressed. Your score will not jump off the page, with just 10 points and eight rebounds, in addition to contributing three assists. But it brought an energy that the Mavericks needed at times this season, especially when playing against tough teams like the Wizards. In a game in which the depth of the Mavericks’ court was almost nonexistent, Melli managed positive minutes was enormous. He finished with +22 for the game, although he only scored two points in the second half.
Dallas’ decimated rotation of great men allowed the Wizards to keep the game over.
With Porzingis (injury recovery), Kleber (left leg injury) and Willie Cauley-Stein (health and safety protocols) eliminated, the Mavericks had only Dwight Powell and Boban Marjanovic to launch against the Wizards. Powelll and Marjanovic are not exactly defensive stoppers, so it’s no surprise that Washington celebrated in the painting.
Robin Lopez finished with 18 points in 32 minutes off the bench, easily scoring who Mavericks put in front of him. The lack of protection of the rim made the Wizards outperform the Mavericks in the painting by 48 to 36. This helped them to keep the game close, despite not having much firepower in the absence of Beal and Hachimura. Rotating the Mavericks’ court has been a wild journey all year, and as the playoffs get closer, the only thing the Dallas office can do is wait for injuries and fights to work in its favor.
A balanced attack buried the wizards.
Doncic played brilliantly, as always. But what really helped the Mavericks to win the game was the rest of the cast also taking part. Six players scored in double digits – all five starters and Jalen Brunson off the bench. Powell and newcomer Josh Green have nine points. There were no insane performances or scorching kicks from a player. Doncic has just created opportunities and his companions have been converted. The Mavericks are a different team when the players are hitting the shots, and that’s what happened tonight.
The Mavericks hope to bring that momentum to Dallas when they face Utah Jazz on Monday night.