The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Denver Nuggets 124-117 on Thursday night in the most exciting game of the young season to move to 4-4 in the season.
If you stayed up in the dark, lonely night, the Mavericks didn’t necessarily reward you for your loyalty from the start. The Mavericks started Willie Cauley-Stein and Maxi Kleber again, but the team looked flat and sloppy for most of the first half. In the middle of the second quarter, the Mavericks had more losses (10) than field goals (8). At the break, the Nuggets led 52-43.
The third quarter was a different story, with the Mavericks returning to the game and maintaining that momentum for the rest of the second half (more in the third quarter below). As the two teams exchanged blows on Wednesday, the Nuggets’ talent, with MVP contender Nikola Jokic, began to shine. Just when it looked like Dallas was going to steal a victory on the road in a Kleber triple, Jokic drew the bell, giving him 17 points in the fourth period.
Finally, if you stayed awake in the darkest and most lonely night, the Mavericks rewarded you by closing Nuggets on the road in overtime. Doncic led the way with 38 points and the team was able to overcome 38 points by Jokic and 21 points by Jamal Murray.
Here are some observations:
The Mavericks showed determination in the third quarter
Dallas came out flat as it can be in the first two frames. The offensive struggles that plagued the Mavericks in their disgusting defeats persisted for the first 24 minutes, when the team coughed the ball, hovered around the perimeter and missed open kicks. The team made just four of their 21 trebles, with Josh Richardson missing all four attempts and Tim Hardaway Jr. connecting in just one of five.
However, the team turned the page in the third quarter. They recorded only one turnover and sneezed in five of their six three. That’s the Mavericks recipe for success, and they certainly cooked in the third quarter in a 17-7 run to make the game competitive again. It was a good response from a team that has not fought in a few games this season.
RPG players have increased a lot
The story of this young season was how Maverick’s role players simply couldn’t make pitches. This seemed to be the case during the first semester, but, as described above, they reversed the script not only in the third, but in the fourth period and in the extension as well. To begin with, Kleber (nine points, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks) missed a shot throughout the game, but hit three clutch triples and chased a lost ball that generated an extra point in a free throw. Hardaway (11 points) recovered in the third quarter and gave the team some needed energy with his jumper.
Richardson (14 points), who had been playing a terrible game until overtime, scored five quick points to put the Mavericks in the lead forever. Finney-Smith also advanced early and finished with 14 points, eight rebounds (three offensive), two assists, three steals and two blocks.
If Doncic isn’t back there, he’s very, very close
After registering his first triple-double against the Rockets in the last game, Doncic scored 38 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds in 13 of 22 shots. He (and the whole team) was sloppy at the start, but found his pace as the game progressed and controlled the game in the second half and overtime. He looked a little weak at the start of the game, but he was fine. He will be more than fine this season. He is a candidate for MVP.
The Mavericks’ versatility was on display
There was a possession of the ball at the end of the game, where the Mavericks exchanged and fought for almost the entire 24-second kick time, forcing a difficult shot by the Nuggets. The ball found its way to Jokić, but the Mavericks managed to force another stop. It was an impressive practice, where all the players moved in a team line of defense. This move was a microcosm of the Mavericks’ move in the home stretch. With Kleber and Cauley-Stein, the Mavericks were large and long enough to make Jokic difficult, and Richardson, Finney-Smith and Kleber were all able to exchange and play interchangeable roles on the defensive end.