The Dallas Mavericks fell home to the Portland Trailblazers on Sunday night, losing a 121-118 barn burner. Damian Lilliard led the Blazers with 34 points and 11 assists. Luka Doncic added 44 points in the loss to Dallas.
The Blazers went out shooting the first, connecting six of 11 from beyond the arc and putting Dallas on their heels. The Mavericks, on the other hand, coming out of a game in which they broke the franchise record of 25 threes, missed three in the fourth and took eight. Luka Doncic loaded the Mavericks early, scoring the way he wanted and adding 13 points. Dallas found himself losing after a quarter, 34-25.
Luck was reversed in the second quarter, with Dallas hitting seven hits beyond the hoop for just two to Portland. The Mavericks scored well for most of the period, involving Kristaps Porzingis and the free throw line. But defensively, they continued to suffer, allowing for both setbacks and easy attempts at the rim. Once again, Luka Doncic caught fire offensively, hitting three consecutive trios after being hit in the face on a drive. Portland was frustrated with the refereeing (Dallas had a 12 to 3 free throw advantage at halftime) and Damian Lillard suffered a technical foul. The Mavericks finally took the lead with just under a minute in the quarter and took a 61-58 lead at halftime.
With Luka Doncic and Damian Lillard connecting in three to start the third quarter, it looked like we could have another offensive shootout. The Blazers kept the fire going while the Mavericks started out strangely, trying to put Porzingis on the offensive side, which didn’t work and Dallas was unable to contain the Blazers defensively. Portland hit 15 out of 21 to 45 points in the quarter and jumped ahead to a 103-91 lead to fourth place.
The Mavericks failed to diminish Portland’s advantage with Luka on the bench, although Jalen Brunson worked offensively. With 6:50 left in the game, Portland was 112-99 with the game well controlled. His attack when frigid and the Mavericks began a slow, steady march to pull into one at 1:55 with the strength of 12-0. Lillard alone kept the Blazers ahead until a pass from Luka Doncic to Dorian Finney-Smith for three draws in 116 in total. Lilliard took the call again, hitting a sweeping three. The Mavericks would respond with a stroke to pull inside one. The Blazers scored again in a poor play to lead by three. Luka Doncic really got an incredible look to send the game into overtime, but he was unable to bury the triple. The Dallas Mavericks fell 121-118.
Now, an additional thought
The defense is terrible in all aspects
It is difficult to know where to start. Dallas is atrocious in defense. This team is the LAST in the league in defensive classification since January 20th.
But before the discussion runs, I want to understand the intent of what the Mavericks are doing. They played drop pick and roll cover, again, against the Blazers and in the first three quarters Portland scored 53% in three. While they finished with 45%, which means that they finally missed some in fourth place, I want to understand why the technical team thinks it is important to allow the kicks they give. It would be one thing if the defense against painting was good, but it is also a drug (and we’ll see the main reason in a moment).
Bringing Josh Richardson into defense just to see Dorian Finney-Smith match Lillard is a coach choice I don’t understand. Finney-Smith is a good advocate for aid. He’s a great team defender. He is a man-to-man advocate and Lillard is a world champion. It’s something I don’t understand why Richardson has more active feet than Finney-Smith and the Blazers put him in a blender.
So we must help you in pick and roll situations in Kristaps Porzingis. If you follow me on social media or listen to me on podcasts, you know I’ve been after him for some time. This game was another example of what is an inability or unwillingness to make a positive impact. He was set on fire on pick and roll rides, often letting Lillard pass him in an attempt to hunt a block, which just didn’t work because he is not fast or athletic enough (which is not small, Dame is excellent). In post-defense, Kanter embarrassed him. To help defend his attacks, he has concrete in his shoes. Look at this does not help, where he will not leave 27% of the three-point shooter Derrick Jones Jr.
Either that, or he’s too slow to react and they both stink. Of the players receiving significant minutes, Porzingis may be the worst defensive player in the league at the moment.
It’s not just Porzingis, basketball is a team game. Maxi Kleber and Tim Hardaway Jr. being destroyed by Carmelo Anthony ended up being great in this game, for example.
But the Mavericks hired him to anchor a defense and he just doesn’t do much for them these days. This is a problem that Mavericks need to solve. Their attack is not as good as it was last year, so having a defense that is somehow much worse at the moment will not work. The Mavericks have made significant progress in the last four wins on the offensive side. Now they need to find something about the defense because what they are doing does not work.