'This Is Dangerous': Mavs' Defense Unravels in Letdown Loss to Shorthanded Pelicans

The Dallas Mavericks came up short against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday with poor defensive execution becoming a problem.

The Dallas Mavericks are off to a 1-2 start to the regular season following their 113-111 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. 

In both of the Mavs' losses, there have been a few key trends. Despite Luka Doncic and the team's top scoring options getting it done, under-par defensive execution throughout the game proved to be costly. 

In both of the Mavs' losses so far this season, the post-game explanation involved an admission of unacceptable defense with a relaxed mentality at the start. 

“Bad defense,” Doncic said. “First quarter was bad defense. We started relaxed.”

The breakdown of the Pelicans' paint scoring was concerning. To begin the game, New Orleans aggressively attacked JaVale McGee, and the momentum didn't stop even when he left the floor. They finished with 24 points in the paint in the first quarter, then added another 16 before halftime — totaling 40 at the break. 

The #Mavs have received underwhelming paint protection from JaVale McGee. It was on display against the #Pelicans, but it has happened since the preseason.

McGee's lack of contributions makes starting 1st & 3rd quarters unnecessarily more challenging. A lineup change is needed. pic.twitter.com/EndZwEwK51

— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) October 26, 2022

Whether it was against Jonas Valanciunas, Jose Alverado, Naji Marshall, or Dyson Daniels, the Mavs struggled to contain dribble penetration and to protect the rim. When coupled with how New Orleans shot 12-27 (44.4 percent) from 3-point range overall, Dallas had a losing formula defensively. 

With Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and Herb Jones all sidelined from Tuesday's game due to injury, there was some sense the Mavs didn't 'show up' as needed. With how competitive the Western Conference has become, letdown losses add up. 

“This is dangerous," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. "They’re a team that has a lot of confidence, so we have to be ready. There can’t be a letdown because of who’s not playing. That happens a lot in this league, you’ll see a team that has their star player out win those games because the opponent relaxed. We have no room to relax."

Despite the Mavs' underwhelming defensive execution earlier in the game, they still managed to take a 100-98 lead after Spencer Dinwiddie converted a step-back 3-pointer with 7:41 remaining in regulation. Both teams had their ups and downs by the Pelicans an 11-4 run to take a 109-102 led with 4:40 left to play. Dallas played from behind for the remainder of the game. 

“You got to show up,” coach Jason Kidd said. “You got to go take the win. No one’s going to give you anything in this league. We didn’t play well down the stretch.”

Again, even with the Mavs' once again playing from behind down the stretch, Doncic had put them in a position wit a chance to win the game on the final possession. With Dallas trailing by five as of their timeout with 36.9 seconds remaining, Doncic made two straight layups. Graham split a pair of free throws with 3.2 seconds remaining — giving the Mavs the basketball on the final play. 

Just as what happened against the Suns, Doncic was unable to get a potential game-winning shot to fall on a step-back 3-pointer. Needing to rally back and use a heroic shot to decide the outcome of a game isn't going to lead to consistent success. 

“It’s basketball," Doncic said. "They’re NBA players. They have a great team and were moving the ball. So it can happen.”

The Mavs' next change to bounce-back comes on Thursday in a road matchup against the Brooklyn Nets.

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