Mavs Stat of the Week: Spencer 'Fourth Quarter' Dinwiddie
"I'm thankful for Luka for trusting me," said Spencer Dinwiddie following the Dallas Mavericks 113-111 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
What is not to trust about the veteran point guard who thrives under pressure? Despite the 29-39 Washington Wizards' bad-mouthing of Dinwiddie, his results with Dallas speak for themselves. The Mavs are an astounding 10-2 since their front office traded for the "shell of himself" point guard. They're 8-1 in clutch games, which ranks first in the league during that span.
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Aside from hitting two game-winners in as many games, Dinwiddie's overall production aligns with Dallas' biggest needs since the inception of the Luka Doncic era. In the last 10 games, Dinwiddie averaged 20 points while shooting 45 percent from the 3-point line and being able to distribute the ball as well.
In a trade that many deemed a salary dump, the Mavs fixed a four-year-old problem: Doncic no longer has to bear the full burden of carrying the offense in fourth quarters. This rendition of 'Mavs Stat of the Week' magnifies the alleviated pressure Doncic feels thanks to Dinwiddie's knack for taking over games.
Fourth Quarter Points: 81
In the last five seasons, the 2021 NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and Dinwiddie are tied for second-most go-ahead baskets (six), with DeMar DeRozan first in such category with seven. People forgot about Dinwiddie's welcome-to-the-league performances in his time with the Brooklyn Nets. Missing time due to an ACL injury and then trying to initiate your comeback with a team that doesn't want you will do that for you.
Nonetheless, Dinwiddie is back to his big-bucket-getting ways. Although Doncic averaged 35.7 points vs. the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2021 playoffs, Dallas lacked a legitimate second-option for Doncic to rely upon when inevitably feeling fatigued from carrying the offense the first three quarters.
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Dinwiddie, who is no stranger to flourishing in fourth quarters, now exists as Doncic's pressure release. Not only is Dinwiddie helping, but he's also leading the fourth quarter in scoring for the Mavs since acquiring the veteran guard. In the Mavs' 14-point fourth-quarter comeback win over the Nets on Wednesday night, Dinwiddie put up 22 points on 6-of-14 shooting with 15 of those points coming in the final period alone.
In the past 12 games, Dinwiddie ranks eighth league-wide in points scored during the fourth quarter, which is above players such as Jokic, Sixth Man of the Year candidate Tyler Herro, Joel Embiid, Doncic, and others. Poetically, Dinwiddie scoring 81 points in his 12 fourth quarters as a Maverick invoke memories of the late, great fourth-quarter player Kobe Bryant – to a lesser degree, of course.
After all the years of Dallas chasing stars in free agency, perhaps a forgotten role player can make the most significant impact on a team yearning for playoff success it hasn't experienced in more than a decade.
Out of all the great decisions Doncic has made throughout this season, quickly giving his trust to Dinwiddie might be the best one yet.
