Doncic, Mavs Can't Stop DeRozan, Fall To Spurs 119-117

The Dallas Mavericks got great production from Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, but DeMar DeRozan's game-winner pushed the San Antonio Spurs over the top, 119-117.

Dalton Trigg | Apr 11, 2021

Doncic, Mavs Can't Stop DeRozan, Fall To Spurs 119-117 /

Just like last season, the Dallas Mavericks came into their final matchup against the San Antonio Spurs with a chance to sweep the season series, and just like last season, they failed to do so. With the game tied at 117-all, DeMar DeRozan put the final mid-range dagger into the Mavs with 0.5 seconds left to put the Spurs up 119-117 for good.

After being killed by DeRozan in the entire second half, the fact that the Mavs opted to not send a double-team his way on the final shot was puzzling.

"Just to clarify on the DeRozan last shot, we talked about the possibility of going, but we elected not to,” said head coach Rick Carlisle afterwards.

“We elected to let DoeDoe [Finney-Smith] guard him straight up. In hindsight, we obviously should have gone with that, and that’s on me. That’s my decision."

The Mavs got great production from both of their stars on Sunday night, with Luka Doncic scoring 29 points and seven assists, and Kristaps Porzingis putting up 31 points, 15 rebounds and three assists. Unfortunately, though, Porzingis' night was cut short when he fouled out in the final stretch of the fourth quarter.

Despite the great numbers from Dallas' two stars, the Mavs weren't able to overcome the off shooting nights from their dynamic bench duo of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jalen Brunson. Hardaway Jr. went 0-for-5 from the field and scored just two points in 22 minutes. He was also a team-worst minus-17 in the boxscore plus-minus. Brunson shot 4-for-15 from the field for 11 points.

Defensively, the Mavs really suffered from not having Maxi Kleber on the floor. DeRozan and Dejounte Murray had their way against the Mavs, combining for 58 points and shooting a combined 24-for-42 from the field. DeRozan, who put in 33 points and eight assists on his own, is going to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The 32-year-old should definitely be on Dallas' wishlist. DeRozan would provide Doncic with another high-level ballhandler and would take a lot of pressure off of him in late game situations.

Dallas, now 29-23 on the season, will now shift its focus to the Philadelphia 76ers on the second night of a back-to-back in what could very likely be J.J. Redick's much-anticipated Mavs debut. If he does play, Redick's fresh legs could provide the Mavs with a much needed offensive spark against a really good defensive team.

CONTINUE READING: How Bad is Luka Doncic's Technical Foul Trouble?

Published Apr 11, 2021

DALTON TRIGG

Dalton Trigg is the Editor-In-Chief for Dallas Basketball, as well as the Executive Editor overseeing Inside The Rockets, Inside The Spurs, All Knicks, and The Magic Insider. He is the founder and host for the Mavs Step Back Podcast, which is a proud part of the Blue Wire podcast network. Trigg graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2016. After spending a few years with multiple Dallas Mavericks-related blogs, including SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball, Trigg joined DallasBasketball.com as a staff writer in 2018 and never looked back. At the start of 2022, he was promoted to the EIC title he holds now. Through the years, Trigg has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Mavs GM Nico Harrison, now-retired legend Dirk Nowitzki and many other current/former players and team staffers. Many of those interviews and other articles by Trigg have been aggregated by other well-known sports media websites, such as Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and others. You can find Trigg on all major social media channels, but his most prevalent platform is on Twitter. Whether it’s posting links to his DBcom work, live-tweeting Mavs games or merely giving his opinions on things going on with Dallas and the rest of the NBA, the daily content never stops rolling. For any inquiries, please email Dalton@MavsStepBack.com.