Dallas Basketball

Wednesday Mavs Desperation Donuts - A Learning Curve Starting With Luka vs. Zion

The NBA's Dallas Mavericks have to learn to play like a desperate team way before things get desperate - Starting tonight with a visit from Zion Williamson's Pels

Steven Kilpatrick

Wednesday Mavs Desperation Donuts - A Learning Curve Starting With Luka vs. Zion
Wednesday Mavs Desperation Donuts - A Learning Curve Starting With Luka vs. Zion /

The Dallas Mavericks don't need to wait until it's truly "desperation time'' before they approach games that way. That can be starting tonight with a visit from Zion Williamson's Pelicans as we detail in Mavs Donuts ...

DONUT 1: Bulls 109, Mavericks 107

First we have to glance backward.

This is going to be hard to hear because the Mavericks are supposed to be better than the Bulls ... but Monday night’s loss wasn’t nearly as bad as it looks in the win/loss column.

Oh, it’s still bad. It’s never good to lose a single-possession game to a team that’s 20 games below .500. It’s never great when you manage a two-point loss despite outshooting, out assisting, and out-rebounding your opponent. It’s weird to lose a game in which you had four more turnovers, yet still came away with five more points off of turnovers than your opponent. 

The Mavericks did all of that on Monday night (and also blew a 12-point lead, just for good measure). Normally, when you see a score like that, you automatically go check the free-throw shooting ... but in this case, the Mavericks were 15-of-20 and the Bulls were 11-of-17.

But, the Mavericks were also without Western Conference Player of the Week Kristaps Porzingis, they were without the red-hot Seth Curry, Willie Cauley-Stein picked up a DNP-CD, Brunson is still out with a shoulder injury, and Luka’s nursing thumb and ankle injuries.

There’s an argument, optimistic as hell, that it’s a miracle a short-handed team, on the second night of a back-to-back, was within a prayer of winning at the buzzer. There’s also an argument that you don’t need to rely on divine intervention if you don’t get outscored 33-17 in the third quarter.

Click here to read Matt's game recap.

DONUT 2: More Injury Issues for Luka

The ankle isn’t 100 percent. It might not be 100 percent for the rest of the season. That’s how this stuff goes sometimes. Unfortunately, his ankle injury is now joined by a thumb sprain. For a guy who relies on nifty ball-handling, wild passes, and a high usage rate, having that thumb is beyond important. 

He admitted as much after losing to the Miami Heat, saying that he had trouble just catching the ball.

He’s still a tough competitor and he’s still one of the best players on the floor. Even against Chicago, he had 23 points, nine assists, and five rebounds. But he was also 1-of-8 from three-point range, including that final desperation miss. Is that because he’s struggling to gather the ball on step-backs because his left hand isn’t cooperating? Did he take more long-range shots because he wanted to avoid contact with his thumb during drives? 

Maybe it was just a tough night, but he was still within inches of win-38 on Monday night. It’s hard to imagine a fully-healthy Luka Dončić losing that game.

DONUT 3: Kristaps Porzingis - Player of the Week

If Luka is the engine that powers the Dallas Mavericks, then Kristaps Porzingis is pulling double-duty as both the caboose and the cattle guard. Early in the season, even when his shot wasn’t falling, Porzingis was a force for the Mavericks' defense. Now, he's found his shot, kept his defense, and regained some of his confidence along the way. The NBA noticed.

Over his last 11 games, Kristaps is shooting 50 percent from the floor, 39.6 percent from three, and he’s averaging 27.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, two blocks, and a steal per game. He’s also playing amazing defense and knocking down 83 percent of his free throws. If he plays like that again in March he might win Western Conference Player of the Month.

DONUT 4: Seth Curry Keeps Climbing the Ranks

A few weeks ago it was big news when Seth Curry passed his brother Steph to take fourth on the NBA’s all-time 3-point percentage list. Since then he’s passed Hall-of-Fame player Dražen Petrović and NBA journeyman Hubert Davis. As of Wednesday morning, Seth’s 44.15 percent is second to only Steve Kerr’s 45.4 percent

I hope he keeps improving for years to come and I hope he does it all as a Dallas Maverick.

DONUT 5: Willie Cauley-Stein Whereabouts

The last time Willie Cauley-Stein saw the floor for the Dallas Mavericks was on February 12, for about four minutes. The game before that, he played five minutes. The game before that one he logged 25 minutes, went 7-of-7 from the floor, had 10 rebounds, an assist, and two blocks. Since then he’s had a nearly two-week sabbatical sandwiched between two DNP-CDs (Did Not Play, Coach’s Decision).

It turns out that Cauley-Stein was away from the team because of a death in the family—so it may not be a repeat of the Nerlens Noel situation. Still, it’s weird that Cauley-Stein didn’t play against Chicago Monday night. Yeah, I know he hasn’t had practice time ... but he hadn’t practiced much before suiting up when he got to town either. 

If he’s not in Rick’s doghouse (yes, we know the coach hates that word), it’s strange for Carlisle to leave an athletic big man on the bench on a night when his team is decimated by injuries and short on interior depth.

DONUT 6: Back to the Bulls (and Injuries) for a Moment

Not to hammer this point home, but here’s what the Mavericks were missing on Monday night:

Seth Curry, the No. 2 3-Point Shooter in NBA history and his 12 points and two assists per game was out. He’s also been hitting 56 percent of his threes and scoring 20 points per game over his last 10 games.

Kristaps Porzingis, the Western Conference Player of the Week was out (re-read Donut 3 if you’ve forgotten how he’s been playing).

When you add those two absences to a limited J.J. Barea, a DNP for Willie Cauley-Stein, a shoulder injury to Brunson, and the season-ending injury to Dwight Powell, it’s tough.

No matter what the shouting on Twitter might tell you, it’s always tough to win in the NBA. When you’re missing a couple of guys who’ve spent their last 10 games shooting 50 percent from the floor and averaging over 50 points combined ... you’re supposed to struggle.

All the more reason to get to the postseason as healthy as possible, even if it means getting there as "just'' a 7 seed.

DONUT 7: Who is Delon Wright?

Progression isn’t a straight line, so I’m not giving up on Delon Wright by any means. But, I am worried that he’s failed to sustain success and build on his opportunities. Against Minnesota on February 24, Wright scored 16 points on 54-percent shooting. He added four rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Not setting the world on fire, but not bad.

In the four games since, Wright has shot a combined 4-of-17 from the floor, scored nine points, grabbed 16 rebounds, and tallied 14 assists. Before you check his minutes, he’s played 96 minutes over the last four games. In the loss to Chicago Wright went 0-for-2 in 27 minutes (though he did have six rebounds and four assists).

He is so clearly a cut above the average NBA player. He’s a guy who can often do a little of everything. But, he’s also prone to big mistakes in big moments. He’s also failed to consistently elevate his game when presented with the opportunity. Despite the number of big (and consistent) injuries this season, Wright hasn't managed to set himself apart.

The best version of Delon Wright is still in there ... but if he can’t even unlock that potential against the Chicago Bulls, I’m not sure he’ll find it against the LA Clippers or Denver Nuggets in the first round.

DONUT 8: Punishment Will Wait

We’re all pretty sure that Mark Cuban is going to write the NBA a check soon. After his in-game criticism of NBA officials via Twitter, it’s all but inevitable. However, the league has decided to postpone any punishment until after they’ve completed their review of the Dallas Mavericks protest of the Atlanta game. Maybe a successful protest (always unlikely) would lead to a lesser fine. On the other hand, an unsuccessful protest might lead to harsher sanctions, because his criticism could be seen by some as not only inappropriate but harmful and misleading. 

In the unlikely event that the Mavericks do win the protest, Cuban says they’d probably only replay the end of the game if playoff seeding is an issue.

DONUT 9: Wasting Tim Hardaway Jr.

Tim Hardaway Jr. is feasting on everybody, so it’s not any huge surprise that he’s gorged himself on lesser competition. What is frustrating is that of the seven times THJ has led the Mavericks in scoring this year, his team has managed to win only twice. Once against Philly on December 20th and once against Minnesota on February 24.

He was the leading scorer in losses to the Kings (29 points), Heat (28 points), Jazz (33 points), Hawks (33 points), and the Bulls (26 points). Each of those losses was by a margin of four points or fewer.

The Mavericks have got to stop wasting these great Tim Hardaway Jr. performances (and while we’re at it, they shouldn’t have wasted that 37-point performance by Seth Curry last week, either). When your third and fourth scoring options are getting you 25-35 points, you ought to win.

DONUT 10: Don’t Look Now

It may seem like the sky is falling, but did you know the Dallas Mavericks were 6-4 over their last 10 games, despite their wave of injuries? It seems much worse because two of those losses came to Atlanta and Chicago - two teams that have combined for 40 wins and 84 losses this year. Both of them came down to the final 15 seconds. Both of them added to the Mavericks miserable record in clutch situations.

But, the big picture is much brighter. Kristaps is playing like a top-40 player again. Luka’s still outplaying guys even when he’s hurt. Curry and Hardaway Jr. keep shooting the ball with more and more confidence (and success).

When the Mavericks are at full strength, for the bulk of the league, they’re incredibly hard to beat. Try not to focus on the wins and losses for a couple of weeks, and just watch how well this team plays when everybody is out on the floor. This is a team that’s winning a little less than they did early in the season, but that has also raised its ceiling a lot in the last month. The sky isn’t falling; we’re just getting closer to it than you thought.

DONUT 11: New Orleans Who Dis?

The Mavericks got away with one in New Orleans back in late October. They were outscored 41-27 in the first quarter and looked completely overmatched. A tough look against a team that lost Anthony Davis in the offseason and Zion Williams in the pre-season. Instead of wilting, the Mavericks roared back in the second quarter and eventually held on to win 123-116.

The two matchups since then haven’t even been close. The Mavericks won 118-97 and then 130-84 in their last two matchups. They have a chance to sweep the Pelicans tonight at home (8:30 start at the AAC) and as with Minnesota last week, there’s no reason they shouldn’t complete the sweep.

Oh, except that Zion Williamson is healthy, the Pelicans are winning more, and the Mavericks are unpredictable every night. The Mavericks could win this game by 25 points. They could lose by one point when Delon Wright dribbles the ball off his foot on the final possession of overtime. Every game is like one of those chocolates that might or might not have a ghost pepper in the middle.

DONUT 12: The Final Word

“I’m supposed to make that shot.” - Luka Dončić on his last-second miss from half-court against Chicago.

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Steven Kilpatrick
STEVEN KILPATRICK

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