Dallas’ roster is ready to flourish when they get healthy
The Mavericks finished the last week 2-2 and have an overall record of 22-16. They remain steady in fifth place, with a 1.5-game lead over seventh in the Western Conference. The two losses came at home vs Cleveland (134-122) and in Memphis (119-104). Two home wins against the Lakers (118-97) and Trailblazers (117-111) followed those. P.J. Washington returned from a one-game absence, and Naji Marshall from his four-game suspension also returned to play. Daniel Gafford missed one game due to an ankle injury while Luka Doncic (calf strain), Kyrie Irving (lower back issue), and Dante Exum (wrist surgery) remain out.
Grade: B
All the Mavericks can do right now is drudge out wins. Without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, a .500 win percentage is the goal, and Dallas did exactly that this past week. Finding wins in an excruciating January schedule is going to be tough, but they managed to find two in different ways. The Mavericks continue to defy all logic, losing to a Memphis team (handily, I might add) without their two best players (Ja Morant and Desmond Bane), then flying home and beating a fully healthy Lakers team. They let Jaren Jackson Jr. bludgeon them all night without a double team, and at one point had fewer free throws as a team than rookie Jaylen Wells. The next night, they double-teamed Anthony Davis immediately and took him out of the game, which resulted in a 21-point win. I expected Dallas to go 1-1 in that back-to-back, but not in that order.
Then, riding high on a huge win, they fell flat and started 1-13 against Portland. They were digging themselves out of a hole for the entire game and could not get it over the hump until there was 4:33 left in the fourth quarter. They rattled off 16 in a row after being down 10 and pulled victory from the jaws of defeat. There is no getting off the roller coaster right now and this Mavericks team continues to prove why depth is so important. Not only is this team dangerous to underestimate right now, but when Doncic and Irving come back, they have role players playing with a confidence that makes them a real threat to win the championship.
Straight A’s: Quentin Grimes
Grimes has been Dallas’ best offensive option for the last four games. Over that stretch, he has averaged nearly 18 points, five rebounds, and almost six assists in 29 minutes per game. Every touch he gets on offense feels positive, whether he is shooting, handling the ball, or driving and finding an open man. Then, on defense, he is causing havoc and guarding one-on-one as well as anyone on the team.
Against the Lakers, he (along with P.J. Washington) was the Mavericks’ engine. He attempted his most shots in a game this year and fueled Dallas’ rout on the second night of a back-to-back. Two nights later against Portland, he was back to being a key piece, where he forced a turnover on Simons in a big spot:
Then hit the dagger with 32 seconds remaining:
Grimes has been fantastic for the team all year and has gotten better with every increase in his role.
Currently Failing: Klay Thompson
The bottom line with Klay Thompson right now is that he has to hit shots. I have been as big a proprietor of the “don’t worry about Klay” fan club as anyone, but with the Mavericks in desperation mode to keep pace while they get healthy, Thompson must start to make shots consistently. He has shot 50 percent or better in just one of the four games since Irving went down and is 10-of-28 from three. Even more hurtful to Dallas is his 7-for-17 from two-point range, where he has missed many weird fadeaways and layups. In the long term, Thompson will be fine, shooting comes and goes. But for the next month, both for the team’s success and the fan’s enjoyment while watching, Thompson has simply got to take and make better shots.
Extra Credit: P.J. Washington
Grimes was not the only player that helped propel Dallas to a victory over Los Angeles. P.J. Washington scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half of that game on six-for-seven shooting. He was the perfect Batman to allow Grimes to be Robin and showed how valuable he can be in big moments. These types of performances are exactly what Dallas needs and Washington seems to always step up.