Assigning grades to the few able-bodied Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks lost a very winnable game to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday afternoon, 130-125 at home. The loss drops Dallas to 33-36, which is good enough for 10th place in the western conference. While the Sixers were without several of their key players, Dallas — as is well known — is fielding a roster heavily depleted from what it began the season with. And while most of us feel like this is a lost season, they still should have won this one. It was even more frustrating that the guy who killed them today was Quentin Grimes. Let’s take a quick look at how the Mavs did today and hand out a few grades.
P.J. Washington: A+
29 Points/ 12 Rebounds/ 2 Assists/ 11-17 FG (32 Minutes)
P.J. returned after a seven-game absence to light up the scoreboard with a 29-point outing, 20 of those coming in the first half alone. As per usual, his defensive play also helped the Mavs tremendously. Unfortunately, in a battle that displayed more offensive production that defensive stinginess, the Sixers came away with just enough to eek this one out. Washington was a major highlight, though. He continues to over-achieve and impress on both ends of the court. It’s obvious that he’s worked a great deal on his ball handling since last season. That trip to the Finals also served to make him a much more visibly poised player. Good game, P.J.
Klay Thompson: B
21 Points/ 3 Rebounds/ 2 assists/ 9-15 FG (35 Minutes)
Klay ended the game 3-of-7 from deep, which is almost consistent with his average. His makes were generally pretty timely, too. He wasn’t brought into the fold in Dallas to be the best player on the court; though, at that time, he was surrounded by a healthy roster and some pretty elite talent. Sigh…
Naji Marshall: B
21 Points/ 8 Rebounds/ 6 Assists/ 8-20 FG (36 Minutes)
Naji continues to display a willingness to get the basket when the ball is in his hands. Sometimes he makes it look easy, too. His stat-line is fairly robust when you add in the 6 assists, and don’t forget to note that he gives a lot of effort on the defensive end.
Max Christie: B-
18 Points/ 8 Rebounds/ 3 Assists/ 6-8FG (30 Minutes)
Christie went 4-of-6 from deep today after struggling from 3-point-land over the last several games. He’s been a solid addition to the squad, even if most of us wish we could will away the trade that brought him to Dallas.
Brandon Williams: C
11 Points/ 2 Rebounds/ 2 Assists/ 3-8 FG (32 Minutes)
Coming off some fairly high-scoring efforts of late, Williams’ numbers were more modest against the Sixers today. If only he could have connected on one of his three attempts from deep. The good news is, he was able to avoid injury today, as did the rest of the guys above.