Assigning grades for the Mavericks in their 120-106 win over the Kings
The Dallas Mavericks visited the Sacrament Kings on Wednesday night in a loser goes home Play-In Tournament game, winning 120-106. As the 10 seed, Dallas entered the postseason with the most difficult road to travel, needing to win two-straight road games in order to secure the eight seed. The path almost fittingly started against the Kings, a team that won all three regular season matchups between the two teams and the very team the Mavs were playing when Kyrie Irving suffered a season-ending injury on March 3. With the win, the Mavs head to Memphis to face the Grizzlies Friday night, after Memphis lost to the Golden State Warriors Tuesday.
There is certainly a contingent of Mavs fans who would have been satisfied to see the season come to a close tonight. The Mavericks were not willing to oblige them and I for one am thrilled they didn’t. As colossally disappointing as the Regular Season was for the fanbase, the players surely felt the burden too, yet they never relented. Naysayers will point to the Kings playing poorly, but make no mistake this was not a Kings’ loss as much as it was a Mavs’ win. Dallas had a game plan and executed it to perfection, especially in the first half. At points during the game the Mavs had as many assisted field goals as the Kings had total field goals. The Mavs also took great care of the ball and were an excellent 24-for-26 from the free throw line. Eight blocks and nine steals showed the defensive prowess the Mavs want as their identity. Let’s get to the grades!
Naji Marshall: B-
9 Points / 4 Rebounds / 3 Assists / 2 Steals / 0 Blocks (29 Minutes)
If there was any doubt remaining, it’s fair to say Naji is a baller. He may have some rough shooting nights here and there, but shows no fear and often comes up with big shots. Tonight he ran the point and connected on four of six shots, with a three and a deep two in the early going to give the Mavs a push. Despite not being a true point guard, four turnovers were glaring, especially as the team only had nine total for the game.
Klay Thompson: A+
23 Points / 5 Rebounds / 2 Assists / 1 Steal / 1 Block (33 Minutes)
Thompson had some Play-In demons to exorcise after an 0-for-10 shooting night last year when he was still with the Warriors. His first two shots didn’t fall, but he broke the schneid with a three early in the second quarter (followed almost immediately by another three, then another, then another). That hot shooting was the catalyst for an avalanche which saw the Mavs outscore the Kings 44-19 in the quarter, where at one point he had as many points as the entire Kings team (14). Impressively, Thompson was pursing rebounds hard throughout the night, showing his veteran savvy by creating as many possessions as possible. Looking back on the game, it’s not a stretch to say Thompson all but won the game with his play in the second quarter. We’re hanging a “+” on his game for all the reasons above, and 8-for-11 shooting (5-for-7 on threes).
P.J. Washington: B+
17 Points / 9 Rebounds / 4 Assists / 2 Steals / 0 Blocks (37 Minutes)
P.J. played a very nice overall game, but some of it may get lost in the fact he started red-hot shooting, then went ice cold (5-for-15 overall). Aside from the shooting inefficiency, he contributed everywhere and did many of the intangibles it took to disrupt the Kings’ flow throughout the game.
Anthony Davis: B+
27 Points / 9 Rebounds / 1 Assist / 1 Steal / 3 Blocks (35 Minutes)
AD struggled in the early going. It was no secret to either team that he was the Mavs’ focal point, but the Kings bodied up to throw him off his game. He took nine shots in the first quarter alone (more than double the next closest Mav to that point) but only hit two. He had two dunks blocked in the fourth quarter in video game-like fashion (as in, you could hardly believe it was real), but made up for it by sticking two jumpers to break a three-minute plus scoring drought, then had a very nice reverse layup later in the quarter. This game may not help change the opinions of folks who suggest he doesn’t show up in big games, but he led the team in scoring, rebounding (tied with P.J. Washington) and blocks.
Dereck Lively: C+
5 Points / 1 Rebound / 4 Assists / 2 Steals / 1 Block (18 Minutes)
Lively had a somewhat atypical game, with few rebounds and blocks, but an impressive assist and steal total for 18 minutes at the center position. He caused some static that won’t appear in any box score, but positively impacted the game, but even with limited minutes, it’s not a stretch to expect a bit more, especially as he only connected on two of his five shots.
Daniel Gafford: B-
9 Points / 4 Rebounds / 1 Assist / 0 Steals / 2 Blocks (21 Minutes)
Gafford didn’t have a mind-blowing stat line in his nine first half minutes, but he was locked in and made a big impact. At one point he effectively guarded DeMar DeRozan out by the three-point line to force a turnover. He also had a ferocious block in the waning seconds of the first half that nearly reversed earth’s magnetic poles.
Dante Exum: A
11 Points / 3 Rebounds / 6 Assists / 1 Steal / 0 Blocks (19 Minutes)
Exum’s first few minutes off the bench were impressive, if not for the production (although two points, a board and two assists in five minutes isn’t bad), at least for how poised he was. He made smart passes, grabbed a slick rebound and generally put himself in the right spot. After a rough Playoff run last year, he must have channeled his time with Partizan Belgrade where the Roman Coliseum atmosphere surely forged him. His grade may seem a touch high if you didn’t watch the game, but I found his overall play to be very impressive with intelligent play and great shooting (4-for-4).
Caleb Martin: N/A
0 Points / 3 Rebounds / 2 Assists / 0 Steals / 1 Block (11 Minutes)
I damn near gave Martin an A+ purely on the fact he took a charge in the fourth quarter. Despite my unrequited longing for someone (anyone!) on the Mavs to take a charge, I didn’t want to completely blow the credibility of our grading after 83 legitimate efforts to this point. The charge gets him slotted in, even though he is an “N/A” in 11 minutes with limited stats. If the Mavs are going to live up to being a defense-first team, these types of efforts will need to continue, as they can absolutely be difference makers in playoff games.
Brandon Williams: A-
17 Points / 0 Rebounds / 5 Assists / 0 Steals / 0 Blocks (18 Minutes)
For a player who was on a two-way contract until moments before the Regular Season ended, you wouldn’t necessarily know it. In a must-win game, Williams came off the bench to shoot 5-for-8 from the floor (3-for-4 from three) and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. He wasn’t only thinking of scoring, as he also dropped in an assist total second only to Exum
Max Christie/Jaden Hardy/Dwight Powell/Spencer Dinwiddie: N/A
All three of Hardy, Powell and Dinwiddie played nothing more than garbage time, combining to contribute two rebounds and a foul. Powell somehow missed three layups in his minute of play (two were of the tip-in variety), while Christie played 12 minutes but had little impact. The only other noteworthy aspect for these three players was perhaps that Dinwiddie (who played more games than any other Maverick during the Regular Season) was a complete non-factor in this one. Whether because of a lingering injury or simply a coach’s decision, his absence from the rotation was noticeable.