Assigning Grades for each of the Mavericks’ players in their 108-85 win over the Magic
The Dallas Mavericks have been up and down in the early days of the season and were looking to get back in the win column against the Orlando Magic on Sunday night. After having lost the first game in a five-game home stand to the Houston Rockets last Thursday, the Mavs had a few days off to regroup. With young star Paolo Banchero sidelined due to an oblique injury, the Mavs had a favorable outlook going into the matchup against their first Eastern Conference opponent of the season. After a competitive first quarter, the Mavs blew this one open to move to 4-2 on the season.
Let’s get to the grades!
Luka Doncic: A
32 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists
When you score more points than you have minutes played, you’re in for a good grade right off the bat. The Mavs rotation looked a bit more like it did last season, at least in terms of Luka playing the entire first quarter, and he made the most of it. He scored 14 points, three of which came with half-a-second on the clock when he drew the hoop and the harm faking out the bigger Jonathan Isaac. As the box score showed, he really didn’t slow down from there. His shooting touch was back tonight, with 50% from the field on 22 shots including 5-for-13 from three. He did pick up yet another technical foul, bringing his total to four on the season in six games of play. If this was to be the season where this sort of thing got curbed, he’s not off to a good start on that front.
Kyrie Irving: B
17 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
Irving had a solid night in a blow-out win that saw him play under 30 minutes. While it may not have been his usual performance, he did put together a nice solid game and earned himself some rest on the first night of a back-to-back.
Klay Thompson: B-
9 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks
Thompson was brought in for his shooting, but has struggled a bit over the last few games. Tonight he only hit 1-for-5 from three and 40% overall from the floor on 10 shots. His 5 boards and 4 assists were great, but his 2 blocks were a pretty thing to see. He showed quick hands throughout the night and his ability to drive and hit a leaning bank shot adds a different dimension to the team.
PJ Washington: B
7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Washington just looked right tonight. On his first shot attempt of the game, he passed up a three and instead drove into the teeth of the defense and converted a nice push-shot. In the moment, it struck me as a great decision to get himself going. A few minutes later he drilled a three form the top of the arc. He had himself a quietly nice game with an efficient shooting night going 3-for-4 overall and 1-for-2 from three. As with many other players on the night, he did a lot of little things that don’t show up in the stats.
Dereck Lively II: A
11 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist
Lively was a beast with his double-double in this one. He was a highly efficient 5-for-7 from the floor and ran defensive interference as one would expect. He didn’t register a block and was a bit light on assists, but bonus points for his team-leading plus/minus of plus-25.
Naji Marshall: B
4 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals
In the first quarter alone, Marshall showed us the best of what he can bring to the team. In the first of two consecutive possessions, he grabbed a rebound and went coast-to-coast for a reverse layup. He followed that up by once again increasing the pace and connecting with Dereck Lively for an alley-oop that resulted in a Magic timeout. In the closing minutes of the second quarter, he had a come-from-nowhere steal and converted an alley-oop to Gafford on a pass delivered from one step across the half-court line. With about a minute left in the third quarter, he forced a turnover on a Magic inbounds pass to set up a score on the other end. His box score may not blow you away and he has yet to hit a three on the season, but he had a huge positive impact in this game.
Quentin Grimes: B+
5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals
Grimes put together a nice 17 minutes in this one, giving the team a performance in line with what everyone expected from him. He shot 50% overall and from three (1-for-2 on threes), grabbed a few rebounds and forced two turnovers with active hands and heady play. A solid game with positive contributions and no gaffes.
Daniel Gafford: A
18 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal
Gafford came out ripping with six points in the first four minutes of the game and showed he has more than just dunks in his repertoire, with a baby hook that looks better each game. With no Paolo Banchero to start and Wendell Carter Jr. getting injured early in this one, the Magic were lacking size, but don’t mistake this as being some small ball dunk fest. Gafford showed good footwork and a nice touch around the rim, doing lots of damage in only 20 minutes.
Spencer Dinwiddie: B-
2 assists, 1 block
Dinwiddie’s game tonight was the perfect example of how you get a solid grade despite an unremarkable stat line. He showed off his skill and vision by making a pin-point pass from half court to Daniel Gafford for an alley-oop. This one won’t show up in the box score at all due to a Gafford miss (though he got his own rebound and put-back) but it was still amazing court vision and accuracy. He also made the most of garbage time, refusing to simply throw away possessions until the buzzer sounded. He broke up a Magic fast break with the Mavs up 26 and moments later found Naji Marshall on a tricky pass for a layup before checking out for the night.
Dwight Powell: B+
2 rebounds, 2 blocks
Powell is the only player who logged primarily garbage time that is on the grade list for the night. As I was watching the game, I was thinking of giving him an honorable mention grade for his activity on the bench, standing, cheering and greeting his teammates at stoppages. When he ended up getting some burn, he moved beyond just an honorable mention. In under 8 minutes of play, he didn’t have much time to log stats, but his 2 blocked shots were demonstrative and showed he wasn’t just coasting.
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