Assigning grades for the Mavericks in their 126-122 loss to the Blazers
Twenty-four hours after earning a gutsy win with a depleted roster, the Dallas Mavericks were back on the court (with an even more depleted roster) to face the Portland Trail Blazers for the third time this month. After winning the first two matchups between the two teams, the Mavs couldn’t pull off the trifecta, falling 126-122.
Taking the court without the services of Luka Doncic, Dante Exum and Dereck Lively II due to injury, and without Naji Marshall and P.J. Washington due to suspension, the Mavs and coach Jason Kidd would be rolling with unique lineups throughout the night. Case in point, Maxi Kleber earned a starting nod after playing his best game of the season yesterday. The rest of the starting five included Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, Klay Thompson and Daniel Gafford.
The Mavs looked to be sleeping in the first eight minutes of the contest, with Jason Kidd making multiple substitutions to find some sort of competitive combination. A 9-2 run by the Mavs to end the first quarter helped narrow an 18-point deficit to 11. The second quarter was similar to the first, with the Mavs falling farther behind but closing relatively strong. The third was where things came unraveled. In a game that felt winnable throughout despite poor rebounding, poor three-point defense and a general absence of cohesion (to be expected), the Mavs could not hit a shot for far too long of a stretch in the third. Still, they would not go away. Led by Kyrie Irving going completely out of his mind, the Mavs had a chance right up until the end, but couldn’t quite complete an epic comeback. Let’s get to the grades!
Kyrie Irving: A+
46 Points / 2 Rebounds / 2 Assists / 2 Steals / 1 Block / 4 Turnovers (39 Minutes)
I don’t mean to sell you short here, dear reader, but like great books that can’t quite be made into great movies, there aren’t enough words for the space of this article to do Kyrie justice here. He was nothing short of amazing, spectacular, downright incredible… Yes, you can argue that every major statistical category except for points could and should have been higher (with the exception of turnovers, which could have been lower), but what he did tonight was simply special and the Mavs wouldn’t have been within double-figures of the Blazers if not for him.
Spencer Dinwiddie: B+
17 Points / 8 Rebounds / 4 Assists / 0 Steals / 1 Blocks / 1 Turnovers (35 Minutes)
Dinwiddie’s shot has just not been quite right lately, but he continues to do smart things to work around it, and remains fearless in big moments. He hit a huge fourth quarter three (2-for-6 on the night) and drove to draw fouls (5-for-5 free throws) rather than force jumpers. He rebounded very well and took care of the ball, but just a few more makes would have been huge. He also had an uncharacteristic five fouls. To his credit, Dinwiddie is an important part of this team and I think he sometimes takes more flak than he deserves. He makes good decisions, doesn’t force things and brings much needed ball handling and leadership.
Klay Thompson: C-
12 Points / 1 Rebound / 1 Assist / 0 Steals / 1 Block / 1 Turnover (34 Minutes)
On a night where Kyrie could have really used a “two” in the proverbial “one-two punch,” Thompson just didn’t bring it. He shot poorly (5-for-17, with 2-for-8 from three) and capped the night with a completely unacceptable turnover in the final minute. He also got blown by frequently in the fourth quarter when stops were crucial. Hopefully he can flush this one and bring it next time out, because this is best forgotten.
Maxi Kleber: C-
0 Points / 8 Rebounds / 5 Assists / 0 Steals / 2 Blocks / 1 Turnovers (33 Minutes)
Despite pulling down a season high in rebounds, Maxi couldn’t quite bring the magic he brought last night. His boards and assists (the latter especially) were close to great, as were his blocks. However, only two shot attempts in 33 minutes isn’t going to cut it in a game with this many players out. His most egregious offense was not even looking at the rim despite being open in the final minute of the game where every second mattered. He instead wasted time, made a poor pass to Klay Thompson who then turned it over, and essentially slammed the door shut on whatever slim chance the Mavs had to tie or win in the closing moments.
Daniel Gafford: A-
15 Points / 9 Rebounds / 0 Assists / 1 Steals / 5 Blocks / 3 Turnovers (28 Minutes)
It was hard for me not to go A here at first, largely on the back of the crazy block total, but frankly Gafford could have had quite a few more rebounds and probably should not have as many turnovers as he did. On a night where the four and five spots were thin, Gafford did an admirable job for the most part, but you can’t help but feel he could have really dominated.
Quentin Grimes: B+
15 Points / 6 Rebounds / 3 Assists / 1 Steal / 1 Block / 0 Turnovers (28 Minutes)
One of few bright spots on the night, Grimes put together a competent game. A stellar game would have been better of course, but that’s neither here nor there. Grimes shot well, continued to rebound very well and made few if any mistakes. His on-ball defense was great at times and his low assist total isn’t enough to ding his grade, since he was less of a primary ball handler in this one when compared to other games.
Jaden Hardy: C+
11 Points / 4 Rebounds / 1 Assist / 0 Steals / 0 Blocks / 1 Turnover (17 Minutes)
On the surface, Hardy’s grade may seem a bit low, at least relative to his box score output and the fact he only recently returned from injury, but watching the game showed some gaffes that really shouldn’t have happened. The low light was bricking an ill-advised three only to immediately follow it up by yielding an and-one on the other end. Overall, he’s shown he can be an impact player and positive difference maker, but it just didn’t quite come together for him in this one where he had an opportunity to shine with so many players out.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper: C+
4 Points / 2 Rebounds / 1 Assist / 1 Steal / 0 Blocks / 1 Turnover (13 Minutes)
Prosper didn’t get much burn in meaningful game time, so he’s a bit tricky to grade. He was generally fine, though another rebound or two and maybe another steal would have been huge. His free throw shooting was horrendous in a game where every point was needed, and that was one spot he could have feasted, having attempted six while only connecting on two.