The grades are in for the Dallas’ 108-102 loss to Houston, and they’re not pretty
The Dallas Mavericks (3-2) couldn’t match the energy, the pace or the tenacity of the younger and hungrier Houston Rockets (3-2) on Thursday until it was too late to mount a comeback, and that’s how Halloween was ruined at the American Airlines Center, 108-102.
The Mavericks dressed up as the Walking Dead for the first three quarters before waking up and mounting an ill-fated comeback attempt fueled by the three-headed monster of Kyrie Irving, Luka Dončić and Klay Thompson.
It makes for a scary scene when a lack of urgency is allowed to creep into the huddle, and we’re grading accordingly. Present your knuckles for discipline, Mavs fans — here are the game grades for Thursday’s ghoulish home loss to Houston.
Luka Doncic: C-
29 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists
For those who thought Luka Dončić’s shooting touch and body language couldn’t look any worse here in the early part of the season, he endeavored to prove you wrong for three quarters on Thursday. The start was slow, and then things got worse. He shot 3-for-11 from the field and missed his first three 3-point attempts as the Mavs fell behind by 17 points midway through the second quarter. Dončić picked up his third foul with just over three minutes left in the second on a play where Daniel Gafford also goaltended the shot both of them were defending. Between them, that’s a play that can only be accurately classified as one of the biggest bonehead blunders of the young season. He picked up his fourth in frustration midway through the third quarter after he didn’t get a call on a drive to the basket on the previous possession.
Then he flipped a switch before the fourth quarter, because all of a sudden he was Dončić again, and not a moment too soon. He scored 15 points on three made 3-pointers in the frantic fourth, but it was too little, too late for the Mavs.
Kyrie Irving: A
28 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists
Kyrie Irving was the only Mavs scorer who looked crisp at all on the offensive end. He was decisive off the dribble, getting to his spots and raising up for lethal midrange jumpers or getting all the way to the cup almost at will. His buzzer-beating fadeaway in the corner at the end of the third gave the Mavericks a little juice for the first time all night. Our only complaint is that Irving could have been more assertive early on. Nothing was working, so feel free to take over in those situations, Kyrie. Irving (10-of-20 from the field, 5-of-6 from 3-point range) was the only Maverick volume shooter who looked anywhere close to right for four quarters on Thursday.
Klay Thompson: C-
12 points, 2-of-9 3pt shooting
Klay Thompson wasn’t as open against the Rockets as he had been in the previous four games. He was forced to take a side dribble to create space or fend off a hand in the face on several of his shot attempts and made just 2-of-9 from distance in the loss. Both of his 3-point makes came in the fourth quarter as the Mavs furiously battled back but came up short. He was a non-factor for three quarters.
PJ Washington: C-
6 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 turnovers
P.J. Washington played for 38 minutes on Thursday night and didn’t come away with very much to show for his effort. He also watched Jalen Green speed right past him on a few drives in the second half when Washington was tasked with defending the point of attack. Green’s ability to get to the cup on demand was ultimately what kept the Mavs’ comeback at bay.
Dereck Lively II: C-
6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block
Rockets’ center Alperen Sengun got the better of Lively on a couple of their battles on the block, but Lively blocked Sengun’s shot midway through the second quarter, too. Lively picked up his third foul with just over five minutes left in the second quarter (in just nine minutes on the floor), and wouldn’t you know it, Sengun scored inside on the following possession. Lively’s problem was he just couldn’t stay on the floor — his fifth foul came with three seconds left in the third quarter and the Mavs’ fate all but sealed, down 88-70.
Naji Marshall: C+
4 points, 3 assists
Naji Marshall continues to blend into the mix, with a game that appears beige on beige at times. But if you squint and focus, you can catch a good Naji moment happen in real time. He made a couple of plays during the Mavs’ fourth-quarter run that made the game interesting, but hasn’t been much of an impact player yet to start the season.
Quentin Grimes: C
1 point, 1 rebound
Quentin Grimes was virtually invisible for 10 inconsequential minutes against the Rockets on Thursday and was not much of a factor in the Mavs’ failed fourth-quarter rally.
Daniel Gafford: C-
6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks
Dallas gave up its 10th offensive rebound just one minute into the third quarter and ended up giving up 18 in the loss. Gafford can sky for boards with the best of them, but he seems to have more trouble than he should securing contested defensive rebounds. Gafford found himself in just as much foul trouble as Lively through three quarters and had a hard time finding a rhythm as a result.
Spencer Dinwiddie: C-
4 points, 3 assists
The highlight of Dinwiddie’s night was delivering a little inadvertent chin music to Jalen Green on a drive to the basket early in the game. The elbow to the face from Dinwiddie’s off-arm only slowed Green down for a minute or two, and Green led the Rockets with 23 points and 12 rebounds in the win.
Dwight Powell: B+
4 points, 2 rebounds
Early foul trouble to Lively, and to a lesser extent Gafford, forced Dwight Powell into his first action of the 2024-25 season, and we can at least say this much about his minutes that we cannot for many of his teammates. He came in and he hit his free throws. The guy’s a pro.
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