A game was played, and statistics were compiled
In their preseason opener, the Dallas Mavericks fell to the Memphis Grizzlies by a score of 121-116. For an exhibition, this was a pretty enjoyable game to watch. Both teams played at a high level offensively, and the game had a nice back-and-forth flow.
Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, and others were all ruled out before the game, so this showing was not very indicative of the Mavericks team we’ll see take the floor this year. Still, it featured some neat performances from other Maverick rotation players and fringe-roster candidates. Dereck Lively II looked great, new additions Naji Marshall and Quentin Grimes showcased their versatility, and some young prospects flashed potential.
Though this was a loss, it was an encouraging game for the Mavericks on many levels. Here are three numbers that stood out from this one.
19: Steals for the Mavericks as a team
19 steals for one team in a single game is an insane feat. As our fearless editor Josh Bowe pointed out on Twitter, that’s a lot of steals! For perspective, the New Orleans Pelicans led the NBA in steals last season at 8.8 per game. Tonight, Dallas had more than twice that many! Does it mean anything? Hard to say. Four steals came from Jazian Gortman, a player who likely won’t make the roster. Spencer Dinwiddie, Jaden Hardy, and Olivier Maxence-Prosper each had three steals. That feels more or less like a statistical oddity (good for O-Max, though). Dereck Lively II had two steals, and that makes sense because he’s awesome.
So, all in all, I don’t think this abnormally high steals number means the Mavericks will force way more turnovers this year or lead the league in steals or anything. It was just a crazy, fun thing that happened in a wacky preseason game.
4: “Oh my goodness” moments from Dereck Lively II
The Mavericks’ second-year big man scored 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting in just 14 minutes of action. He added two steals and two assists and looked incredible on the floor. The main highlight of Lively’s night was an unreal dribble drive that started at halfcourt; Lively went coast-to-coast, did a spin-move in the lane, and finished an and-one. It was the kind of play that doesn’t seem possible for a player like Lively to make. But then again, this kid just keeps on surprising everyone with how quickly he adds to his game. Lively also had an excellent closeout on the perimeter on Jake LaRavia, forcing him to give up the ball late in the clock. Later, Lively threw down a tomahawk transition dunk after taking multiple dribbles. He followed that up on the next possession with an alley-oop dunk from Dinwiddie. And to cap his night off, he backed down a smaller defender and hit a nice jump hook in the paint. It appears Lively worked on adding to his offensive game in the offseason, a scary proposition for the rest of the league.
10: Combined 3PM for Jaden Hardy and Jazian Gortman
Hardy went 6-of-10 from beyond the line and training camp invite Gortman shot 4-of-7 himself. Both players had really nice games for Dallas, and it was especially encouraging to see Hardy thrive. Though his struggles from two-point range (0-for-6 tonight) continues, Hardy’s distance shooting is a real asset. He also showed off some improved playmaking chops tonight, dishing out nine assists to four turnovers. It was a nice performance.
Gortman had a decent Summer League with Dallas, and the 6’2 guard is fighting tooth and nail for a spot in the NBA. Tonight, he gave everything he had on the court and finished with a game-high 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting. The shooting stroke looked good, and Gortman played with an admirable tenacity. I don’t know if he’ll end up earning a two-way spot, but this performance put him on the NBA radar, at the very least.
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