10:00 PM EST, TNT – Line: Mavericks -5.5 Over/Under: 217.5
Two teams traveling in very different directions clash tonight in the City of Angels, as the Dallas Mavericks conclude their latest road trip against the fading Los Angeles Lakers, from crypto.com Center in Los Angeles, California. After a bit of a rough start to this new era of basketball in Northern Texas, the Mavericks (36-25, 5th in Western Conference) have seriously rounded into form as they look to continue ascending up the standings. Indeed, after thirteen largely successful years under the leadership of (former Head Coach) Rick Carlisle that featured the franchise’s only NBA title, (Owner) Mark Cuban hit the reset button on his team and ushered in a new regime, led by (General Manager) Nico Harrison and (Head Coach) Jason Kidd. Of course, the latter has a long history with Dallas, who selected the Hall of Famer second overall back in the 1994 NBA Draft, spending the first 2.5 years of his career before ultimately returning midway through the 2007-2008 campaign to play a role in their run to a Larry O’Brien trophy in 2011. However, from a coaching standpoint his hiring was not without its concerns; following one season in Brooklyn, Kidd lobbied his way out of the Big Apple to join Milwaukee, where he would be fired midway through his fourth year on the job having compiled a mediocre 183-190 (.490) record in both stops. From there, he enjoyed an assistant role with the Lakers, who won a championship in the 2020 Bubble, spending one more year in Los Angeles before returning to the Mavs for a third spell. From Dallas’ point of view, it became clear that Carlisle’s message was wearing thin, particularly on (All-NBA Guard) Luka Doncic (27.6 PTS, 44.7% FG, 33.5% 3FG, 74.1% FT, 9.2 REB, 8.9 AST, 1.2 STL, 0.5 BLK, 24.1 PER), whose meteoric rise has vaulted his team into the playoffs in each of the last two years. As is so often the case, ownership ultimately sided with the 22-year-old superstar in an effort to appease him and keep his talents in house for the foreseeable future. Very much a player’s coach, it appears that Kidd and Doncic have gotten on well enough despite taking a bit of time to build their current chemistry; the Mavericks were a meager 17-18 at the turn of the new year but have since then have won nineteen of their last twenty-six games. So, what in the name of Dirk Nowitzki has changed, you ask? Ironically, for a team that isn’t necessarily littered with defensive stoppers, they have evolved into one of the stingiest defensive units in the National Basketball Association. On the season, Dallas has allowed an average of 103.4 points per game (2nd Overall) on 45.5% shooting from the field (14th Overall), including 33.6% from beyond the arc (4th Overall) and 52.7% from within it (14th Overall), all the while fighting the urge to put their opponents on the charity stripe where they’ve attempted just 20.2 free-throws a night (7th Overall). Furthermore, with Doncic at the helm they take care of the basketball with a turnover percentage of 11.8% (8th Overall) and have done a solid job on the defensive glass with a rebounding percentage of 78.3% (6th Overall). Of course, playing at a slower tempo and limiting possession also helps, for the Mavs enjoy only 95.5 possessions per forty-eight minutes, which tracks as the slowest pace in the NBA. However, since the new year they’ve been even better, yielding a scant 101.5 points on 45.0% shooting overall and 30.7% from downtown, where they’ve outscored the opposition by an average margin of 12.0 points. (Guards) Jalen Brunson (16.0 PTS, 50.0% FG, 36.8% 3FG, 81.3% FT, 3.8 REB, 5.4 AST, 0.9 STL, 17.1 PER) and Dorian Finney-Smith (10.2 PTS, 44.5% FG, 37.4% 3FG, 69.1% FT, 4.9 REB, 1.9 AST, 1.2 STL, 0.5 BLK, 11.7 PER) have been excellent two-way player for Kidd, while (Bigs) Dwight Powell (7.5 PTS, 64.9% FG, 40.6% 3FG, 75.0% FT, 4.4 REB, 1.1 AST, 0.5 STL, 16.7 PER) and Maxi Kleber (7.7 PTS, 42.3% FG, 36.2% 3FG, 75.5% FT, 5.9 REB< 1.2 AST, 0.5 STL, 1.1 BLK, 12.7 PER) have been much more of a presence this season after both players missed so much time last year due to injuries and COVID. And then there was the Trade Deadline, where Kidd and Harrison decided to part ways with (towering sharpshooter) Kristaps Porzingis in a deal with the Wizards in exchange for (veteran Guard) Spencer Dinwiddie (14.0 PTS, 63.9% FG, 46.2% 3FG, 36.4% FT, 3.0 REB, 3.3 AST, 1.0 STL, 19.6 PER) and (veteran Forward) Davis Bertans (9.8 PTS, 43.3% FG, 39.3% 3FG, 100.0% FT, 2.8 REB, 0.5 AST, 0.5 BLK, 18.2 PER). While the Mavericks were initially lambasted for this transaction, it makes a lot of sense in a number of ways. First and foremost, the pairing of Doncic and Porzingis simply never wrought the desired results, with their relationship as icy as Luka’s was with their former Head Coach. Furthermore, injuries have affected the Latvian greatly, missing SIXTY-NINE games over the past three seasons, and with $101.4 million owed to him over the next three years, getting him off the books became imperative to Harrison. With that said, taking on the contracts of Dinwiddie and Bertans essentially meant that they took Porzingis’ salary hold and split it into two players, though there is reason to believe that these guys can and will fit into Kidd’s system better than the sharpshooting giant. Dinwiddie may have talked his way out of Washington, but his ballhandling provides an alternative to Doncic, and as he is farther removed from an ACL tear that relegated him to just three games a year ago, he should resemble the player that was a budding playmaker for the Nets. In fact, his addition is already paying dividends; After struggling MIGHTILY with the Wizards, the 28-year-old has flipped the script in Northen Texas with 14.0 points on a torrid 63.9% shooting and a career-high 46.2% from downtown, while aiding Doncic in his playmaking duties with 3.3 assists a night. Simply put, the rotation needs this injection of skill as (veteran Guard) Tim Hardaway Jr. (14.2 PTS, 39.4% FG, 33.6% 3FG, 75.7% FT, 3.7 REB, 2.2 AST, 0.9 STL, 13.0 PER) continues to rehab from a broken left foot.
When we last saw the Mavericks, they bounced back from a hard-fought loss at the Jazz with a massive comeback victory over the Warriors on Sunday night, edging the no. two team in the West, 107-101. For a long while this encounter appeared to be heading into blowout territory, as Dallas trailed by as many as twenty-one points in the second half, but rather than fold, the visiting side went to work and hustled their way back into the contests, erasing said deficit the good ol’ fashioned way: by getting stops. After scoring eighty-eight points through the first three periods of play, Golden state were relegated to a scant THIRTEEN points in the final stanza, where they shot a miserable 5-of-21 from the field (23.8%), including just 2-of-11 from beyond the arc (18.2%). The Mavs on the other hand, caught fire on 12-of-19 shooting (63.2%) and 3-of-7 from downtown (42.9%), led by Doncic, Finney-Smith, and Dinwiddie, who simply could not be stopped over the final twelve minutes of action. Dinwiddie poured in ten of his twenty-four points in the fourth quarter, on 4-of-5 shooting (80.0%), while the other two logged nine and seven points respectively. In the end, Luka totaled a game-high thirty-four points on 10-of-21 shooting (47.6%) and 3-of-9 from deep (33.3%), while netting 11-of-12 free-throws (91.7%), with 11 rebounds, yet nine turnovers. The victory pushed the Mavericks out of a tie with the Nuggets and into sole possession for fifth place in the Western Conference, where they currently trail Utah by 2.5 games in the standings. Concluding this five-game road trip are the Lakers, whom they narrowly met defeat against in a 107-104 overtime thriller at American Airlines Center back in mid-December. With Doncic sitting out that affair due to injury, Kidd must have been pleased to see such a spirited performance from the rest of the rotation, as Brunson led the way with a team-high twenty-five points on an efficient 11-of-18 shooting (61.1%), with three rebounds, and nine assists. Dallas shot just 39.8% from the field on that night, though nearly knocked off Los Angeles in the extra period, trading clutch three-pointers down the stretch as the aforementioned Porzingis and Hardaway took the lead for the Mavs until LA had the last laugh with a dagger of their own. Granted, neither of those two players will be available for tonight’s affair in SoCal, but Luka is; the prolific Slovenian has averaged 22.4 points on 40.9% shooting from the floor and 31.3% from three, along with 7.6 rebounds and 8.1 assists in ten career meetings with the Lakers.
Meanwhile, the discontent is reaching critical mass in Los Angeles, where the Lakers (27-33, 9th in Western Conference) can’t seem to stop the bleeding as they continue to be arguably the most disappointing team in the National Basketball Association this season. While it has been less than eighteen months since claiming their NBA record seventeenth Larry O’Brien trophy, LA has eroded before our eyes, with a multitude of reasons for said degeneration. For a team that features the likes of (future Hall of Famers) LeBron James (29.0 PTS, 51.9% FG, 34.9% 3FG, 75.7% FT, 7.9 REB, 6.3 AST, 1.6 STL, 1.0 BLK, 26.3 PER), Anthony Davis (23.1 PTS, 53.7% FG, 18.2% 3FG, 70.9% FT, 9.7 REB, 2.9 AST, 1.2 STL, 2.3 BLK, 24. 4 PER), and Russell Westbrook (18.2 PTS, 43.5% FG, 29.2% 3FG, 66.8% FT, 7.7 REB, 7.3 AST, 1.1 STL, 14.8 PER) among their ranks, it sounds outlandish that they would continue to be meandering at this juncture of the campaign, but that is nonetheless the reality in Southern California. So, what in the name of Jerry West has happened to the Lake Show, you ask? First and foremost, this simply isn’t the youngest collection of talent in the NBA, with an average age of 30.7 years, while James (37) and Westbrook (33) are squarely on the back end of their illustrious careers. And speaking of the latter, his acquisition has clearly upset the metaphorical apple cart. For the third time in his five years as General Manager, Rob Pelinka completely rebuilt the supporting cast around James and Davis, parting ways with much of his depth to acquire the erstwhile, yet prolific Point Guard. The logic here was solid: a year after James and Davis missed twenty-seven and thirty-six games respectively due to injury, with the latter’s absence sealing their postseason fate last Summer, an insurance policy was deemed necessary. As it turned out, Pelinka was correct in his assumption as both stars have missed time this season, with James and Davis missing a combined FORTY games already with various maladies, the latter of which currently sidelined with a sprained knee. As a result, this Big Three hasn’t really had an opportunity to build the requisite chemistry to contend for a championship, featuring in just TWENTY games together, and they’re about to compete in their sixty-first game of the season tonight. To put that into perspective, the triumvirate of James, Davis, and Westbrook has featured in only 1/3 of all games thus far. Even with that said, when they’ve been on the hardwood together it’s rarely been harmonious; (Head Coach) Frank Vogel has appeared to have exhausted all of his options in cultivating a potent combination of starters, eventually opting to bench Westbrook in the fourth quarter of games, much to the chagrin of the 2016-2017 MVP. Used to having the basketball in his hands throughout the game, deferring to the likes of James and Davis has been a jarring transition for the NBA’s all-time triple-doubles leader. Simply put, he’s never been a third option in his career, and there are times when he appears aimless alongside the other two. However, from a statistical standpoint the biggest problem for this team has been their regression on the defensive end, which has been both swift and steep. A year ago, this was the highest-rated defensive team in the Association, only to check in at a middling fourteenth overall; they’re no longer dominating the glass (76.0% DREB%) and they’re not defending the rim at a high level, either, yielding 53.3% shooting within the arc (18th Overall). Furthermore, they’ve lost an NBA-worst ELEVEN games in which they had amassed a double-digit lead, which is yet another sign that they simply can’t get stops when they need them. Age has definitely been a factor, though it’s been more of the fact that many of these players in the rotation simply AREN’T defensive stoppers. Pelinka parted ways with many of them to acquire Westbrook, with their replacement largely being veteran shooters chasing a ring. And it’s with that said, that everyone in Southern California was shouting from the proverbial mountaintop for Los Angeles to make a trade (or two) at the Trade Deadline, only for the franchise to lay a goose egg last Thursday and stand pat. The logistics of moving Westbrook were always going to be extremely difficult given his age, declining performance, and mammoth contract, but their lack of young assets and Draft Picks made it close to impossible to receive anything remotely promising in return. Essentially, the past few years of wheeling and dealing has caught up with the Lakers, and no matter how they choose to spin it to the media, this is their bed and they have no other choice to lay in it. Losers of five of their last six contests, this is a group that is starting to look disinterested in games, which is alarming given how expensive this roster has been to construct. Friday night’s narrow 105-102 loss against the Clippers was their sixth consecutive defeat to their crosstown rivals, who were without their two stars, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George yet again, though Sunday’s embarrassing performance at home against the Pelicans is what has the fan base in Southern California in such an uproar.
When we last saw the Lakers, they offered what was arguably their most pathetic showing of the season thus far in a 123-95 blowout loss at home to the Pelicans. You’d never have guessed that these teams were separated by just 2.5 games at the bottom of the West’s play-in field, because only one of them seemed interested in competing in Sunday night’s encounter and it wasn’t the hosts. Trailing 24-20 after the first quarter, Los Angeles would go on to be outscored 99-75 the rest of the way, with the third quarter proving to be where this affair changed for the worst. Vogel’s charges were bested 44-25 in this period, in which they could muster just 8-of-24 shooting from the field (33.3%), including 0-of-9 from beyond the arc, with five turnovers in comparison to dishing out a single assist. And speaking of turnovers, that would be the story of the night as the home side committed TWENTY-THREE turnovers in total, sixteen of which came in the first half, with New Orleans routinely taking advantage of those mistakes to the tune of twenty-five points via takeaways. With that said, this led to many opportunities in transition for the visitors, who held a sizable advantage in this regard (26-12), as LA was repeatedly made to pay for their carelessness when in possession. James and Westbrook accounted for FOURTEEN on those turnovers, committing seven apiece, and though the former made up for it with a game-high thirty-two points on 13-of-23 shooting (56.5%), six rebounds, and three assists, the same could not be said for the latter; as he has throughout the campaign, Westbrook continued to struggle, totaling sixteen points on a dismal 5-of-15 shooting (33.3%), with six rebounds, and only one assist. The only other Laker to finish in double-figures was (veteran Forward) Carmelo Anthony (), who added thirteen off the bench, though it simply wouldn’t be enough. As a team, Los Angeles shot a meager 41.7% from the field, including 7-of-34 from three (20.6%), and were outrebounded 51-38, while handing out only fifteen dimes. Defensively, they allowed the Pelicans to shoot a healthy 51.1% overall and 13-of-30 from deep (43.3%), assisting on twenty-nine of their forty-seven field goals. If this continues in Los Angeles, then the question will no longer be about their ability to escape the play-in field, but rather the prospects of even staying there at all.