Mavericks
Beat
Wizards
112-104
MAVS vs. Wizards
The Mavericks pull out a sloppy win vs the Wizards and push their win streak to 5 in a row with one game left until the break. If it weren't for the efforts of Daniel Gafford and his first game vs his old team, and Kyrie Irving, I don't think we would still have a win streak.
Let's talk about the team performance before we get into individual analysis. It was not good, but a win is a win. Dallas had a really sloppy first 3 quarters. Incredibly, the Mavs had a total of 16 turnovers and still won the game. This was the 5th worst game of the season when it came to turnovers and it seemed like the ball had Vaseline or something on it all game, because despite the Mavs having 16 turnovers, the Wizards had 15 on the night. Along with the ball mishandling from both sides of the floor, shooting was not good either. The Mavericks shot 25% from 3, ranking 5th on our worst shooting nights from the 3 on the season. Here is an interesting tidbit for you: out of the worst 8 games in 3 point percentage from the Mavs this season there has only been one win, last night. Incredibly though, the Wizards shot 21% from 3, just a cold night from both teams.
I'm gonna keep raving about Daniel Gafford because he deserves it. This guy has absolutely stepped up when Dallas needs it the most with Dereck Lively out. This dude genuinely had one of the best all-around 2 way games I've seen from our 5 position all season. 16 points, 17 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 5 blocks, on bad shooting for him as well as being the league leader in field goal percentage. This guy just keeps producing and will continue to in the future.
Maxi Kleber continues to show out for this team when he is healthy. Jeff "Skin" Wade on X quoted yesterday, "I wish more people had a better appreciation for what healthy Maxi does for this team." I completely agree. Maxi provides accurate 3-point shooting, solid rebounding, and great defense. Maxi has this insane ability to receive contact at the rim and contest (often blocking the shot) without bringing his arms forward and fouling. Not only that but last night Maxi had a crazy clutch 3 at the 5 Minute mark, as well as a poster dunk and 1 that got the crowd going.
Look, a win is a win, but if we play like we did last night against a contender, we get blown out by 30. The Mavericks look to tighten it up and get ready for the last game before the break in San Antonio against a red-hot Victor Wembanyama.
2/8/2024
Notable Box Scores:
​
DALLAS MAVERICKS
LUKA DONCIC- 26 PTS, 11 REB, 15 AST, 1 STL, 2 BLK
KYRIE IRVING- 26 PTS, 7 RBS, 4 AST, 2 BLK
DANIEL GAFFORD - 16 PTS, 17 RBS, 5 BLK, 7 OREBS (In 24 MINS)
​
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
DANI AVDIJA- 25 PTS, 7 RBS, 3 AST, 64.7%,
KYLE KUZMA- 23PTS, 8 RBS, 1 STL
JORDAN POOLE- 3 PTS, 6 RBS, 3 AST, 3 STL, 8.3% FG
Washington cant close.
Washington put up a great fight in the first 3 quarters, despite the bad shooting. Washington couldn't capitalize on either side of the floor in the 4th resulting in the clutch time loss.
Dani Avdija had a great game for the Wizards and seemed like he could get anything he wanted in the paint all day. He plays quite a lot bigger than his frame. Kyle Kuzma had a solid game, but a few key turnovers in the clutch led to the loss.
The downfall of Jordan Poole has to be studied. He went from a crucial scoring piece on the championship Warriors team to going 1-16 and shooting 8% from the floor last night, and having a historically bad season.
Overall tough loss to swallow against Dallas.
Future for the Mavericks
The Mavericks have 28 games left in the season and currently sit at 31-23. For them to finish the season with 50 wins they would need to go 19-9 to end the season. Fortunately, they have the 3rd easiest schedule in the league for the remainder of the season, and with everyone nearing health and the new additions to the team, this isn't impossible.
I also believe for Luka to win MVP we have to finish the season in either the 6th or the 5th seed. I think that is entirely possible if we go 19-9. No one knows what the future holds, but I am extremely excited for the rest of the season!
Luka wins player of the week!
The Mavericks go 4-0 in week 16 and with Lukas averages of 31.3 Points, 10.5 Rebounds, 8 Assists, and 1.8 Steals he wins his 11th Player of the week!
Highlight of the Game
RECAP
Mavs get a sloppy win at home, but again a win is a win. Daniel Gafford continues to step up and Maxi is that dude. San Antonio is a Valentine's Day Special that the Mavs desperately need to win. MAVS ROLL!!