On Thursday, March 2nd we witnessed history as Luka and Kyrie became the first pair of Maverick teammates to score 40+ points in the same game.
Despite this huge win over the 76ers, Dallas remains around a .500-win percentage as the regular season begins to wind down. Avoiding the play-in tournament is at the top of the Mavs’ priority list, however they currently sit at 7th in the West.
We’ve also seen some tough losses since the all-star break, none of which worse than the blown 27-point lead against LeBron James and the Lakers. Even with the 24th ranked defensive rating in the league, an implosion such as this Laker game simply shouldn’t happen. They came close to a similar situation in that Sixer game if it weren’t for the wizardry of Kyrie and Luka.
Furthermore, the long-awaited return of Maxi Kleber is finally here, and he hasn’t missed a step despite missing such a long stretch of the season. The addition of Kleber into the lineup will ideally bring that defensive rating up for Dallas.
Another important piece since the all-star break is Tim Hardaway Jr., who has been a massive lift. Since the break, Tim has shot over 62% from beyond the arc and ranks 12th overall in 3PM on the season.
Coach Kidd said, “Maybe at some point we do start him, but right now he’s playing very well coming off the bench”. As you probably recall, Hardaway has been both in and out of the starting lineup throughout his tenure with the Mavericks. While generally being labeled as ‘streaky’, what doesn’t waver is his confidence level in himself. He has been a big lift and carries himself professionally no matter how many minutes he plays.
While a team ‘built to outscore’ results in a game like the Lakers, it also results in shootouts. A few of these
shootouts came against Indiana and Phoenix. These games both came down to a last shot in which the Mavs got a preferable shot opportunity. I find it important to recognize these games since Coach Kidd has received so much flak for his ATO plays at the end of games.
Kyrie Irving has quickly settled into his role, while the Maverick role players can now fall in line like dominoes. Dallas needs to gain as much familiarity and momentum as they can with the postseason around the corner.
