G21 Match Report: Away win over Trail Blazers.
The Dallas Mavericks beat the Portland Trail Blazers 125-112 on the road, and the Mavericks got into a tug-of-war with their opponents after leading by an early score, and the suspense was not closed until the end of the fourth quarter.
Luka Doncic scored a game-high 32 points, 14 of which came in the first quarter. The Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons also scored 30 points. In the second quarter, Kyrie Irving was injured in the calf by Powell while scrambling for an offensive rebound, and he left the game with an injury. The team then said he had injured his right foot and was unable to return to the game.
After beating the Utah Jazz by 50 points in their last game, the Mavericks look like they're going to have another easy win against the Trail Blazers. Dallas quickly took a 28-10 lead in the first quarter and maintained a double-digit lead for most of the first half.
However, Irving's unexpected injury allowed the Trail Blazers to hold out a little longer. Simmons and Sharpe were the core of the offense, combining for 54 points. Late in the second quarter and for much of the second half, the duo continued to eat away at the Mavericks' lead. Simmons hit a small climax at the beginning of the fourth quarter to chase the score to 99-98, which made all Mavericks fans feel uneasy.
The Lone Ranger then regrouped and eventually won the victory. Simmons barely scored after that, and Doncic started to work after two quarters of cold hands. Dante Exum continues his all-round performances. He started in place of the injured Gervais and played a masterpiece of his short NBA career - 23 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists in a single game.
It wasn't a perfect game for the Mavericks, who allowed the Trail Blazers to grab 18 offensive rebounds and make 15 turnovers of their own, but the Mavericks adjusted in time to force the Trail Blazers players except Simmons and Sharpe to shoot in the fourth quarter, and such a defensive strategy snuffed out the flames of the opponent's counterattack.
A victory for not a "lone ranger":
In today's NBA arena, the accuracy of three-point shooting is the main reason that affects many games, because most teams have a good three-point shooting percentage, so much so that a game can be reduced to "quasi-win and iron-lose". The Mavericks thrived on this strategy, with plenty of shooters on their roster and hoping that a three-pointer would cover up other weaknesses in the lineup.
Tonight, the Dallas Mavericks were nearly stunned by a "Maverick-esque" opponent — the Trail Blazers made 18 three-pointers, far more than their 12. And in the last two years, the Mavericks have typically lost when their three-point shooting percentage is lower than their opponents. Today, on the contrary, the Mavericks, who have rarely scored in the restricted area, scored a full 62 points on the inside, twice as many as the Trail Blazers (30).
The Trail Blazers have one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the league, so this is particularly weird. Dallas took advantage of Ayton's absence, while the Trail Blazers didn't threaten Lively much under the basket, and the Mavericks punished them inside all night.
How much more can Exum do?
Eke was able to start Sam because the Mavericks had a lot of injuries — Gervais and Josh Green were both sidelined, and the two, along with Hardaway Jr. and Irving, had missed the previous week's game. Exum was forced to start, but if he continues to do so, he could also win a long-term starting spot.
Against the Jazz, although Exum did not score much, his defense was solid, and his passing was 7 assists and 0 turnovers, ensuring the smooth operation of the team's offense. He played a near-perfect game again, and he found his scoring touch, hitting two three-pointers that looked like he was cheating considering the rest of Exum's contributions.
While the last two opponents have been just lotteries, Exum fit naturally into the starting line-up. For a long time, the Mavericks were surrounded by mostly stand-up shooters around Doncic, who relied on Doncic to score. Given Doncic's excellent three-point creativity, a fixed-point shooter is certainly valuable, but it's clear that the perimeter needs extra energy.
It doesn't have to be an All-Star or a team brain, it just needs another player who can attack the basket, initiate pick-and-rolls, and carry the ball on the perimeter, and even better if it's not a short guard.
Exum is one such person, and his ability to connect between stars and other role players is eye-catching. He pushes the tempo well, but he's not reckless. He can block if you need him, and he can really take advantage of the space created by Eastern Europe, which is something that a pure spot shooter can't do.
Can Exum stay in the starting line-up after returning from injury?It remains to be seen, but he could win over the coaching staff to give him more playing time.
It's not too late to make defensive adjustments:
When Simmons scored back-to-back points early in the fourth quarter, I had an idea: Why should the Mavericks let the other side's few scoring points run wild?Simmons and Sharpe were the only players in the game with scoring creativity for the Trail Blazers, but the Mavericks were content with normal defensive coverage at this point. That finally changed after Simmons made a layup to cut the margin to one point.
The Mavericks began to increase their defensive aggression with sideline pressing, packing, and even one-on-one pressing. Simmons and Sharpe didn't have much of a chance to play in the next game, and the Mavericks let the offensive black hole of 6-of-20 Makara, 4-of-9 Reiras, 3-of-7 Thybulle and 3-of-17 Henderson shoot. The plan worked, and the Mavericks cut off the Trail Blazers' chance to fight back and walk away from Portland.
—mffl———
Here are some notable stats from the game:
The Mavericks went on a first-quarter run: 20-2
The start of the game felt like another hanging, and the Mavericks got off to a great start in Portland and overwhelmed their inferior opponents, which was enough to be encouraging. In the first 4 minutes and 28 seconds of the game, the two sides fought to an 8-8 draw, but the Mavericks exploded into a 20-2 surge in the next four minutes.
Hardaway Jr. and Seth Curry both hit their first three-pointers of the game, and then Doncic hit two three-pointers to give the Mavericks a 28-10 lead. Dallas hit four of his first eight long-range shots, while Portland struggled to get off to the opener, making just one of seven three-point shots.
The Mavericks' hot touch from the outside was the key to their 37-22 lead after the first quarter.
Three-point shooting: 18-12
But, ah, what's going on?Someone must have hit the Dallas Mavericks' switch at the start of the second quarter, as they made just 8-of-31 three-pointers. Although the overall shooting percentage was not great, the Trail Blazers' three-point momentum in the second three quarters completely overtook the Mavericks, and they went on a frantic 46 three-point attempts to hit 17 of them.
The Trail Blazers shot 33 from three-point range as a team7%) ranked 28th in the league, and getting shot by the Trail Blazers from beyond the three-point line is a difficult task. But the Lone Ranger somehow won this not-so-honorable honor.
Exam's score: 23
With the Trail Blazers narrowing the margin to infinity and approaching zero and Irving unable to return, Doncic needs a good helper. Hardaway Jr. is a player Doncic has relied on in recent years and including this year, but he may have found a new partner.
In the win over the Trail Blazers, Dent Exum scored the second-highest score of his career, but more importantly, he played a role when Dallas was short of major generals. He finished with 23 points and made 2 of 2 three-pointers, a welcome improvement after a choppy shooting start to the season, and he also dished out seven assists and added six rebounds in that victory.
In his post-game interview, Exum said: "When Carey goes down, everybody has to get involved. Glad we did. Coming to a new team, Xi learning to play with Luka, Carey, Lively, it's about getting used to it, and I'm starting to get on track. ”
Consecutive lead for the whole game: 2 games.