Newy Scruggs, sports anchor at NBC5 in Dallas-Fort Worth (KXAS-TV) and radio host weekly from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on NBC Sports Radio Sirius XM 213/202 and NBCSportsRadio.com, answered questions during a live chat Wednesday. Below are highlights, edited for clarity.
In the future, is this Luka Doncic, or Dennis Smith Jr.'s team? or Both?
Scruggs: Both. Not sure if fans understand but you need a few good players to win a championship. I don't see them turning into the ego mess that we see in Washington. The same way Steve Nash, Michael Finley and Dirk Nowitzki were the glue that started a great run in Mavs history, look at Doncic and Smith in the same way.
You must have a darn good point guard in the West to win. Smith will be an All-Star. Doncic has incredible talent and is going to be worthy of his Euro nickname "Wonder Boy." Great players can thrive on a team together. Just check NBA championship history.
What is the best and worst thing about Dennis Smith Jr.'s game this season?
Scruggs: Dennis Smith Jr. is fine. I will defend this kid all day and every day. It's not easy being a point guard for Rick Carlisle but he will be an All-Star player in the future.
If you had to guess, how long will it take for the Mavericks to get to the playoffs?
Scruggs: I have no clue. This summer will tell us a lot as more teams have money to spend in free agency. I just know it will not be this season.
Your favorite city to visit, stadium to see?
Scruggs: In the NBA, it is Oracle Arena in Oakland because it feels like a college arena.
Baseball, it's the Giants ballpark in San Francisco.
My favorite NFL venue is Lambeau Field. The history is just outstanding. The location, the fans, the food....bucket list type of atmosphere.
The Superdome in New Orleans is awesome too. I think New Orleans is the best city to host major championship events. I love that town.
Dirk Nowtizki is doing more and more on his slow-to-heal left ankle and could be playing in games off the Dallas Mavericks’ bench at some point during their next five games.
That might be asking too much of the 40-year-old, who has been participating in some practices and is doing all he can to be game-ready.
“He’s been in here virtually every day for seven months,” Carlisle said Monday after the Mavs practiced. “He’s been playing scrimmages with the interns and finding ways to simulate games situations and generally speaking doing well. I know he’s had some soreness here and there, but nothing that I’ve heard is any kind of setback.”
Nowitzki underwent ankle surgery April 5 and has dealt with multiple setbacks while rehabbing for the 21st season of his career. However, he has made steady progress the past few weeks while the Mavs have surged to a 9-9 record after a 2-7 start.
Nowtizki, the seventh-leading scorer in NBA history, would bolster a bench that has been a team strength, thanks to contributions from, among others, guard J.J. Barea and forward Dorian Finney-Smith.
Carlisle suggested that second-year point guard Dennis Smith Jr. (right wrist) will return to the lineup Wednesday and that forward Dwight Powell (left knee) could return.
The are two major problems with the Dallas Mavericks trading for Jimmy Butler.
And neither of them are named Harrison Barnes.
Dallas and owner Mark Cuban would almost certainly have to trade one of Barnes or up-and-comer Dennis Smith Jr. to beat any offers by the other two reported suitors: the Houston Rockets and the Miami Heat.
Let’s set aside which of those players the team would be better off losing and focus on the larger problems.
First, Butler’s contract is up after this season. The Mavericks will have the cap space to sign Butler to a max contract extension next summer, per Spotrac.com.
But there’s no guarantee he will return to Dallas once he hits the open market.
The second reason is a compounded one.
Butler will turn 30 before the start of next season. And even if Kevin Durant does not re-sign with the Golden State Warriors, it’s hard to imagine the Mavericks being a legitimate challenger in two or three years.
Even if Dennis Smith Jr. and Luka Doncic enter their primes by then, Butler will be 32 or 33 and likely past his.
Last but certainly not least, Butler comes with an attitude. That attitude led to him forcing a trade from the Chicago Bulls.
He’s almost assuredly forced a trade out of Minnesota, too, thanks in large part to a very public meltdown in a preseason practice.
If Butler doesn’t like the way things are going or clashes with head coach Rick Carlisle (Carlisle’s done it with star players before), who’s to say he doesn’t force another trade?
Dallas Mavericks Luka Doncic (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
Dallas Mavericks point forward Luka Doncic has a 30-point game early in his NBA career, and he is already the Mavs best scorer.
The Dallas Mavericks 2018-2019 season has just begun. The Mavs have struggled out of the gate, but do not let their record fool you. This is a better Mavericks team than fans have seen the last two years.
Dennis Smith Jr. has improved and will be better in his sophomore season. There will be some bumps in the road for the 20-year-old, but after scoring over 20 points in two of the last three games things are looking up. Smith Jr. has elite athleticism that allows him to get to the rim at will. His shooting is a work in progress, but after a summer in the gym, it looks improved.
The Mavs also added DeAndre Jordan who is on pace to the have the best season of his career in Dallas. He has shown playmaking ability that was not evident in his time with the Clippers. Jordan continues to be one of the NBA’s best rebounders and screeners. DJ gives the Mavs a paint presence that they have lacked since Tyson Chandler’s exit.
The prime addition is Luka Doncic. The number three overall pick in the 2018 draft has the look of an NBA star early in his career. Doncic is only 19 years old but is already shining for the Mavericks.
The Mavs have Harrison Barnes back who scored 19 points per game each of the last two seasons. They also have DSJ who averaged 15 a night as a rookie, but Luka is already the team’s best scorer less than ten games into his rookie season. Let us take a look at what separates Luka Doncic from the other Mavericks.
The Dallas Mavericks are looking really good over the past few weeks and a lot of that can be attributed to rookie sensation, Luka Doncic. Just how good has Luka been this year?
Luka Doncic has been nothing short of fascinating night in and night out for the Dallas Mavericks. Aside from leading the team in scoring so far this season, he is also leading all rookies in scoring with 19.1 points per game. He is currently 4th among rookies in rebounds and 2nd in assists.
Luka has not just been outplaying the other rookies in the league, though. He has also been outplaying his opponents almost every single night. Despite being surrounded by talented defensive wings in Wesley Matthews and Harrison Barnes, Luka hasn’t always found himself in an easy matchup, but he has made the most of it.
Here is a list of the opponents the Mavs have seen so far this season: Phoenix, Minnesota, Chicago (x2), Atlanta, Toronto, Utah (x3), San Antonio, Los Angeles Lakers, New York, Washington, Oklahoma City, Golden State, Memphis, Brooklyn and Boston.
In my mind, Luka outplayed his opposition in each of these games, except maybe Kuzma in LA. 18 games into his NBA career, it is pretty amazing that he is playing as well as or better than a number of NBA veterans and solid players around the league.
So what can make this season even better for Luka Doncic? Well, for starters, I think we will see more consistency as we move forward in the season. Luka is getting more comfortable in his role with the Mavs as time goes by, which we have seen from some improved assist numbers and some definitely improving turnover numbers.
I also think the team is learning to trust him more and more too. He is getting important looks in big moments of these close games which he has taken advantage of by leading the team in clutch scoring so far this year. That is probably going to continue to improve.
I am a big fan of Luka Doncic so far. He has been a great asset for this team and is going to be a key franchise player going forward. Some of these teams are already learning what they missed out on.
Eddie Sefko, Mavericks beat writer for SportsDayDFW.com and The Dallas Morning News, answered your questions about the team in a live chat Tuesday. Here are some of the highlights:
Q: Why such poor free-throw shooting from such talented shooters?
Sefko: Actually, they're not that bad. They are 19th in the league currently, which admittedly is lower than the standards of years past. These things have a way of leveling out. But remember, Dirk's career 88 percent hasn't been factored in yet this season. He doesn't shoot a ton of free throws anymore, but that still would help. By the way, I'm still not sure how DeAndre Jordan is doing it. A career sub-50-percent shooter from the line doesn't just suddenly become a 78-percent free thrower. Maybe the team's psychologist, Don Kalkstein, has implanted something in Jordan's brain.
Q: Is J.J. Barea one of the more underrated Mavs players of all time? Always seems to be doing positive things when he's on the floor.
Sefko: All I can say is he's not underrated in this person's eyes. He's been one of the most impactful players on the team for years. He's masterful in the pick-and-roll and he will make an open shot when defenses give it to him. He's never been a great defender, but at 6-foot (maybe) he takes a lot of charges and is a bulldog on the court. If you ask people in the locker room, a lot of them would say he's the source of a lot of the team's newfound grit. Certainly one of the most popular and productive Mavericks of all time, pound for pound and minute for minute.
Q: There's no way Harrison Barnes turns down his $25 million player option, right?
Sefko: Not unless somebody out there comes running with a four-year guarantee in the $100M range. Players have to keep their options open. That's why they have agents. With all the money available this summer, anything is possible. But Barnes likes it in Dallas and, as you said, he's got 25 million reasons to finish out the current contract.
Q: Were you surprised at all that [Carmelo Anthony] on the roster didn't work out with the Rockets?
Sefko: Not really. The guy has had a rough trip to the career finish line. It never quite worked in New York. He was unwelcome after one year in OKC and now Houston has disowned him. He's running out of teams. Good teams don't want to risk chemistry problems and he probably doesn't want to play for a bad team. He clearly does not play well with others. No denying he has talent, though.
Upon further review of the National Basketball Association’s official rules, trailing after the first quarter is not a requirement for winning in the NBA.
For the seventh time in nine games this season, the Mavs found themselves behind after 12 minutes.
They’ve won only one of those games.
Friday would not be one as Dallas fell behind 17-7 midway through the quarter and was behind 33-27 after the first in what would prove to be its ugliest home loss of the season, 118-106, to the New York Knicks at the American Airlines Center.
Luka Doncic and Wesley Matthews were both held scoreless in that frame for the Mavs, which (2-7) have now lost six in a row. They’ll look to snap that streak on Tuesday at home against Washington. This was New York’s first road win of the season.
“It starts with me. I take responsibility for this game and the way our team’s struggling,” Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle said. “I’m the leader of this thing and I’ve got to do a better job of getting these guys playing harder, playing more together. What we did tonight was very disappointing. The last couple of games have been well-contested at the end. Tonight, the whole second half was dismal.”
The cure to these slow starts, according to what Carlisle said after a loss to Utah on Oct. 28, was to “play with a lot of force, especially defensively.” Dallas did a little of that in the second quarter, outscoring the Knicks, 32-23, to take a 59-56 halftime lead.
But that all went out the window in the third quarter as the ever-dangerous trio of Tim Hardaway Jr., Mitchell Robinson, and Lance Thomas caught fire in a quarter won by the Kristaps Porzingis-less Knicks (3-6), 33-18.
“We did a very poor job containing defensively,” Carlisle said. “That’s the explanation. We’ve got to work to get better. We need practice time. There’s no excuse for any team to come through us the way they did. Give them credit. They attacked all night long. But our level of resistance has to be much, much higher.”
The biggest thorn in Dallas’ side in this one was undrafted rookie Allonzo Trier, who, along with Dennis Smith Jr., led all scorers with 23 points. He was 8-of-10 from the floor. New York, as a whole, shot 55 percent, which really irks Carlisle.
“There’s a certain pride that you have to have every night in this league, and tonight, in the second half, we just weren’t there the way we needed to be,” he said.
Mavs center DeAndre Jordan, who had four points and 10 rebounds, echoed those sentiments.
“We’ve got to play harder,” he said. “We’ve got to lock into attention to detail. We’ve just got to have some pride at this point.”
Dorian Finney-Smith contributed 19 points in 27 minutes, and also had a team-high two steals. Doncic ended up with 18 points, six assists, and nine rebounds. He also had four turnovers.
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Harrison Barnes finished with 14 points but was only 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. As a team, Dallas was just 11-of-29 from deep.
When asked if the Mavs were playing hard enough to win right now, Carlisle responded, “The answer is obviously no. We have to get angry. We have to get more together and we have to have two great practice days.”
Matt Mosley, contributor to SportsDayDFW.com, answered your questions during a live chat Friday. Here are some highlights:
Question: Are games ending in 135-130 final scores in regulation good for the NBA? Or will people eventually miss, you know, defense?
Matt Mosley: We aren't going back. The shooting is unbelievable. We've seen the Rockets just get passed up overnight. They look awful right now. And they were one of the first teams to launch 30-40 3's a game. This is not going away. There will still be some defense played in the playoffs. But in the regular season, the offenses are all playing downhill. Even our little Mavs.
Q: Is it bad when a veteran like Wesley Matthews fouls LeBron in a tie ballgame and 19-year-old Luka Doncic is the one throwing his hands up in disgust?
Mosley: Sure it's bad. I thought J.J. was the one who was most upset. I have no clue what Matthews was thinking. It was one of the worst decisions I've seen in some time. But Luka will be around here long after Wes is gone, so I wouldn't spend a ton of time worrying about it. In Wes' defense, he did score 21 points. And he's tried to keep the offense afloat while Barnes works his way back. But I think this might be our last season with Wes in Dallas.
Q: More impressive rookie: Luka Doncic or [Dallas Stars defenseman] Miro Heiskanen?
Mosley: I saw Miro blocking those shots. My goodness, he's impressive. But I'd lean toward Luka right now. I loved how he turned it on against LeBron and the Lakers the other night. If not for Wes Matthews, we could've watched Doncic keep it rolling in overtime. He's a lot of fun to watch, so I give him the edge over Miro ... at this point.
The Dallas Mavericks G-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, begin their season on Nov. 3, so let us take a look at their roster along with other Mavs news.
The Dallas Mavericks season is in full swing. They play their ninth game on Friday against the New York Knicks, but the G-League season is just beginning.
The Mavs affiliate, the Texas Legends, kick off their regular season on Saturday, Nov. 3 against the Austin Spurs. The Legends home opener is on Nov. 9 against the Salt Lake City Stars.
With the new season set to begin, let us take a look at some of the notable players on the Legends roster this season.
Ray Spalding- F/C- On Mavs roster
Rookie Ray Spalding is the only player on the Legends current roster that holds one of the Dallas Mavericks 15 roster spots. Spalding was a second-round pick in the 2018 draft out of Louisville. The 21-year-old flashed an interesting skillset in summer league. Expect massive minutes for Spalding at the four and five for the Legends any time he is on their roster.
Kostas Antetokounmpo – F- Two-way contract
Kostas Antetokounmpo was also a second-round pick of the Mavs in 2018. Best known at this point for being Giannis’ brother, Kostas brings an intriguing defensive skillset to the court. Expect some highlight reel blocks from the younger Antetokounmpo this season.
Daryl Macon- G- Two-way contract
Daryl Macon is the second two-way contract player on the Legends roster. The 22-year-old should be a starter for the Legends. He is more of a combo guard who is known for his 3-point shooting ability.
Ding Yanyuhang- F
Ding Yanyuhang is a 25-year-old who is a star basketball player in China. He won the MVP of the CBA last season and is chasing his NBA dream in the Mavericks organization. It will be interesting to see if Yanyuhang is healthy and how much he plays for the Legends.
Jameel Warney- F
Warney averaged 19.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per game for the Legends last season. He is back and looking to lead the team in scoring this year. The 24-year-old has competition for minutes, but the veteran could outshine the young talents. Keep an eye on Warney this season.
DALLAS — For however long he plays, Frank Ntilikina is going to be compared to Dennis Smith Jr.
The Knicks drafted Ntilikina with the eighth overall pick in 2017, coveting the lanky French guard's wingspan and defensive ability.
With the ninth pick that same draft, the Mavericks took Dennis Smith Jr. out of North Carolina State.
They're different types of point guards. Ntilikina's contributions don't always show up in the box score while Smith routinely posts double-figure scoring performances.
Those differences were on display Friday night.
Smith scored 23 points with no assists while Ntilikina only had seven points but dished out seven assists as the Knicks beat the Mavericks, 118-106, at American Airlines Center.
The Knicks trailed by three points at halftime but outscored Dallas, 33-18, in the third quarter to take control of the game. The period included a reverse dunk from Mitchell Robinson, who had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
"Definitely now I feel like I'm very comfortable," Robinson said. "It ain't really nothing else to it. Just go out there and work hard."
Ntilikina, who had three steals, didn't need to provide much scoring Friday night, anyway.
The Knicks had seven players finish in double figures, led by Allonzo Trier's 23 points. The undrafted rookie was 8-of-10 from the field.
Tim Hardaway Jr. had 18 points and Enes Kanter had 13 while Damyean Dotson and Mario Hezonja had 11 points each. Lance Thomas finished with 10.
Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic had 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists. The Knicks held DeAndre Jordan to just four points, but he grabbed 10 rebounds.
Ntilikina and Smith, who had six turnovers and four fouls Friday, aren't only going to be compared to each other, but also to Utah Jazz star point guard Donovan Mitchell, last season's Rookie of the Year, and the Sacramento Kings' DeAaron Fox, who posted 31 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists in a win over the Hawks Thursday night.
Fox was the fifth overall pick in 2017 while Mitchell went 13th.
"I know we’re going to get some comparisons because we’re in the same class," Ntilikina said. "But myself, I’m just competing against whoever I’m going against every night, focusing in on myself and the team."
Smith finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting last season after averaging 15.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 43.1 percent from the field and 31 percent from the perimeter.
He started all 69 games he played.
"Oh, he’s talented," Knicks coach David Fizdale said before the game. "Yeah, he kicked my butt in Memphis as a rookie. Super quick, bouncy, nice looking shot. Super competitive. I think he’s a class kid. He goes about playing the game the right way, but he’s not afraid. They got a good player."
Ntillikina's young career has looked different.
The Knicks have used the 20-year-old in a variety of ways. Ntilikina played mostly off the ball as a rookie, and then Fizdale completely changed course for the first five games this season by starting Ntilikina at small forward.
By doing so, Fizdale said he was trying to take some pressure off Ntilkina.
"I felt it for him as soon as I got the job, mainly from you guys and the fans, of, ‘Frank’s got to be this guy, he’s got to do this," Fizdale said. "I just said, you know what, let’s just pull him away from that for a minute and let him just be a player. I think it gave him some clarity. By taking that off him, just being a wing out there, he saw different things about how the team functions."
When Fizdale again shuffled his lineups for the sixth game of the season, he shifted Ntilikina back to point guard. Ntilkina started to look more comfortable offensively, driving to the basket and showing more confidence from the three-point line.
Still, that part of his game continues to develop.
The comparisons between Ntilikina and Smith are going to continue. They're different types of point guards, each contributing to their respective lineups in different ways.
Dallas Mavericks Wesley Matthews (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
Dallas Mavericks fans are at a mutual understanding. Wesley Matthews is doing too much. For the sake of argument, here is a pro/con list.
Wesley Matthews is brewing sour grapes in the Dallas Mavericks fanbase. At one time, there was a divide between fans of cold hard opinions and optimistic views on the polarizing figure. However, as of late, it seems both sides of the fan spectrum have come to mutual terms. Despite the detrimental effects of Matthews on the roster, some bright spots can’t be ignored.
When the report hit the national airwaves of starting power forward Harrison Barnes missing regular season games, almost instantly, you could foresee the inevitable instability on offense. However, there was a stable, well, at least a persistent player with the ball in his hands, Wesley Matthews. Unfortunately for Mavs fans, Wes is more of a fixture in the offense than many first suspected.
This Mavericks campaign is an obvious improvement from last season, and yet, playoffs are not in the picture by a long shot. Sure, Dallas manages to keep games competitive, but with the makeup of the current roster, they will continue to perform poorly in clutch situations.
Wesley Matthews is not the solution to the late-game woes, although at least presently, he’s the consistent answer Dallas provides.
It’s apparent the coaching staff is content with the bow-and-arrow obsessed undersized forward launching up shots. The proof is in the consistency in the field goal attempts. Whether Wes is the issue or not, Carlisle is ultimately the one allowing such play.
With that said, you have to take into account the beneficial outcomes for having an aggressive player. But in the same breath, voluntary ignorance of the forward’s unfavorable play will cost you.
Devin Harris has been out since playing six minutes in the first half of the season opener at Phoenix, where he strained his left hamstring.
It's been just over three weeks and coach Rick Carlisle said that Harris' return could come as soon as Saturday night against Oklahoma City.
"We'll know more in the morning," Carlisle said after Friday's workout. "He had a nice practice today. So there's certainly a chance. But a lot of these things are: see how he wakes up and see how Mother Nature treats him during sleep time."
Harris has said he wants to be able to run comfortably without any favoring of or fatigue in his leg. For a team that has struggled in many areas, his return would be a big boost.
"Attacking, play-making veterans that play both ends of the floor have great value in this league and on our team," Carlisle said. "And experience is a valuable commodity when you're working through challenges. So we'll see if he's ready tomorrow."
Devin Harris is expected to make his debut tonight but his return may ultimately be a progress-stopper for this promising rookie point guard.
When Jalen Brunson fell to Dallas near the top of the second round, the Mavericks pounced. Not expecting to see the former two-time National Champion and recent Player of the Year available, the Dallas Mavericks paid no mind to their current log-jam at guard.
You see the Mavs are loaded at guard. Aside from second year player, Dennis Smith Jr., the Mavs also have J.J. Barea, Devin Harris, and ball-handler extraordinaire, Luka Doncic (who technically plays a more fluid positionless role).
But Jalen Brunson was too good to pass up. Fans were critical of the move. His diminutive size (listed generously by ESPN as 6’3” 190lbs) coupled with the Dallas Mavericks other needs at other positions, made this feel like a wasted pick on a low-potential back-up.
But now coming off one of his best games as a pro, Brunson is winning some of those critical MFFL over.
Against the Utah Jazz, Brunson put up 11 points, two boards, and two assists in just 16 minutes. Some of his impact came a critical time late in the game when the Mavs needed a turn-around. In 31 seconds Brunson stole a pass, hit a lay-up, and drained a three. Dallas untimely lost but Brunson turned things around and gave the team a chance at a time there appeared no chance.
That just built on Jalen’s season averages 11 games into the season. Brunson is averaging a respectable 14 minutes per game with 4.8 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. As a reserve, Brunson is a leader on the court and growing by the day. All of that may change with Devin Harris’ return.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of Devin Harris. Even at the age of 35 he has something to offer. But not if it comes at the expense of Brunson.
Jalen Brunson may never be the starting point guard on a championship caliber NBA team, but he sure could play a significant role. His experience, intangibles, and early returns suggest he could be a nice replacement one day to J.J. Barea on the second team.
But in order to do that, he needs to get experience.
If Devin and Jalen were the same age, I’d give the edge to Devin. But alas they are not the same age. The Dallas Mavericks are 3-8 and going nowhere fast. The time to develop young talent is now. Dorian Finney-Smith needs a chunk of Wesley Matthews’ minutes just like Jalen Brunson needs Harris’ time on the court.
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To be fair, so to were the Washington Wizards, who also stumbled into Tuesday having won just two of their first nine games.
But Dallas, fresh off a couple of high-intensity practices following a lackluster effort against New York on Friday, put forth the effort defensively that head coach Rick Carlisle has been yearning, and it translated into plenty of good offensively.
Luka Doncic had a team-high 23 points, Wesley Matthews added 22, and Harrison Barnes and Dennis Smith Jr. each had 19 in a 119-100 victory over the lowly Wizards (2-8) at the American Airlines Center.
“You know this season, it’s been tough for us,” said Barnes, who recorded his first double-double of the season with his 19 points and a career-high-tying 12 rebounds. “We’ve definitely had a lot of opportunities where games were close. But to be able to come out here tonight and put together 48 minutes and finally get a win, it feels pretty good.”
Get this: Dallas even held a lead at the end of the first quarter, which has been as rare as a non-rainy day in DFW this season. That 35-24 lead set the tone early and carried through the rest of the way to help the Mavs snap a six-game losing streak.
“I thought everyone was much-improved tonight,” Carlisle said. “The starters got us off to a great start defensively and offensively. The bench picked us up.”
In the first half alone, Dallas was 13-of-23 from beyond the arc and shot 50 percent from the floor (23-of-46). Matthews shot so many imaginary arrows into the air after his five first-half 3-pointers, it would have made cupid blush.
Matthews had 17 points in the first half alone, while Doncic and DSJ, who had a team-high seven assists, each had 13.
“He was big with shooting, with leadership, with ball movement,” Carlisle said of Matthews. “He’s a guy that gets us going with his grit, leadership and his will to win. i love when he gets going offensively. It’s fun to watch.”
Washington matched Dallas’ first half intensity to start the second half and used a 13-4 run to momentarily get back into striking distance. Dallas started the half 0-for-5 with four turnovers. Not exactly ideal.
“We got off to a slow start in the second half. They made a run. We showed a lot of resilience. Stuck together, stayed real positive and then made a push at the end. The game had everything to test the team’s will and togetherness. We needed it. We needed it.”
The Mavs had seven turnovers in the quarter, one more than the entire first half, which Washington parlayed into a 29-17 frame and only an 87-78 deficit heading into the fourth.
The Wizards got to within 97-91 with 3-pointer from John Wall, who had a game-high 24 points and 10 assists, with 7:02 left, but four straight acrobatic points by DeAndre Jordan pushed the lead to 10 with under 5 minutes to go. Dallas ended the game on a 22-9 run.
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“Resilience. Experience,” Carlisle said when asked what the key was to holding off Washington late. “Guys have been through some of this stuff together now and that’s meaningful. Also, an understanding that this has to start defensively. Holding off their run started with getting stops on defense, and then aggressive plays offensively.
“It’s been a long time since we won a game,” Carlisle said. “It feels good to win. Quick turnaround though. Not much rest here.”
Dallas (3-7) travels to Utah for an 8 p.m. tip on Wednesday before returning to the AAC on Saturday to host Russell Westbrook and Co.
The Washington Wizards are looking to unload much of their roster this season, might the Dallas Mavericks cash in?
Don’t look now but the Dallas Mavericks are a playoff contender. With the win over the Boston Celtics, the Mavs move back to a cool .500 – a feat that seemed like a pipe dream only a month ago. And if it wasn’t for their painfully poor start to the season, they’d be at the top of the conference standings right now.
That’s how close the race is and that’s how hot the Mavs have been as of late (winners in six of the last seven).
Assuming the Dallas Mavericks will stay in the thick of the playoff hunt over the winter, one can reasonably assume they will be players on the trade market. While Mark Cuban has been adamant about keeping cap space clear for next summer’s free agency, he’s not adverse to wheeling and dealing if the right offer came up.
Enter Washington.
The Washington Wizards are in nightmare situation right now and have stated their willingness to cut bait with some roster cornerstones. Going nowhere fast, the Wizards are bogged down with expensive contracts and massive disappointment. This is the kind of situation where deals are made and players can be acquired for pennies on the dollar.
So who might be available to the Dallas Mavericks?
The three main players in Washington are John Wall, Bradley Beal, and Otto Porter. From a talent perspective, all three would help a fringe team like the Mavs. But it doesn’t take a long look to see the problems with such a trade proposal.
First, we need to eliminate John Wall from the conversation. He’s a fantastic player but he’s about to start a 4-year $170 million deal that will pay him through 2022-2023 season (and at a rate of $47 million that last year). I find it hard to believe ANYONE would be willing to take on that contract unless it meant dumping multiple poor contracts back on the Wiz in return.
Bradly Beal is widely considered the most attractive option in Washington. The only problem is Washington knows this and will be asking for a lot in return. Despite the down season, Beal is an established star in this league. He’s going to help someone significantly and there will be a bidding war for his services. Of all the players on the market right now, he’s the most attractive around the NBA.
“Do you really think the Dallas Mavericks have the best trade package to offer”, I asked myself. “Hell no,” I answered myself. Even with Dennis Smith Jr included in the deal someone else is going to have a better trade package.
Which brings us to Otto Porter Jr – the thinking man’s target in Washington. Porter is high on a lot of lists as well. He’s a true 3-and-D guy on the wing and exactly what the Mavs need in their porous perimeter defense.
The main problem with Porter is his goofy contract structure (more on that at a later date). But then again, that prohibitive structure may take some cost conscious teams out of the equation, and make him the most attainable option to Dallas.
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At the end of the day, none of these three players are great fits for the Dallas Mavericks. At least not as far as the cost it would take to get them and not at the cost of cap space next summer. All are fine players who would help mightily but I don’t think Mark Cuban is interested in messing up his cap space for free agency for these guys.
Home is the place to be during the holidays and for a change, the Mavericks can relate to that.
It's been awhile.
A rebuilding process goes step by step and one of the biggest ones was for the Mavericks to become a better home team.
So far, so good.
While they have yet to master winning on the road, the Mavericks came out of Wednesday's 119-113 victory over Brooklyn with a 7-2 record at American Airlines Center, which puts them on pace to win 31 games.
That would be their best home record since they were 32-9 in Rick Carlisle's first season, 2008-09.
The last three seasons, they have been a sub-.500 team at home, winning 23 games in 2016, 21 in 2017 and 15 last season.
That, more than anything, was why this team has not been able to threaten .500 since it finished the 2015-16 season at 42-40.
Even the 2010-11 season when they won the championship, the Mavericks were only 29-12 at home, although they were a superior road team at 28-13.
Of course, it didn't take Carlisle long to slap down any notion that the Mavericks are off to a potentially good run at home.
Before Wednesday's game, he said: "Are you really going to put the whammy on us by asking that. Listen, it's a long season, the games are one at a time. It's no time to pat yourself on the back. This is a brutally tough game for us."
Despite relatively poor showings on the court for the past two seasons, the Mavericks have not lost the support of their fans.
Sellouts continue to be a regular thing and even when there are no-shows in the audience, the fan interaction has been good.
"The energy of the crowd, to be honest, is amazing that every game the arena is basically full," said Maxi Kleber. "You feel that energy I feel like we are more ready. We have to figure out a way to be that way at away games."
That's true. The Mavericks have just a 1-7 mark in road games, although they have been very competitive in virtually every game away from home.
Joining the greats: At halftime, Dirk Nowitzki was awarded with the key to the city.
So where does he rate among the best athletes in north Texas history?
"When you've done things like he has for two decades, things like this can happen," Carlisle said. "As far as where he is in the pantheon of great Dallas athletes, he's up there with the best. When you talk about the great Cowboys, Staubach, Aikman, Smith, all those guys and the Stars that won a championship here, Modano and Hull, it's wonderful that Dirk's viewed with those guys."
Said Nowitzki: "I told somebody in the locker room, I don't even have a key to my own house. I only get a garage fob."
On a more serious note, Nowitzki promised more, not only when he returns within the next month from ankle surgery but when his playing career is done.
"My work is far from done here," Nowitzki said. "This is my city. The work that my foundation has been doing for a long, long time is something I want to continue to do. It's going to keep me busy and hopefully we can help as many kids in need as we can. I can promise I'll do that way after my career (is done)."
As for returning to the court, he added: "I started running probably two weeks ago, slow on the treadmill and stepped it up ever since. We're heading in the right direction, it's just hard. When you haven't done much for eight weeks and as a 40-year-old basically starting from scratch and trying to get back in shape to play NBA minutes is hard, it's been a grind.
"But we're going to keep working and hopefully soon. Hopefully somewhere in December I'll be ready and the body will respond the right way."
Cutting the Nets: The Mavericks were teetering on the edge of blowing a game they'd led most of the way until Devin Harris delivered them in the fourth quarter. After Brooklyn had tied the score at 87, Harris scored eight consecutive points to ignite the Mavericks to a fourth-quarter getaway.
Harris finished with a season-best 18 points and J.J. Barea chipped in 17, also off the bench.
Once the reserves had staked the Mavericks to a lead, the starters returned and almost blew the game. But Harrison Barnes steadied them with a couple of buckets as the Mavericks turned a 103-101 lead into a 110-102 advantage.
They improved to 8-9 and have a chance to reach .500 Saturday when Boston visits AAC.
Rick Carlisle loves defense, but he had no trouble going on the offensive when it came to an exchange between president and general manager Donnie Nelson and shooting guard Wesley Matthews after Friday's loss to New York.
Carlisle said the conversation, which started in public view, ended up including Carlisle behind closed doors. Before taking questions after Sunday's practice, he addressed the situation.
"I want to talk about a report that came out about a 'heated conversation' between Wes Matthews and my president and general manager, Donnie Nelson," Carlisle said. "Wes approached Donnie and talked to him about anything that he could possibly do to help our team win more games. I ended up in on that conversation in Donnie's office afterward.
"It was nothing but positive and constructive. Any notion or implication that it was anything negative or 'heated' is completely false. I just wanted to make sure everybody understood that."
Matthews has been one of the Mavericks' best players early in the season, averaging 17.6 points and typically guarding the opponent's best wing player.
However, the Mavericks' 2-7 start has pushed everybody's frustration level to the red line, and emotions have been difficult to control.
"Unfortunately for a lot of us here, we've been through some rough times," Harrison Barnes said, referring to the last two seasons. "This is nothing that we haven't seen before. But we obviously had higher hopes for this season to begin with. There's still a lot of time left, and I think we're confident we can turn this thing around."
Sticking together is going to be paramount if that's going to happen. Losing teams have a tendency to fray.
"It's important that emotions are generated and channeled the right way," Carlisle said. "They've got to be channeled into our collective competitiveness. That can at times be challenging. But I loved our practice today. I loved everybody's approach. I loved everybody's attitude. There was an edge to it. And that's how we've got to proceed going forward."
It’s time for the Dallas Mavericks to hand over some of Wesley Matthews’ minutes to Dorian Finney-Smith. Here’s why
Everyone seems to be piling on Wesley Matthews these days. Whether it’s because of his undiscerning shot selection, his ill-timed fouls, or his bloated usage rate which steals opportunities from rookie Luka Doncic, Wes has his share of haters around Mavs Land.
While watching the young bucks, Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr., is fun on the offensive end of the court, they’re not so much fun to watch on the defensive side. That’s why we have Matthews. Frankly, reserve guards J.J. Barea and Jalen Brunson aren’t any better. All of these players are liabilities on defense and should be matched up with a defensive-minded player to compensate for their shortcomings.
And it’s that niche that makes Wesley Matthews so darn important.
Matthews came to the Dallas Mavericks roughly three years ago as a glorified 3-and-D guy. He was always best as a complementary piece rather than a primary option, yet given the state of the Mavs roster at the time, Matthews was forced to become something he’s not.
As explained last week, he’s having a tough time shifting back out of that role now that the cornerstone pieces are in place. The problematic result of that is Wesley Matthews is controlling the ball far too often and stunting the growth of Luka Doncic and the Dallas offense in the process.
It’s true the Dallas Mavericks don’t have many options in place of Matthews. In fact, Dorian Finney-Smith may be the only viable candidate to take on a portion of Wesley’s role. The good news is DFS looks like he’s ready for the challenge of a bigger role. And with Wes struggling, there’s no better time than now to take action.
Advanced Statistics
Dorian Finney-Smith is already a strong defender, but he’s long struggled developing his shot. Nine games into his third season, DFS has found his shot. In the Mavs embarrassing loss to the Knicks, DFS broke out and became the only good thing on an otherwise terrible night. Scoring 19 points and collecting 7 rebounds, Dorian instantly became an option to replace Wes in the starting lineup.
On the season, DFS is shooting .525 from the field and .419 from deep (compared to Matthews who’s shooting .414 and .347 respectively). According to Basketball Reference.com, DFS is also topping Wes in offensive rating (123 vs 112), in Box Plus/Minus (0.8 vs -2.7), and win share per 48 minutes (.103 vs 0.65).
Best of all, DFS can do it all without anything close to the touches Wesley Matthews requires (DFS usage percentage: 13 vs Matthews usage percentage: 21.1 and DFS field goal attempts per 36 min: 9.3 vs Matthews FG attempts per 36: 15.1).
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Since we can all agree Luka Doncic needs the ball as often as possible, separating Matthews and Doncic seems like the obvious solution. Dorian Finney-Smith makes that separation possible.
SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt breaks down a pair of teams off to very different starts in the Eastern Conference. USA TODAY
With every passing night Luka Doncic looks more and more like the answer to the question: Who will be this season’s NBA Rookie of the Year?
Yet the form of the Dallas Mavericks’ 19-year-old phenom also poses a conundrum of its own. Just 11 games into his career, do his superb numbers indicate a fast-track towards greatness, or are they a quirk thrown up by the scoring-heavy nature of the league?
The truth likely lies somewhere in between. Doncic is an outstanding player, no question about it, with huge upside. Over the first three weeks of his NBA career, with no prior American basketball experience, he has scored 20.2 points per game, while averaging 6.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
If these numbers are sustained, Doncic would be in an elite place in NBA history. Only eight other rookies have ever averaged at least 19 points, six rebounds and four assists, according to Basketball Reference.
But there is also little doubt that Doncic has a few more factors working in his favor than many of those who came before him when it comes to putting up big numbers.
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“The game is easier to adjust to now than it was 10 years ago,” the young Slovenian’s teammate Dirk Nowitzki told USA TODAY Sports. “It is less physical and more free flowing, so everything is set up for him to succeed and do well.
“He has confidence, he is taking big shots for us, the ball is in his hands a lot — it has been fun to watch. We haven’t seen it ever really, a rookie under 20 who averages 20 and six. The game is different now and that obviously helps (European players) succeed. Back when I came in it was tougher, more physical, there was hand checking, it is a lot more open now, the rules have changed.”
Doncic’s latest strong performance came in a 24-point outing on Wednesday, as the Mavs fell to the Utah Jazz 117-102, The night before, Doncic had 23 points as Dallas ended a six-game losing skid with a 119-100 win over the Washington Wizards.
“Every game, you look at him and say, ‘Are you sure this guy is only 19?’ ” Wizards head coach Scott Brooks said. “I don’t look at him as a young player. He’s a legitimate NBA player who is going to be a superstar.”
Time will tell how much the stats are a reflection of Doncic’s excellence and how much can be attributed to the permissive nature that the NBA has towards scoring. It may become increasingly difficult to compare one era against another if the glut of scoring continues, both as a result of tactical shifts and in the extra protection given to offensive players.
“You really just can’t touch anyone at all or you are going to get called for a foul,” LeBron James said recently. “That’s just how it is now.”
Before the end of the first week of November, teams had hit the 140-point barrier in regulation six times during the course of the season, compared to eight times each of the previous two years and only three total occasions between 2014 and 2016, per ESPN.
Shooting frenzies have erupted, most notably when Klay Thompson drained a history-making 14 3-pointers in just 27 minutes of action. And as notable as Doncic’s numbers are, 28 players around the league are scoring at a heavier rate.
Doncic starred for Real Madrid last season as it won both Spanish league and EuroLeague titles, before being selected third in the draft by Atlanta, then being acquired by Dallas via trade.
“He is certainly capable of significant impact even early in the season, so it is no shock from our standpoint,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. “He is a good player who is getting better all the time and he’s more worldly than most 19-year-olds because he has been playing pro ball since he was 13.
“But I don’t care too much about the stats — that’s not what I look at.”
Regardless of the numbers, it is rare for a rookie to begin so strongly and with such composure. Trae Young (No. 5 overall pick) and Deandre Ayton (No. 1) have had strong flashes in the opening weeks, but neither of those rookies have looked as consistently solid as Doncic.
“He’s a heavy scorer, in a league that’s now built for scoring,” Nowitzki added. “You can’t just look at the stats the same way anymore, but he is passing the test.”
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Martin Rogers on Twitter @RogersJourno
