The Dallas Mavericks kept their season alive after defeating the Golden State Warriors at home 119-109 in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.
Golden State still leads the series 3-1, and Game 5 is Thursday at Chase Center.
Dallas had their largest lead of 29 points in the third. However, the Warriors would cut the lead to eight in the fourth, but the Mavs were able to hold them off.
It was a team effort as the Mavs, who had six players in double figures and had 30 assists, were led by Luka Doncic’s 30 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists, two blocks, and two steals, and Dorian Finney-Smith added 23 points.
They still have to win three more games to win this series, but Doncic still has hope.
“I still believe we can win, you know. Swept or not swept,” Doncic said. “In the end, if you lose, you lose. Don’t matter how many we win. We have to go game by game. We going to believe until the end…
“We got more to do, you know. This is nothing. We got three more. We have to go game by game and believe.”
Finney-Smith felt the Mavs played like a desperate team in Game 4.
“Everybody in that locker room feel like we have more basketball to play,” he said. “We just wanted to get the win by any means necessary, and I feel like we came out desperate that first half.”
It’s a make-or-miss league, and the Mavs made shots Tuesday night as they hit 20 threes for the fourth time this postseason and shot 50% from the floor.
“Yeah, we’ve felt all along we’re getting great looks,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “Sometimes they go in; sometimes they don’t in this series so far. It’s a matter about making shots.”
No team has ever come back after being down 3-0, but the message from Kidd is to take it one game at a time.
“We believe it’s just one game at a time,” Kidd said. “We did our part tonight. We found a way to win. The next part is to find a way to win on the road. Again, we can’t get ahead of ourselves. It’s still 3-1. We know going into Golden State it’s a tough place to win, but we’ve won there before.”
The odds are still against the Mavs, but anything can happen.
Notes:
-The Warriors, who had seven players in the double figures, were led by Stephen Curry’s 20 points, marking his 100th 20-point game in the postseason. He became the 16th player to record 100-or-more 20-point games in the playoffs.
Reggie Bullock had 18 points on 6-10 shooting from deep. Bullock tied his career-best of 6 3-pointers, when he had a playoff career-best 21 points (Game 2 at GSW).
Jalen Brunson recorded 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists tonight. This was Brunson’s fourth game with 15-5-5 in the postseason, with all of the instances coming this year.
Maxi Kleber went 5-6 off the bench for 13 points, while Spencer Dinwiddie added 10 points and a playoff career-best-tying 8 assists off the bench.
-The game was delayed 16 minutes before the third quarter as water came through the roof at American Airlines Center.
The Cleveland Cavaliers concluded their three-game homestand Thursday night against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks.
The Cavs were without Evan Mobley(sprained ankle), which is a considerable loss.
Without Mobley, Cleveland could not slow down Doncic as he had 35 points, nine rebounds, and 13 assists, and Dorian Finney-Smith(6/12 3-PT FG) had a career-high 28 points as the Mavs defeated the Cavs 120-112 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Cleveland(42-34), who is the seventh seed in the East, is now two games behind the sixth-seeded Raptors(44-32) and the fifth seed, the Chicago Bulls(44-32).
Here is the Great, the Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ loss to the Mavericks.
The Great for the Cavs:
-Caris LeVert had his best game and highest-scoring night as a Cavalier. He scored 21 of his 32 points in the first half to go along with six rebounds and four assists. LeVert looked comfortable, and he attacked from start to finish.
-Darius Garland did what he has done all month long, and that’s record a double-double. The All-Star had 25 points, 10 assists, and four steals. This was Garland’s 11th double-double in the month of March, which is a team record for points and assists double-doubles in a month.
-Moses Brown got his first start as a Cavalier against his former team, and he played well. Brown had 12 points(5/5 FG) and nine rebounds. He played with a lot of energy Monday night.
Second Quarter: The Cavs trailed 34-30 after one quarter but started fast in the second. With the game tied at 34, Cleveland went on a 16-8 run to take their largest lead of the game at 50-42. LeVert had 12 big points in the quarter. The Cavs shot 58% from the floor, including 5/6 from deep. They outscored Dallas 37-27 in the quarter and led 67-61 at halftime.
The Not So Great for the Cavs:
Third Quarter: The game shifted in the third. With the game tied at 87 with just under five minutes left in the quarter, the Mavs went on a 13-0 run to take their largest lead of 13. Cleveland had no answers for Doncic and Finney-Smith. Doncic had 20 points in the quarter(8/12 FG, 2/3 3-PT FG), and Finney-Smith had 11 points(3/5 3-PT FG). The two scored 31 of Dallas’ 39 points in the third. The Mavs shot 65% from the field, including 50%(5/10) from downtown. The game was pretty much over after the third as Dallas led 100-89 at the end of three.
Defense: The Cavs have played good defense for most of the season. However, of late, they have struggled on the defensive end. They allowed the Mavs, who are 25th in points per game, to score 120 points in regulation on 52% shooting from the floor. Without Mobley and Jarrett Allen, it makes sense that they struggled defensively Wednesday night.
Turnovers: Cleveland had 15 turnovers Wednesday night, which led to 13 points for the Mavs. Way too many turnovers when you’re trying to beat an outstanding team like Dallas.
Bottom Line:
Barring a collapse from the Bulls and Raptors, the Cleveland Cavaliers will be involved in the Play-In Tournament. Considering where they were a few weeks ago, that’s a disappointment.
However, considering all the injuries, this team has dealt with and the expectations for this team coming into the season, making the Play-In Tournament is a success for the Cavs.
The Cavs have six games left, and they will need a lot of help to be one of the top six teams in the East.
Quotes:
“He’s a wizard with the ball in his hands,” Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said about Doncic post-game.
What’s Next:
Cleveland travels to Atlanta Thursday night to battle the Hawks.
Best of the Rest:
Before the game, the Cavs announced that Mobley will be out at least three games, including Wednesday’s game against Dallas, with an ankle sprain after an MRI Wednesday confirmed the injury. According to the team, Mobley will now undergo a period of treatment and rehabilitation, and his return to play will be updated as appropriate.
-Lamar Stevens scored 16 points; Stevens has been in double figures in five of the last six games.
-For the second straight game, Cedi Osman was a DNP-CD.
Watch below as Bickerstaff talks loss to Mavs, Doncic, and more:
The Dallas Mavericks were without Luka Doncic(toe) Saturday night as they hosted the Sacramento Kings.
Without Doncic, the Mavericks needed others to step up, and they did.
Spencer Dinwiddie contributed a season-high 36 points and seven assists; Jalen Brunson had 23 points and six assists, and Dorian Finney-Smith chipped in with 17 points, including the game-winning three as Dallas defeated Sacramento 114-113 at American Airlines Center.
The Mavericks(38-25) have won four straight, and have gone 23-7 in their last 30 games, improving to a season-high 13 games over .500.
Dallas won without Doncic, which pleases their head coach Jason Kidd, who likes to see his team win without their best player.
“We missed Luka [Dončić] tonight,” Kidd said post-game. “I think that’s also a good thing, a positive. We want Luka playing, but I thought it just took us some time to get used to not having Luka on the floor for those first two quarters. I thought the guys got their legs and kind of got the rhythm without Luka out there. It helps us. It makes us a better team but hopefully, Luka’s back for Monday.”
Back to Dinwiddie, his 36 points are the most he’s had since 2019, and in the last five games, he’s averaging 22.2 points (.571 FG, .458 3FG) and 6.0 assists over his previous five games.
Kidd is happy with the play of Dinwiddie and how well he’s fitting in.
“I think he’s done great,” Kidd said on Dinwiddie. “I think the communication with his teammates and the coaching staff, what we’re asking him to do. At halftime, we just talked about we had some great looks; they were just short. We just had to get them higher on the board. I think he’s been very receptive to coaching and to his teammates, and they trust him. That’s one of the hardest things when you get someone new; how fast will the trust take place. I think you can see the trust is at a very high level when he’s on the floor.”
There seemed to be some issues with chemistry and roles in Washington, but according to Dinwiddie, that’s not an issue in Dallas.
“My job on offense is to get in the paint and make plays,” Dinwiddie said. “I’ll shoot the three when I have the switch and when I’m open, but I’m not just casting 30-footers like I’m Steph Curry. I do what I do, and I don’t do what I’m not supposed to do. That goes 1 through 15. Everybody here follows that type of mentality because we understand that to not just win basketball games in the regular season, but in the playoffs, you need that.”
Dinwiddie, who was acquired before the trade deadline along with Davis Bertans for Kristaps Porzingis, also talked about his exit from Washington, and he was hurt by the belief that he was a problem in D.C.
“So to get kind of kicked out the door was a wild feeling,” he said. “I hadn’t really experienced that before. But I still have nothing ill to say other than, yes, it hurt my feelings. But just like anything else, you become cautiously optimistic about your new situation. So far, it’s a great fit. I love what they ask me to do here, which is get in the paint, and I’m going to continue to do that and continue to try to be of service.”
At this point, Dallas is 6-1 with Dinwiddie, so the move is working for him and the Mavericks.
Watch below as Dinwiddie talks win over Kings, time in D.C.:
The Dallas Mavericks got their star back in Luka Doncic against the Clippers after he missed the past three games due to ankle and knee sprains, and unlike the first three games of this road trip, they were able to close out the Clippers(10-8) in OT 112-104 on Tuesday night.
The Mavericks(10-7) snap their three-game losing streak, and the Dallas finished their road trip 1-3.
Here is the Great, Not so Great, and the Bottom Line of the Mavs’ win over Clippers.
The Great for the Mavericks:
Kristaps Porzingis has found his groove. The 7-footer had his seventh straight game of 20 points or more as he had a team-high 30 points to go along with seven rebounds. During this seven-game stretch, Porzingis is averaging 26.0 points (.528 FG), 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.4 blocks a contest.
“He’s playing at a very high level. He didn’t force anything,” Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said about Porzingis. “Sometimes, when a star player comes back, others might change their game, but he didn’t.”
-Doncic almost messed around and had a triple-double. He had 26 points, nine assists, nine rebounds, and two blocks. The Mavericks were happy to have their closer back. Also, according to Mavs PR, Doncic extended his 20-5-5 streak to a 2021-22 NBA-best seven consecutive games.
-Dorian Finney-Smith had 10 of his season-high 17 points in the fourth quarter. Finney-Smith also added three rebounds and three assists.
Third Quarter: The Clippers led by as much as 11 points in this one and by as many as eight points in the third, but Dallas went on a 13-4 run, and during that run, Doncic scored 11 of the 13 points to give the Mavs a one-point lead. Dallas outscored the Clippers 38-28 in the third and took an 80-76 lead into the fourth. Doncic finished the quarter with 15 points
Overtime: Dallas outscored the Clippers 9-1 in the extra session after blowing a 10-point lead late in the game. Porzingis had six points in overtime.
Turnovers: The Mavericks turned 19 Clipper turnovers into 22 points.
The Not so Great for the Mavericks:
The final 3:29 in regulation: Dallas led 102-92 with 3:29 left. Los Angeles went on an 11-1 run to end the game, including Paul George’s corner three at the buzzer to tie things up at 103 and send things into OT. Fortunately, Dallas was able to complete things in OT.
Bottom Line:
Great win for the Mavericks, but they almost blew it. However, a win is a win, especially on the road. Dallas might have had a better road trip if they had Doncic for the first three games. The Mavericks were in all three games against the Suns and Clippers, but they needed that extra push.
What’s Next:
Dallas returns home on Saturday night to face the Wizards.
Best of the Rest:
-Reggie Jackson had game-highs in points(31) and rebounds(10) on Tuesday night; George scored 26 points and dished out six assists.
-Maxi Kleber had a tremendous all-around game with eight points, nine rebounds, six assists, two steals, and a block off the Mavs’ bench.
-Jalen Brunson left the game in first half with a foot injury and did not return. Dallas was also without the services of Frank Ntilikina (Injury/Illness – Right Calf; Strain) and Reggie Bullock(illness).
Listen below as Doncic talks his return from injury:
When you go on the road to start a playoff series, the goal is to get at least one, and on Saturday in Los Angeles against the Clippers, the Dallas Mavericks did just that.
Behind a triple-double from Luka Doncic, who had 31 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds and Tim Hardway Jr’s. 21 points, the Mavericks defeated the Clippers 113-103 in Game 1 of their first-round series.
Game 2 is on Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
Doncic scored 21 of his 31 points in the first half as the Mavericks led 60-55 at halftime. Dallas maintained that lead in the third and led 86-80 after three quarters. Los Angeles would take their first lead since the second quarter early in the fourth, but Dallas would take the lead for good when Dorian Finney-Smith, who had 18 points, hit a three with just under three minutes left in the game to put Dallas ahead 103-100.
“I just know, again, they’re going to send two guys at Luka, and we’ve just got to be ready to shoot,” Finney-Smith, who made four threes against the Clippers, said after the game. “Most times in the game, people take the ball out of L.D.’s(Doncic) hands, and I just know us four have got to be ready to shoot.”
Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle was happy with the team’s effort on Saturday.
“Obviously, it’s an important game for us,” Carlisle said. “It’s a great effort, great win. Start to the game was important, gave us momentum… When they came back and took the lead in the second half, we really exhibited great poise, and we stayed aggressive. That’s what you got to do in a playoff series.”
Back to Doncic, he was held to one point in the fourth quarter as the Clippers tried to get the ball out of his hands, which he discussed after the game.
“I mean, they were double-teaming, first of all, on every possession,” Doncic said. “My legs were kind of like sore, but we won the game, man. That’s all that matters to me. If I have 0 or 15 points, that’s what’s important.”
Kristaps Porzingis, who was 4/13 from the field and finished with 14 points on Saturday, knows the Clippers will make adjustments in Game 2 on Tuesday night.
“I had an off night tonight, and we were still able to get the win,” he said. “All the guys stepped up. Luka had a huge game. I’m sure they’re going to make some adjustments, but we’re also going to get better, and it’s going to be a fun second game.”
Dallas got a huge win on Saturday, but there is a lot of basketball left in this series. It should be interesting to see how the Mavericks respond in Game 2. Will Dallas be happy with a split, or we’ll play with the same sense of urgency as they did in Game 1? We’ll find out on Tuesday night.
Notes:
-Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 26 points, and Paul George added 23.
-Dallas was undefeated(27-0) in the regular season when leading after the first quarter, and that trend continued in the playoffs as the team led 33-30 after one quarter on Sunday.
Last season, the Dallas Mavericks returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Dallas was the seventh-seeded team in Western Conference and gave the Los Angeles Clippers a very tough playoff series before losing in six in the first round.
For Dallas, it’s a new year and a new team. The top two guys are the same in Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, but Dallas added Josh Richardson from Philadelphia in a deal that sent Seth Curry to the 76ers. Also, they had added more toughness by adding James Johnson another trade.
Tim Hardaway Jr., who returned to Dallas after opting into the final year of his contract, believes the Mavericks are a very confident team.
“We know what we have to do out there on the floor to be a productive playoff-caliber team,” Hardaway Jr. said. “And it is on us to just go out there and execute. The coaching staff has done a hell of a job this whole training camp so far of preparing us and making sure we are on track, and making sure everyone is focused. From a confidence standpoint, it is really high. We have to take that on the road when we start next week.”
According to Mavericks F Dorian Finney-Smith, the goal is not just the playoffs, but to win a title this season.
“I’m excited,” he said. “I feel like we’ve got a great group of guys, especially with the new guys. They’ve all been here, and we all want one thing – that’s to win and get back to the playoffs and win the championship.”
Dallas can be a very good team this season, but they are in the Western Conference, which won’t be easy. To get to that next level, Dallas has to defend better, and while they were not a bad defensive team last season(16th in points allowed), the defense must improve, and Richardson should help in that area.
There is a lot of talk about Doncic being one of the MVP favorites, but for that to happen, Dallas must be one of the top teams in the league, which, if they want to have a long playoff run, is something that probably needs to happen.
