It was in the visitors’ dressing room at the Intuit Dome after the 69th game of the regular season when Naji Marshall emphatically said there was nothing wrong with having to win a play-in game on the road.
“Hell, no,” he said when asked if it made a difference where the Mavericks played. “If we’re healthy, it won’t (matter).”
We can only hope Marshall’s telepathic skills are repeatable.
The Mavericks smacked Sacramento late Wednesday night and now have to do it again against Memphis on Friday.
What the Mavericks did in Sacramento was dominate from virtually start to finish in a 120-106 win over the Kings. It now gives them momentum and confidence – both powerful allies in a one-game situation – to try to become the first No. 10 seed to actually get out of the SoFi play-in tournament and reach the playoffs.
All it requires is a win in Memphis, a place where they were drop-kicked on Sunday in the regular-season finale, 132-97. Of course, Anthony Davis, P.J. Washington, Klay Thompson and Dereck Lively II all missed that game.
All of them were back against Sacramento and anybody who couldn’t see the difference must have turned in early Wednesday night.
The Mavericks had lost all three regular-season games against Sacramento and that didn’t mean squat on Wednesday. Similarly, they went 1-3 against the Grizzlies this season. Their lone win came on Dec. 3 and the following three meetings were decided by a combined 61 points.
That doesn’t matter, either.
What does matter is if the Mavericks are as healthy as they can be and are playing well at the right time.
If Wednesday was an indication, they are good to go on both counts.
“I know we laugh about it, but we’ve been along for the ride this season,” coach Jason Kidd said on the eve of postseason action getting started. “We’ve had a lot of injuries, and it’s hard to win when you’re in T-shirts and sweaters and not in the uniform.
“So, the best chance for us is if we have guys in uniform. That’s the best chance, a fighting chance, to win on the road or at home in a play-in game.”
And what a difference it made in Sacramento. And could make in Memphis against a bigger team with 7-4 rookie Zach Edey and All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr. anchoring the Grizzlies’ front line.
Washington has seen the best and worst of the Mavericks this season and he knows from personal experience that it’s a lot more fun when he is on the floor with Davis and Lively (or Daniel Gafford) than when he’s not.
“I love it,” Washington said. “Defensively, I get to pressure people and I know we got trees behind me. So I think it’s going to bring our defense to a whole new level once we get healthy and stay healthy for a while.
“Those three guys are tremendous at rim protection. Having guys like that down there puts all the confidence in our wings and guards to pick up and pressure people. Definitely. We have the best rim protection in the league.”
And what does that allow Washington and Marshall and Caleb Martin to do? Mostly, it is a confidence boost and a ticket to perhaps not gamble as much defensively, but be more aggressive when it comes to contesting three-pointers and going for steals.
“To pressure guys,” Washington said of what the big front line allows him to do. “I know they don’t want to go to the rim and try to finish on them. It’s my job to make them do that. So we got to force people to take tough, contested two-point shots, obviously not threes, and we feel like we have a chance to beat anybody.”
The proof came Wednesday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. The Mavericks will try to make it happen again at FedEx Forum Friday in Memphis.
X: @ESefko
