HOUSTON – Besides Jason Kidd, Ime Udoka is the only NBA head coach who has witnessed firsthand how physically imposing the reconstructed Mavericks can be, when healthy.
“It was really good,” he said. “It looked good for three quarters, or whatever.”
Ouch. The Mavericks team that Udoka’s Rockets routed on the scoreboard 133-96 and in rebounding (67-34) Friday night in Toyota Center bore no resemblance to one that dominated Houston on Feb. 8 in Dallas.
Anthony Davis, as Mavericks fans painfully are aware, hasn’t played since those dominant 30 minutes against the Rockets, when he exited in the third quarter with a left adductor strain.
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Four of that day’s Mavericks starters are injured and weren’t in uniform Friday, including P.J. Washington, who was listed as questionable but missed his 14th game of the last 19 with a sprained right ankle.
As if getting pummeled and falling for the seventh time in eight games wasn’t bad enough, the Mavericks sustained yet another season-ending injury when guard Dante Exum broke a bone in his left hand in the first quarter.
Related:Mavericks’ Dante Exum out indefinitely with a broken bone in left hand, per report
“It’s tough,” Kidd said of Exum, who began this season by missing 48 games with a torn right wrist ligament. “I feel bad for him because he worked extremely hard to get back – and now for this to take place, it’s unfortunate.”
Thus Dallas started Friday nine players and finished with eight, not that it affected the outcome as the Mavericks (34-36) trailed by as many as 36 and fell two games below .500 for the second time this season. The other time was when they were 5-7.
Dallas ended the night with 275 player-games missed to injury or illness – and now at least three players are out for the season.
“We’ve just got to play the hand that we were dealt,” said Naji Marshall, who scored 21 points on Friday, and clearly meant no pun related to Exum’s injury. “At the end of the day we’ve just got to keep pushing. Prayers up to Dante for a speedy recovery.”
Once again Dallas suited up only one player taller than 6-8 and that guy, 6-10 Dwight Powell, was whistled for three fouls in his first 4:13 of court time.
Predictably, All-Star center Alperin Sengun and the Rockets battered Dallas inside, with Sengun alone pulling down 15 in 25 minutes. When he checked out for good in the third quarter, he had three fewer rebounds than Dallas as a team, which at the time trailed 42-18 in that department.
“We’re playing basically with no bigs,” Marshall said. “Guys are 6-7, 6-6 out there trying to go with Sengun, an All-Star big. We’re trying our hardest, man. It’s just what we’re dealing with right now. We gotta get through it. No excuses. No complaints.” It was the 15th time in the last 17 games that Dallas has been outrebounded – and the ninth time it was outrebounded by a double-digit margin.
The Mavericks also got outscored 68-58 in the paint, the 15th time in 18 games they have been outscored in the paint – the eighth time by a double-digit margin.
On a night when they shot only 41.5%, the Mavericks’ struggles by no means were limited to the interior.
Max Christie, acquired along with Davis in the controversial trade of Luka Doncic to the Lakers, had been one of the team’s few bright spots in the deal’s aftermath.
On Friday Christie had his worst shooting night as a Maverick (1-for-13) and in the last six games he has made just 19 of 66 (28.7%). Clearly he misses having a creator on the court the level of Kyrie Irving, another Maverick who is out for the season.
Two-way player Brandon Williams scored a team-high 25 points Friday, is speedy and is playing hard, but he’s still learning the point guard role.
“We can only hope that we can help D-Will put people in that situation and create shots for others too, as we go forward here,” Kidd said. “Hopefully we can get Christie some clean looks.
“It’s hard when Christie’s trying to work off the dribble to create his own shot. He’s had some good looks that didn’t go down; he’s some tough looks. So for that, continue to keep working and stay positive and work this way through this.”
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