The Dallas Mavericks lost to the Indiana Pacers 135-131 Wednesday night in Indianapolis, a stunning loss after the Mavericks had an 11-point lead with about five minutes to go in the fourth quarter, and a seven point lead with 1:07 left in the game.
Dallas literally threw the game away with turnovers, missed free throws, and botched execution in the final minutes and seconds. The Mavericks had three turnovers in the final minute, the most crucial being Max Christie’s that led to Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard making a three with 14.7 seconds left to give the Pacers a 131-130 lead. On the very next possession Jaden Hardy committed an offensive foul on the inbound pass and from there it was a free throw shooting contest, with the Mavericks never having a shot attempt to tie or take the lead.
It really took away from what was a fun and valiant Mavericks effort. Dallas played with only eight players again, except this time they were also missing sharpshooter Klay Thompson. Despite that, and trailing by 16 points early in the second quarter, Dallas not only fought back, but dominated the game in the second half. That 11 point fourth quarter lead was built by pure bully-ball, with Dallas attacking an embarrassing Pacers defense repeatedly at the rim.
Unfortunately this is just another loss, the Mavericks ninth in the last 10 games and fourth in a row. Here what we noticed:
The Mavericks meltdown felt inescapable
This is really no fault of the Mavericks, although I suppose you could expect more from Jaden Hardy and Max Christie, who made major blunders that allowed the Pacers to win the game. But how could you? Dallas traded Luka Doncic for a big man, and lost both Kyrie Irving and Dante Exum to injuries. The only real point guard left on this roster is Spencer Dinwiddie.
It’s no surprise that the Mavericks keep coughing up the ball and can’t execute late in games. They have no point guards! Dinwiddie is doing an admirable job, and he was stellar again with 12 assists and one turnover in an astonishing 42 minutes. But more than one person has to handle the basketball in the NBA, and Dallas just has zero options left after Dinwiddie.
The Mavericks only had 12 turnovers tonight, but four of them were from Christie and Hardy, and three of those four turnovers happened in the final minute. Just a brutal way to lose a game, but also, not that shocking when you look at the Mavericks roster.
Living, dying by the small ball
The Mavericks are forced to play small ball, with Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively, and Daniel Gafford all injured without a clear date to return for any of them. For almost a month now the Mavericks have been playing games either without a center entirely, or relying on off-the-street signings (Moses Brown, Kai Jones), or an old end of bench veteran (Dwight Powell).
What’s cool about that small ball is it’s really opening things up for the Mavericks overwhelmed guards. Dallas doesn’t have a lot of pick-and-roll maestros left, but they haven’t really needed those screens because the floor is so open with no big that simple closeout and one-dribble moves are getting the Mavericks perimeter players near the basket routinely. Dallas had 58 points in the paint tonight against Indiana, and the fourth quarter was a clinic of blow bys and easy scores against a smaller Pacers lineup as Rick Carlisle decided not to play Myles Turner for most of the second half. Naji Marshall and PJ Washington had a field day in the paint tonight.
Of course, small ball is a double-edged sword — Dallas’ defense is stinky without any true bigs, and teams are giving it right back in the paint against the Mavericks. Dallas can’t win many games without any rim protection but they’re at least making these games interesting by leaning into the small ball identity.
Kai Jones, future All-Star
Kai Jones has played two games with Dallas: 21 points and eight rebounds on March 3 against the Kings, and now 18 points and 11 rebounds against the Pacers Wednesday night. How do the Mavericks keep finding these guys?
This is coming off of Moses Brown’s sterling 10-day contract run. Jones doesn’t have a ton of availability left on his two way, but with sitting out the last two weeks with an injury, he might be able to finish the season with the team. He’s been incredible, finishing at the rim and providing a desperately needed athletic presence down low for this undersized Mavericks roster.
Dinwiddie impressing
Since Kyrie Irving went down with his torn ACL, Spencer Dinwiddie has been doing a pretty great job as the team’s only point guard. He had 12 assists and one turnover tonight against the Pacers, continuing a nice streak of ball security.
In the month of March Dinwiddie is only averaging 1.7 turnovers per game, which is remarkable considering Dinwiddie has been thrusted into not only the starting point guard spot, but the only healthy point guard on the roster since Dante Exum now has a broken bone in his left hand. It’d be understandable if Dinwiddie’s turnover numbers increased along with his skyrocketing usage, but he’s actually been really steady.
It’s not like Dinwiddie is creating a ton for his teammates, he’s still averaging under five assists per game in March, but hell, the Mavericks just need any sense of stability right now and Dinwiddie is providing it. Dallas’ offense hasn’t been why they’ve lost games since Irving’s injury, which is a testament to the work Dinwiddie is putting in as the new starting point guard.
