That sucked.
The Dallas Mavericks lost 135-102 to the Washington Wizards. The Mavericks were lethargic throughout the game and simply did not deserve to win.
Here are the stats to know.
41: Number of points the Wizards scored in the first quarter
The Mavericks improved defense has been a major talking point but it has faltered lately. The defensive scheme is extremely hard on the big men and with Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell as the only big men left on the roster, the Mavericks have struggled to defend the rim.
1: Number of times Jason Kidd has been ejected this season
Kidd has been very docile this season but became very animated tonight. It was mostly an attempt to motivate the team and to get away from the horrendous display his team was putting on.
36: Number of both points and minutes for Luka Doncic
Luka’s offense was the lone bright spot for the team but why was he still in the game so late? The Mavericks are desperate to find rest for their rotation guys, especially Luka. The one silver lining of this game should have been extremely limited minutes for Luka but the Mavericks still played him big minutes.
4: The Mavericks seed in the western conference
The Mavericks are still in a dog fight for the third seed in the western conference but no longer control their own destiny. Hopefully the Golden State Warriors, who play the Utah Jazz tomorrow, don’t play any harder than the Mavericks did tonight.
Here’s our latest episode of Mavs Moneyball After Dark. If you’re unable to see the embed below, click here to be taken to the podcast directly. Or go to your favorite podcast app and search Mavs Moneyball Podcast.