That was amazing!
The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 118-110. Luka Doncic and Dwight Powell were absolutely sensational. The game was tense with both teams clearly trying to win due to potential playoff seeding implications. The Mavericks took control in the fourth quarter and never gave up their lead.
Here are the stats to know.
32 and 15: Number of points and assists for Luka Doncic
All NBA players not named Luka Doncic have combined for three games with 30 points and 15 assists this season. Luka also has three games with 30 points and 15 assists. He chipped in 8 rebounds and three steals in one of the most impressive performances of his young career. He has had better statistical games, but given the opposition and hounding defense from multiple all defensive team defenders, this was just a phenomenal game for Luka.
9: Number of points the Mavericks were outscored by in Marquese Chriss’ 3:47 of playing time
Chriss is a fun story and he can provide some rim running against bad teams. But there was a reason he was not on an NBA roster when the Mavericks signed him. With Powell and Maxi Kleber the only playable big men on the roster, there is a very real possibility that Chriss will have to play meaningful minutes in a playoff game. That should terrify Mavericks fans.
22 and 13: Number of points and rebounds for Dwight Powell
Dwight Powell was an absolute monster today, He was an extremely efficient 8 of 10 from the floor and hit all six of his free throws. He very nearly equaled Giannis Antetokounmpo in points while besting him in rebounds. He also played 31 minutes in this game while playing an extremely high energy role both offensively and defensively. This game was absolutely everything you can ask for from Powell.
188: Number of minutes that the Mavericks starters played as a whole
The starters played well. Every starter was in double figures with Dorian Finney-Smith also doing a fantastic job as part of the team effort to stop Antetokounmpo defensively. Reggie Bullock chipped in 16 points and 7 rebounds. Spencer Dinwiddie was limited to only 20 minutes and 48 seconds of playing time during which he also managed to get to double figures with 11 points and 4 rebounds. The Mavericks cannot make any roster moves at this point but they must churn the roster this offseason in order to find more depth. The Mavericks got a total of 31 minutes from all players outside of the top 6. That is just not sustainable over a longer period of time.
This was one of the most fun wins of the season and the Mavericks and their fans should be celebrating. The race for the third seed is still very much in play and the Mavericks have all but assured that they will host a playoff series for the first time since 2011. That was also the last time the Mavericks won a playoff series.
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.