
That was too close at the end
The Dallas Mavericks defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 125-118. This was good old fashioned 2019 Mavericks basketball. Luka Doncic was elite, the team made shots around him and they won despite poor defense.
Here are the stats to know.
49: Points Luka Doncic scored
Luka has taken full advantage of the heliocentric offense the Mavericks have reverted to. This is his third 40 plus point game in his last four games.
People have often compared him to James Harden which is not quite as apt a comparison as it might appear. However, he is clearly traveling a road that Harden has paved.
5: Team high in rebounds outside of Luka
Luka had 15 rebounds as he did virtually everything, but the lack of rebounding from big men is a concern. The Pelicans won the rebounding battle by 10 rebounds. After the Porzingis trade, the team has fully embraced small ball. Dorian Finney-Smith is at his best as a power forward but the combination of he and Dwight Powell can be bullied at times. This is a concern the team needs to figure out.
7: Threes Davis Bertans attempted in 17 minutes
Bertans shot well in his first game as a Maverick and poorly in his second. The Mavericks have lacked a true high volume sniper but Bertans is clearly willing to fill that role in the minutes he is on the court. It is important that he keeps shooting for however long he is on the court, even if he misses.
20: Points for Maxi Kleber
Kleber has done a great job in the last couple of games, showing how versatile he can be. He scored an efficient 20 points tonight and remains an indispensable part of the Mavericks rotation.
Overall, the Mavericks won and can go into the all star break having won 72 percent of their games over the last 25 games.
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.