The Mavericks are going to the second round!
The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Utah Jazz 98-96 to secure the first series win of the Luka Doncic era. The game was not pretty but the Mavericks unveiled their version of the “death lineup” with three point guards and two three and D wings. That lineup propelled them to victory.
Here are the stats to know.
46 and 44: Number of minutes Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock played respectively
There are some interesting lineup variations for the Mavericks, but all of the lineups include both Finney-Smith and Bullock. The Mavericks cannot survive minutes where either is not on the floor. They have come up with a fiendishly clever in its simplicity solution. Play them basically the whole game.
14: Number of threes the Mavericks made in the second half
“You live by the three, you die by the three” is a tale as old as the modern NBA but it certainly held true tonight. The Mavericks could not buy a shot in the first half and trailed by 12 at the end of the first half. The Mavericks came out scorching hot in the second half hitting 14-of-25 threes. That percentage is unsustainable but the series is already won.
10:02: Total amount of playing time for Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber in the second half
Jason Kidd sensed an opportunity to close out this series and he took it. To do so he took advantage of the newfound flexibility of his lineup by limiting his big men’s minutes. These were the only minutes by anyone other than the Mavericks new version of a “death lineup” in the second half.
19: Number of points scored by Spencer Dinwiddie
Dinwiddie has had a bad series but he came up big tonight in the modified lineup. He made four threes and kept the ball moving as the Jazz could not keep up. He should fare much better in the next round as there will be no Rudy Gobert to thwart his drives.
Overall, the only stat that matters is four as this was the Mavericks fourth win of the series which moves them on to the next round!
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.