Four observations from Dallas' memorable win over Los Angeles
Resilience. That is what the Dallas Mavericks showcased in a comeback effort against the Los Angeles Lakers Saturday night. In the 108-93 win, Dallas allowed "the others" to step up on a night where injuries forced key players out of the rotation. Dwight Powell led all scorers in the game with 25 points. He shot […]
Resilience. That is what the Dallas Mavericks showcased in a comeback effort against the Los Angeles Lakers Saturday night.
In the 108-93 win, Dallas allowed "the others" to step up on a night where injuries forced key players out of the rotation.
Dwight Powell led all scorers in the game with 25 points. He shot 11-12 from the field and grabbed nine rebounds. Second in scoring for Dallas was Dorian Finney-Smith, who scored 21 points and shot 4-7 from three.
Luka Doncic tallied 18 points and dished out 13 assists. On a night when the shot wasn't falling, he found other ways to affect the game.
This was the defensive statement win Dallas needed coming out of its recent slump. And without Kristaps Porzingis and Josh Richardson, Dallas proved that when need be, it can dive deep into its bag of tricks and pull out a necessary win.
Let's get into Saturday night's key observations.
Key observations:
1.) It took Doncic some time, but he got used to the Lakers' constant traps in the pick and roll. In the first half, he was a -5 with a 1-to-1 assist to turnover ratio. The traps frustrated him, and he was struggling to make reads over the outstretched hands of the Lakers. The second half allowed him to settle in. His game came to him more, and he found secondary options out of the ball side trap by the Lakers. Doncic ended the game +31 in box score plus minutes. And he dished out 10 assists to just three turnovers.
2.) Powell and Finney-Smith benefited from the Lakers' incessant ball traps on Doncic. Powell scored 21 of his 25 points in the second half, as he was routinely found wide open on dives to the rim and duck-in layups. Finney-Smith found openings around the perimeter and converted on his attempts. Both of these players allow Dallas to play fast and take advantage of teams who have plotting big me limited in mobility.
3.) Finney-Smith is playing the best basketball of his career in April. For the month, he is averaging 12.5 points per game on 49 percent from the field and 49 percent from three. Saturday night's game against the Lakers only helped those splits.
4.) With the win, Dallas moves within a game and a half of the Lakers in the fifth seed. And to add, the Mavericks now own the tie-breaker against the Lakers with a 2-1 win in the regular-season series.
Looking ahead:
Dallas wrapped up a five-game homestand with back-to-back wins over the reigning NBA champions. For a team that struggles to put together wins at home, that is a welcomed sign. And with 13 games left, Dallas looks to be the commander of its own fate. Back-to-back wins over a LeBron-less Lakers team may not mean Dallas is riding high, but it still means something.
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Feature image via Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports.
