Dallas Mavericks Get 3rd Win of the Season

The Dallas Mavericks have finally broken the curse after 8 straight losses and a 2-13 record to start the season. How did the Mavs slow down the hottest scorer in the league?

Throughout this matchup, the Mavericks and Pelicans went back and forth over and over, neither team able to break away from the other all the way into the last few minutes of the game. Each possession seemed to count more than the last.

For the first time it seems like all season, Dallas was able to make big shots at big moments in time to hold off Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans. Our big players Harrison Barnes, Wesley Matthews, and Seth Curry were a big part of that.

With Dirk Nowitzki out, the Mavericks were without the scoring threat that generally helps them stay competitive. However, playing a team that isn’t hotter than a pistol right now must have pushed the Mavs will just a little bit better.

The Mavericks were led in scoring by Harrison Barnes with 23 and Wesley Matthews with 21. The Pelicans were led, as always, by Anthony Davis with 36 points, 13 rebounds, and only 1 block.

Dallas really looked like they knew they needed to win this game, even though New Orleans fought hard. There was no point let the Mavs let the game get out of hand and contained everything they needed to for the W.

Although Harrison Barnes really owned the game and especially the third quarter, here are two other players that played very well tonight and pushed Dallas to a big time victory for the team.

Wesley Matthews

Wesley Matthews timely buckets in the second half were the big reason he deserved mention in this one. Wes had a total of 21 points, but 12 of those came in the fourth quarter alone. His shooting included going 5-7 from the three point line.

Wesley Matthews has really seemed to find his stride over the last few games, shooting at a higher percentage and finding open shots as opposed to trying to create his own like he was earlier in the season.

A big part of that is the development of Harrison Barnes. Barnes is scoring in so many different ways that he is getting all the attention from the defense. The more normal that becomes, the better Wes is going to look.

Justin Anderson

Harrison Barnes really should be mentioned every single game, but with his best game of the season to this point, Justin Anderson earned the recognition. Anderson dropped 14 points off the bench to go along with 8 rebounds and 2 assists. His defensive stats didn’t show much but he definitely had an impact on that end as well.

Justin Anderson didn’t just score efficiently, he had timely buckets when the Mavs needed them the most. That is a far cry from the Simba that we have seen up to this point and it is clear that the slightly softer opponent helped to boost the young player’s confidence.

Expect Anderson to keep his foot on the pedal in the games to come as he is still fighting to get back in the good sights of Coach Carlisle. This game will be a good start to that for JA.

Next: Mark Cuban Makes it Clear Mavs are Not Tanking

The Mavericks will look to start a win streak this Wednesday when the San Antonio Spurs come to visit. After a close one last week, Dallas will be ready to come back for a chance to redeem themselves. Game coverage will begin at 6:00 CT.