Dallas Mavericks start off sluggish, fall to Phoenix Suns

The Dallas Mavericks came out of the gate sluggish in their first game of 2018. The Phoenix Suns capitalized and Dallas couldn’t fix it before the final buzzer. Suns win 121-100.

Normally, I would take this time to recap the Dallas Mavericks loss with stats, big plays and hopeful numbers that help us look forward to the rest of the season. Today, I am not going to do that. I am going to tell you my thoughts and opinions on what happened in a game that is leaving so many Mavs fans confused and worried.

Let’s start with the one thought that everyone is likely having but don’t want to be too optimistic: This. Was. An. Outlier.

First off, the Phoenix Suns played really well tonight. I have known for awhile that they are very capable of playing at a high level, but even this was unprecedented. Devin Booker was not human tonight, going 12-19 for 35 points. That doesn’t seem otherworldly in some aspects, but most of that took place in the 4th quarter.

Aside from Booker, Josh Jackson and T.J. Warren both shot much better than expected, especially from three. DeAndre Ayton looked exceptional on his first night which is a great sight for Suns fans. He is going to be a good player. It may not be this good all the time, but he has the skills to be an incredible player in the league.

Now let’s talk about the Mavs. The Mavs shooting was really awful tonight, especially from beyond the arc. There are plenty of things this can be attributed to, but traveling overseas for the preseason is one of those things. The Mavs looked sluggish, they looked tired and they just couldn’t keep up with the Suns, especially in the first half.

Dallas made a run, though. They didn’t give up after falling behind by as many as 16 and they kept pushing, pulling their way back within 4 points. That’s when Booker took over.

From that point on, it was the Booker show and the Mavs were the captivated audience.

Let’s talk about some good, some bad, and plenty of ugly.

The Good

With everything poorly that went on, there were a couple bright spots for the Dallas Mavericks. Those bright spots go by the names of Dwight Powell, J.J. Barea and Jalen Brunson. Dwight Powell, with 16 points and 5 rebounds, was the undisputed player of the game. During the Mavs attempt to make it a game again, Powell was the main contributor on both ends.

Brunson made some great plays, hitting a big shot and getting important defensive stops along the way. Barea was also in the good category, as he managed 10 assists and 9 points for the Mavs. Many of his assists went to Dwight Powell as they continue to show their chemistry in the second unit.

The Bad

The Mavs vaunted front court of Dennis Smith Jr. and Luka Doncic was far from stellar on their first outing together. Combining for 23 points on 11-35 shooting, including 1-9 from three-point was not the way Mavs fans envisioned these two playing together. It is bound to get better.

The Ugly

The Mavs shot a putrid 10-33 from three-point (30.3%). With plenty of open looks to go around for pretty much everyone on the team, Dallas needs to be hitting these shots in order to open up the middle for DeAndre Jordan to receive lobs and DSJ/Luka to throw them.

The Mavs also allowed the Suns to shoot 19-34 from beyond the arc (55.9%). Although many of these were contested shots, that disparity between three-point percentages just isn’t going to work if it keeps going on. Dallas has things to fix before next game.

The Dallas Mavericks will have a chance to fix some of these issues on Saturday, November 20th when they take on the Timberwolves in Minnesota. The game will start at 7:30pm central time.