Dallas Mavericks get convincing win over Washington Wizards

The Dallas Mavericks got an easier matchup in game one of the season with the Washington Wizards, but that didn’t stop them from showing why they have been a frequently picked surprise playoff team from the NBA experts.

Game one of the Dallas Mavericks season is in the books and it comes with Dallas moving to 1-0 for the first time since 2015 when they played the Phoenix Suns on opening night. This just so happened to be the last season the Mavs made the playoffs too.

It may be too early to call playoffs for Dallas, but their 108-100 win over the Washington Wizards was nothing short of impressive. Sure, an eight point victory over an Eastern Conference team that won’t make the playoffs should limit the excitement, but the Mavs had this one in the bag much sooner than the final buzzer.

Dallas started the game slow, falling behind 17-10 a little over halfway into the first quarter. Luka and Kristaps both missed several shots and things weren’t looking good. The Mavs made some adjustments and pulled to within one point by the end of the quarter.

The second quarter was all Mavs, going up by 14 at the end of the quarter and outscoring the Wizards by 15 in the quarter. This run was led in part by Seth Curry who scored all nine of his points in a three-minute stretch early in the second quarter. Justin Jackson and Jalen Brunson also did well.

The third quarter belonged to Luka who scored 12 of his game high 34 points in the period. Dallas ended the quarter leading 68-91 and took their foot off the pedal. Washington made an effort to come back but it was just too little too late at that point.

Luka led all scorers with 34 points and added 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals as well. Porzingis finished the night with 23 points and 4 boards and didn’t even look at his best. He is going to be scary down the line. Other Mavs in double-digits were Justin Jackson and Dorian Finney-Smith with 10 each.

The Wizards were led by Bradley Beal with 19, despite a tough night shooting the ball. He did dish out 9 assists, grab 6 rebounds and get 3 steals to make up for his shooting woes. Other Wizards in double-digits include Rui Hachimura (14), Thomas Bryant (14), Moritz Wagner (13) and Jordan McRae (11).

The Mavs will get a chance to start an early win streak on Friday against the New Orleans Pelicans who lost their first game of the season. The game will tip-off around 7:00 central time and will be available to watch on ESPN.