Dallas Mavericks: Examining late game struggles and how offense changes

Dallas Mavericks do not hit free throws late in close games

The Mavs are not a fantastic foul shooting team this season. They are 13th in free throws attempted per game, but sit 17th in percentage. Coach Carlisle made it a point of emphasis during training camp 2.0 in Orlando.

The Mavericks missed two critical free throws against the Rockets on July 31. None was bigger than Seth Curry’s in the final seconds that would have stretched the Mavericks lead to four. Making that free throw clinches the game for Dallas.

This was another continuation for the Mavs. They are 28th in clutch free throw percentage this season at 70.1 percent according to NBA Stats. Curry is just nine of 14 despite being an 83.7 percent shooter for his career.

The rest of the team struggles too. Doncic is just 15 of 23 from the foul line in crunch time. Tim Hardaway Jr. has missed five of his 17 tries. Porzingis shot 78.3 percent on his 23 attempts. Perhaps, the Mavericks should have tried to get the ball into the Unicorn late against the Rockets.

The Mavs need to get their free throw shooting squared away. KP, THJ, and Curry all shoot over 79 percent for their careers. There is no excuse for missing key free throws. The Mavericks would have a few more wins if they had done it already.

Next: Can they fix it?