3 heartening takeaways from Dallas Mavericks win over Nets

The Dallas Mavericks scored 14 straight in the fourth quarter to lift them to a 96-94 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night behind a historic performance from superstar Luka Doncic. The 23-year-old scored 30-plus for the ninth straight game to open the season, which helped his team finish off the season series sweep over Kevin Durant and company. KD had 26, but it was not enough to lift Brooklyn to a third straight win.

The Mavericks picked up their fourth straight win on Nov. 7, but it was not all sunshine and rainbows as Tim Hardaway Jr. slipped on the floor in the third quarter and did not return with what the team called a left hip strain. THJ missed the team’s run to the conference finals last year, and he is an important shot-maker for Mavericks. Stay tuned for updates on his injury as they become available.

What can fans take away from the Mavericks' win over the Nets that closed out their five-game homestand with a 4-1 record? Their starting lineup and clutch woes continued, but Dallas overcame it with two stellar performances.  Here are the three biggest takeaways.

Takeaway from Dallas Mavericks win over Nets: 3. McGee's struggles continue

Head coach Jason Kidd went back to starting JaVale McGee against the Nets. The seven-footer opened his first six before being replaced in the starting five by Dwight Powell on Friday against the Raptors. The Mavs have gotten off to slow starts with McGee in the starting five, and it appeared replacing him with Powell fixed things in the win over Toronto, but Kidd noted it was a matchups situation moving forward.

McGee lasted just 205 seconds on Monday night as Dallas was down 7-2, and they looked out of sorts on both ends of the floor. The seven-footer never returned after being subbed out with 8:35 left in the first quarter, and Powell opened the second half with the rest of the starters.

JaVale McGee has struggled with the Mavericks, and those woes continued against the undersized Brooklyn Nets. Expect to see coach Kidd go in a different direction on Wednesday night in Orlando with Dwight Powell most likely to earn the nod after being plus-seven in 23 minutes on Nov. 7 against the Nets.