3 studs, 2 duds in Mavericks’ thrilling home win against Bulls

The Dallas Mavericks have started off the regular season with a record of 4-0, as they beat the Chicago Bulls by a score of 114-105 last night.

After the win, the Mavs and Boston Celtics remain the only undefeated teams in the NBA.

In the game, there were over 22 lead changes between the two teams. The Mavs shot 41.7 percent from the 3-point line and 71.4 percent from the free-throw line as a team.

3 studs, 2 duds in Mavericks’ thrilling home win against Bulls

In a quiet night from Luka Doncic, multiple Mavericks made sure to step up in the win.

Here are your 3 studs and 2 duds from the home win.

Honorable Mention: Jaden Hardy

After having 2 DNP’S and only playing a total of 10 minutes throughout three games, Jaden Hardy played phenomenally in the Mavs home win.

In 14 minutes, Jaden Hardy had nine points, one rebound, and one assist, including a clutch dagger from behind the arc late in the fourth quarter.

Hardy, an electric scorer, was able to showcase his offensive talents while he helped the Mavs get the win. Not only was he hitting clutch shots, but he was facilitating the ball very well.

After a night like this for Hardy, expect him to stick in the Mavs rotation as they will go on the road to take on the Denver Nuggets on Friday evening.

Honorable Mention: Tim Hardaway Jr.

In the first four games of the season, Tim Hardaway Jr. has had 17 plus points on a very efficient level.

After his performance last night in the win, Hardaway Jr. has made a clear case to be one of the top candidates for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.

In his 27 minutes on the court, Hardaway Jr. dropped 24 points, three rebounds, and two assists while shooting 7-13 from the 3-point line.

In the middle of the fourth quarter, Hardaway Jr. hit a 3-point and-one shot off of a pass from Dereck Lively II.

Hardaway Jr. is now averaging over 20 points per game while shooting 43.2 percent from three.

5. Stud - Derrick Jones Jr.

The story for the Mavs in the last two games has been how great starting small forward, Derrick Jones Jr. has been.

Jones Jr. had a season-high of 31 minutes on the floor tonight while putting up 17 points and five rebounds, including shooting 7-13 from the field.

Jones Jr. showcased his talents of being able to play on both sides of the floor. Early in the third quarter, Jones Jr. had a massive put-back dunk over Zach Lavine that had the AAC crowd going crazy.

This is the second consecutive game for Jones Jr. having hit the log in double-digits for points. After the first two games of the season, Mavs fans were questioning Jason Kidd and his reasoning of starting Jones Jr., but after his performance in the win he has proved it was indeed the right decision.

An underrated part of the Mavs win tonight was the defense from Jones Jr. on Zach Lavine. In the second half of the game, he made a continuous nightmare for Lavine after his hot start.

Expect Jones Jr. to stay in the starting lineup moving ahead for the Dallas Mavericks.

4. Dud - Luka Doncic

After a great start to the season and putting up video game numbers, Luka Doncic had an off night in the Mavericks win at home.

Doncic made an early case for the MVP award, but tonight he struggled on the offensive side. In a scrappy game, Doncic had 18 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds, while shooting 5-16 from the floor and 1-8 from behind the arc.

Doncic has been making an effort of trying to not complain to the officials, but that ended after he received his first technical foul of the season in the middle of the third quarter.

Although Doncic was not getting foul calls in the paint, he could have had some easy and-ones throughout the night.

One of the biggest questions heading into the season for Luka Doncic, was whether or not he would participate more defensively. He proved in the clutch win that he’s one of the most underrated defenders in the NBA. He consistently illustrated great defense while contesting DeMar DeRozan’s mid-range shot.

In the last two games, Doncic has played a total of 80 minutes. Expect his workload to go down a bit once Kyrie Irving returns to the floor.

Be prepared to see a bounce-back game from Doncic as the Mavs take on the Nuggets in their first game of the NBA In-Season Tournament.

3. Stud - Grant Williams

Since the sign-and-trade this past offseason, Grant Williams has become a fan favorite for the city of Dallas.

As the Mavericks are four games through the season, Williams has started to make a case for being an underdog candidate for the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year Award.

To start off the season, Williams is averaging 15.5 points and five rebounds per game while shooting an absurd 55.2 percent from three off an average of over seven attempts.

In the win, Williams tied his career-high in points with a solid 25. Williams also grabbed 5 boards and shot 7-9 from three.

It was reported earlier in the week that Grant Williams held a players-only meeting prior to the Memphis Grizzlies game and it has now become very clear that he has become a vocal leader for this team.

With Doncic creating so much attention offensively, Williams is always prepared to get an open shot in the corner.

Williams hit a clutch 3-point shot with under a minute to go that would give the Mavs a 10-point lead that would clinch the win.

In just four games with his new team, Grant Williams has shown that he will be one of the most reliable scorers this year.

2. Dud - Josh Green

After a solid performance against the Memphis Grizzlies, Josh Green struggled in last night’s win for the Mavericks.

In a rusty performance, Green only had three points and shot 1-5 from the field. Green also had two crucial turnovers that would create a run for the Bulls.

After signing his contract extension recently, Mavs fans were hoping to see Green become a reliable scoring option, but with his inconsistency lately, it has become risky to believe Green can be a trustworthy scorer.

At the beginning of the season, Green was showing signs of being able to create his own shot, but in his recent performance, he seemed very shy when he had the ball in his hands.

Green has proven to be one of the best defenders for this squad, but the main question going forward will be if he can contribute for the Mavs offensively.

Although Green struggled in the win, he hit a clutch 3-point shot in the corner late in the game off of a dime from Luka Doncic to give the Mavs a nine-point lead.

The Mavericks will definitely need a good Josh Green performance as they take on the NBA reigning champions tomorrow night.

1. Stud - Dereck Lively II

For years Mavs fans have been begging to find a franchise center and after tonight’s performance, Dereck Lively II has shown everyone that he was the missing piece in the puzzle for this squad.

In a big win, Lively II was all over the floor while putting up seven points, 13 rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Lively II also had a team-high of a plus-minus of plus 15.

In his first four games, Lively II has recorded one block. He was able to show fans his skills of being a perimeter and interior defender throughout the night as well. Lively II had made Nikola Vucevic and Zach Lavine earn everything around the rim.

Lively II had a clutch out-of-bounds save off of an offensive rebound that would go out to Tim Hardaway Jr., which would create a four-point play.

The 7-foot-1 center finished the night with 7 offensive rebounds which created multiple second-chance points for the Mavs.

Lively II also proved to fans that he’s a very unselfish player, as he dumped off multiple passes to Hardaway Jr. and Jones Jr. that would result in clutch 3-pointers.

At the pace Lively II is going at, expect for him to be in the early talks as a front-runner for earning a spot on the NBA All-Rookie First Team list this season.