Mavericks vs. Nets: Game 61 Preview

Dallas Mavericks (39-21) vs. Brooklyn Nets (23-33)
Sat. Feb. 28, 7:30  at the AAC
TV: FSSW, NBALP
Line: Mavs by
 
2014-15 Matchups
Jan. 5 at Brooklyn
Mavs 96 Nets 88 (OT)

All-Time Series
Mavs 39 Nets 28

Team Stats
Mavs
Off. Rating: 108.3 (3rd)
Def. Rating: 102.3 (13th)
Point Differential: +4.9
Nets
Offense: 100.4 (24th)
Defense: 104.3 (22nd)
Point Differential: -3.3

Projected Starters
Mavs
PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Monta Ellis
SF: Richard Jefferson
PF: Dirk Nowitzki
C: Tyson Chandler
Nets
PG: Deron Williams
SG: Markel Brown
SF: Alan Anderson
PF: Joe Johnson
C: Mason Plumlee

Team Leaders
Mavs
PPG: Ellis, 19.5
RPG: Chandler, 11.7
APG: Rondo, 6.2
PER: Chandler, 20.9
Win Shares: Chandler, 8.3
Nets
PPG: Johnson, 15.7
RPG: Plumlee, 6.8
APG: Williams, 6.4
PER: Lopez, 20.0
Win Shares: Plumlee, 4.0

Of Note

• The Mavs will have Tyson Chanlder (hip) and Rajon Rondo (suspension) back in the lineup. However Chandler Parsons will missed his fourth straight game with a sprained ankle.
• A win would give the Mavericks a perfect 10-0 record against the Atlantic Division this year.
• In the last two games, J.J. Barea has 26 points, 10 assists and shot 11-18 from the field in 49 minutes.
• The Nets are one of 5 teams who are within one game of each other for the East's final playoff spot.
• The Mavs have won 4 straight home games while allowing only an average of 88.8 points in those game.

Hawks 104 Mavericks 87: Game 60 Recap

The Lead
Shorthanded Mavs strong start goes for naught, as the Hawks run away with things in the second half.

Box Score 

Leaders
Mavs
Points: Ellis, 19
Rebounds: James, 11
Assists: Barea, 7
+-: Powell, Smith, Felton, +4
Hawks
Points: Schroder, 17
Rebounds: Millsap, Horford, 8
Assists: Horford, 6
+-: Korver, +28

Game Ball
Dennis Schroder
17 points, 4 assists, 3-5 3PT

X-Factor
Bernard James
7 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks

Goat Horns
Al-Farouq Aminu
2 points, 1-7 FG, 0-4 3PT, 4 TO

Play of the Game
Kyle Korver hit a open three off of a offensive rebound to give the Hawks a 60-57 lead as part of a 13-0 Atlanta run. 

Stat of the Game
The Mavericks shot a miserable 5-31 on threes, including going 0-14 in the second half.

Of Note

• The Mavs played the game without four key players. Rajon Rondo was suspended for conduct detrimental to team after his shouting match with Rick Carlisle in Tuesday's game. Tyson Chandler was out with a left hip injury. Chandler Parsons sat out his third straight with a sprained ankle and Amare Stoudemire sat out the second half of the back-to-back to rest.
• After Dallas scored 34 points in the first quarter they were held below 20 in the three remaining quarters scoring 19, 15 and 19.
• The loss was the Mavericks first all season on the road to a East team after 13 wins. They had not lost at an East team since Feb. 11, 2014 in Charlotte.
• Dirk was held to 4 points on 2-7 shooting as he failed to reach double-digit scoring for the second time in three games after scoring at least 10 in every previous game.
• In a statistical rarity the Mavs recorded 0 steals for the game.
• The game was almost postponed because of a snowstorm that was due to hit Atlanta on Wednesday night. The decision to play wasn't made until after 2:00 Central time.

Grades
Nowitzki: D
Jefferson: C
James: A
Ellis: A-
Barea; A-
Aminu: D
Villanueva: C-
Harris: C+
Powell: B+
Smith: B-
Felton: C

Quote of Note
"I’m disappointed with the result but not with the effort.”
Rick Carlisle

They Tweeted It

To pay homage to @netw3rk: Carlisle: Ray, you ready? Felton: Absolutely! I can go o— Carlisle: Hold the clipboard.
— Bryan Gutierrez (@BallinWithBryan) February 26, 2015

Next Up
The Mavericks (39-21) get two days off before hosting the Brooklyn Nets (23-32) on Saturday night.

Mavericks vs. Hawks: Game 60 Preview

Dallas Mavericks (39-20 at Atlanta Hawks (44-12)
Wed. Feb. 25, 6:30 at Philips Arena
TV: FSSW, NBALP
Line: Hawks by 7

2014-15 Matchups 
Dec. 22 at Dallas
Hawks 105 Mavs 102

 
All-Time Series
Hawks 35 Mavs 32

Team Stats
Mavs
Off. Rating: 108.5 (3rd)
Def. Rating: 102.2 (13th)
Point Differential: +5.2
Hawks
Offense: 106.6 (6th)
Defense: 100.2 (7th)
Point Differential: +6.1

Projected Starters
Mavs
PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Monta Ellis
SF: Richard Jefferson
PF: Dirk Nowitzki
C: Tyson Chandler
Hawks
PG: Jeff Teague
SG: Kyle Korver
SF: DeMarre Carroll
PF: Paul Millsap
C: Al Horford

Team Leaders
Mavs
PPG: Ellis, 19.5
RPG: Chandler, 11.7
APG: Rondo, 6.2
PER: Chandler, 20.8
Win Shares: Chandler, 8.4
Hawks
PPG: Millsap, 16.9
RPG: Millsap, 8.1
APG: Teague, 7.3
PER: Teague, 21.7
Win Shares: Horford, 6.5


Of Note

• The Mavericks put their 13-0 record against the East on the road on the line.
• Jeff Teague is questionable for the Hawks with an illness.
• In six games as a starter this season, Richard Jefferson is averaging 11.8 points and 6.0 rebounds and shooting .511% from the field and 50% on threes.
• Since winning 19 games in a row, the Hawks are 4-4 in their last 8 games.
• Since losing to Golden St. on Feb. 5, the Mavs have the #1 defensive rating in the league at 93.8.

Mavericks 99 Raptors 92: Game 59 Recap

The Lead
Harris and Barea key a second half comeback, as the Mavericks win again against one of the East's best.

Box Score 

Leaders
Mavs
Points: Ellis, 20
Rebounds: Aminu, 12
Assists: Harris, 5
+-: Nowitzki, Chandler, +10
Raptors
Points: DeRozan, 18
Rebounds: Valanciunas, 9
Assists: Lowry, 6
+-: J. Johnson, +6

Game Ball
Devin Harris
14 points, 5 assists, 4 steals, 5-10 FG

X-Factor
J.J. Barea
13 points, 3 assists, 5-8 FG, 3-4 3PT

Goat Horns
Kyle Lowry
11 points, 4-15 FG, 2-9 3PT

Play of the Game
J.J. Barea hit a three 1:07 into the 4th quarter to give the Mavs a 79-77 lead, their first lead since it was 21-19 with 3:41 left in the first quarter.

Stat of the Game
The Mavs defense held the Raptors star backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan to a combined 11-36 from the field.

Of Note

• Rajon Rondo got into a heated argument with Rick Carlisle in the third quarter after being removed from the game during a timeout. He would not return to the game, as the Mavs rallied without him.
• The Mavs outrebounded Toronto 40-37, the third straight game they have won the battle of the boards.
• Richard Jefferson had another produtive outing with 11 points as he  replaces the injured Chandler Parsons in the starting lineup.
• The Mavericks bench was extremely productive as the foursome of Harris, Barea, Aminu and Stoudemire combined for 42 points, 19 rebounds and 8 assists.
• At 39-20 the Mavericks are 19 games over .500 for the first since the end of the 2010-11 season.

Grades
Nowitzki: B+
Jefferson: B+
Chandler: B
Ellis: A-
Rondo: D
Aminu: A
Harris: A
Stoudemrie: B
Barea: A

Quote of Note
"We won the game, but stuff like that is never good. It's unfortunate, but it does happen. It's how the team responds, it's how the team moves forward, how both sides move forward and make the best out of it."
Dirk on the Rondo-Carlisle dustup

They Tweeted It

JJ Barea is having basketball sex right now!!!!!!!
— Jeff Wade (@SkinWade) February 25, 2015

Next Up
The Mavericks (39-20) go from playing the team with the second best record in the East, to the team with the best record when they face the Hawks (44-12) in Atlanta tomorrow night.

Mavericks vs. Raptors: Game 59 Preview

Dallas Mavericks (38-20) vs. Toronto Raptors (37-19)
Tues. Feb. 24, 7:30 at the AAC
TV: FSSW, NBALP
Line: Mavs by 4

2014-15 Matchups
Nov. 28 at Toronto
Mavs 106 Raptors 102

All-Time Series
Mavs 23 Raptors 13


Team Stats
Mavs
Off. Rating: 108.7 (3rd)
Def. Rating: 102.4 (14th)
Point Differential: +5.2
Raptors
Offense: 108.1 (4th)
Defense: 103.5 (16th)
Point Differential: +4.6

Projected Starters
Mavs
PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Monta Ellis
SF: Richard Jefferson
PF: Dirk Nowitzki
C: Tyson Chandler
Raptors
PG: Kyle Lowry
SG: DeMar DeRozan
SF: James Johnson
PF: Amir Johnson
C: Jonas Valanciunas

Team Leaders
Mavs
PPG: Ellis, 19.5
RPG: Chandler, 11.8
APG: Rondo, 6.3
PER: Chandler, 21.0
Win Shares: Chandler, 8.3
Raptors
PPG: Lowry, 18.3
RPG: Valanciunas, 8.6
APG: Lowry, 7.2
PER: Valanciunas, Williams, 20.2
Win Shares:Lowry, 6.2

Of Note

• Chandler Parsons is out for a second straight game of at least three with a sprained left ankle.
• The Mavericks will play the top two games in the East (Toronto and Atlanta) in back-to-back nights.
• The Mavs are 9-3 against the top 8 teams in the East this year.
• After shooting 2-9 against OKC, in his first game back after missing 6 games with facial injuries, Rajon Rondo has gone 10-17 in the last two games.
• The Mavericks defensive rating of 97.1 in the last 12 games is second the league to Memphis' 93.4 (h/t Chuck Cooperstein).

Power Ranking the Mavs

A look at where the Mavs stack up in leading sports websites NBA power rankings after this past week.


ESPN.com 9.
"The good news: Dallas certainly played its part in helping the West establish a new record with seven teams reaching the All-Star break at least 15 games over .500 for the first time in league history. The bad news: Dallas has one of the tougher remaining schedules and its own fair share of injuries."

ESPN.com Hollinger Power Rankings: 7.

NBA.com: 5.
"The Mavs came out flat in Oklahoma City on Thursday, but got production from their bench in weekend wins over Houston and Charlotte. On Friday, three reserves scored in double-figures. On Sunday, Richard Jefferson had a double-double (and a great offensive foul) starting for Chandler Parsons and Amar'e Stoudemire scored 14 points in 11 minutes."

Yahoo Sports: 8.
"The arrival of big man Amar’e Stoudemire is now even more vital with forward Chandler Parsons sidelined because of a left ankle injury."

CBS Sports: 11.
"They may finish with a worse record after the Rondo trade, but they are much more equipped to make a postseason run."

SI.com: 9.
"Tyson Chandler and Amar’e Stoudemire failed as headliners in New York, but they could be the perfect complementary contributors in Dallas. Stoudemire shined in his Mavs debut, scoring 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting and adding three rebounds in just 11 minutes."

SB Nation: 6.

"I wasn't sure if Richard Jefferson could play 33 minutes in a Mavericks victory, but those things occurred on Sunday. Nothing could have prepared Michael Kidd-Gilchrist -- or anyone really -- for what happened next:"

NBC ProBasketballTalk: 8.

"They picked up a quality win over the Rockets this past weekend, but just a couple nights before the Thunder ran the Mavs out of the building. Amar’e Stoudemire looked good and bouncy in his debut, if he can keep that up it will be a nice pick up."

Mavericks 92 Hornets 81: Game 58 Recap

The Lead
Stoudemire's impressive debut and Monta's big fourth quarter leads the Mavs to another win over the East.

Box Score 

Leaders
Mavs
Points: Ellis, 23
Rebounds: Nowitzki, 12
Assists: Jefferson, Ellis, Rondo, Harris, 4
+-: Jefferson, +16
Hornets
Points: Mo Williams, 22
Rebounds: Jefferson, 17
Assists: Stepehnson, 5
+-: Henderson, +1

Game Ball
Monta Ellis
23 points (15 in the 4th quarter), 4 assists, 3 rebounds

X-Factor
Amar'e Stoudemire
14 points, 5-8 FG, 4-4 FT in 11 minutes

Goat Horns
Al Jefferson
8 points, 4-16 FG

Play of the Game
It somehow it didn't count, but that didn't made Richard Jefferson's posterization of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in the third quarter any less impressive.

Stat of the Game
The Mavericks defense led by Tyson Chandler held Al Jefferson to 4-16 shooting. In two games against the Mavs this year Jefferson only shot 25% (7-28).


Of Note

• Amar'e Stoudemire made a major impact in his Mavericks debut, scoring 14 points in 11 minutes including 3 dunks.
• Chandler Parsons missed the first of what will be at least three games with a sprained ankle.
• Starting in Parsons' place, Richard Jefferson had a double-double, hit 3 threes and had one emphatic dunk.
• Dirk, who had a team high 12 rebounds, sat out the last 10 minutes of the game.
• After starting the game 3-13, Monta Ellis scored 15 points in final 6:42 of the game on 6-8 shooting.
• The Mavs won the rebounding battle for a second straight game by a 49-47 count.

Grades
Nowitzki: B
Jefferson: A
Chandler: A
Ellis: A-
Rondo: B
Aminu: B
Harris: B-
Stoudemire: A
Barea: B+
Villanuvea: B

Quote of Note
 "As soon as I came down, I saw out of the corner of my eye him pointing the wrong direction, and I just -- at that point in time -- I black out and just start screaming. It's one of those things. I don't want to make a big deal out of it. I'm an old man. It happens every now and then. You get lucky once in a while."
Richard Jefferson on his dunk

They Tweeted It

Was Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in the In Memoriam tribute.
— RUSS BENGT$ON (@russbengtson) February 23, 2015

Next Up
The Mavericks (38-20), stay at home to face the second place team from the East, the Toronto Raptors (37-18).