On Sunday, the Dallas Mavericks faced the Denver Nuggets in a must-win matinee. After a back-and-forth battle and nearly blowing a 13-point lead at the end of the fourth inning, Kyrie Irving's stunning left hook shot beat the final buzzer, giving the Mavericks a 107-105 victory over the Nuggets. I got it.
The Mavericks have won five of their last six games and have improved greatly in recent games. Against the Nuggets, the Mavs outrebounded the Nuggets 60-37, grabbing 16 offensive rebounds, more than the former NBA champions. Additionally, the Mavericks dominated in the paint, outscoring the Nuggets 62-38.
Against Denver, the Mavericks proved to be a better team than their 39-29 record suggests. A win against a team that has lost just one game since the All-Star break should show other teams what the Mavericks can do in the playoffs. But one question still remains for Dallas.
Josh Green has yet to play a role offensively since going down with a sprained ankle in last week's game against the OKC Thunder. Green had had an up-and-down season up to that point, but he was a consistent corner threat for opposing teams.
One player fans are asking to fill Green's role is Derrick Jones Jr. The high-flying forward had been one of Dallas' best role players throughout the early part of the season before hitting a big wall on both ends of the floor.
Throughout March, Jones Jr. regained his shooting touch. The 6-foot-6 forward shot 47.4 percent from behind the arc in March, an increase of almost 24 percent from the previous month. The emergence of Jones Jr.'s 3-point shooting couldn't have come at a better time for the Mavericks.
Jones Jr. has also shown value offensively as a driver with his ability to attack the rim rather than being content with catch-and-shoot 3s every time.
Defensively, Jones Jr. has become one of the Mavericks' best defenders around the perimeter. Since returning to the starting lineup at the beginning of the month, P.J. Washington and Jones Jr. have become a feared duo around the perimeter.
Consistency has been an issue with Jones Jr.'s playing time, so if he can become a consistent offensive producer, he should be the breakout role player the Mavs need to make the playoffs. Dallas currently sits in seventh place in the Western Conference and will need all the help Jones Jr. can get to stay out of play-in contention.
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