BOSTON — National television. The calendar has changed to March. On the parquet floor of TD Garden, you'll take on the NBA's mightiest Boston Celtics.
Dallas coach Jason Kidd called it “a great test to see where we are with the new pieces.” With that in mind, let's rate Boston's 138-110 win over Dallas on Friday night as a C-minus for the Mavericks. However, the match was not as gloomy as the final score.
Admittedly, the Mavericks had plenty of room for improvement over the final 22 games of the regular season, but Kidd was a bit of an underachiever, especially up until the point midway through the third quarter when Dallas led 81-79. He said he saw some positive signs from the roster.
“It wasn't the game we wanted, but we learned a lot about ourselves,” Kidd said. “We have some things to fix, but we're moving in the right direction. We're closer than the score would suggest.”
The Mavericks had a monster game, with Luka Doncic's 37 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists performance outscoring another NBA Most Valuable Player candidate, Jayson Tatum, who finished with 32 points and eight rebounds. I put it in.
Afterward, the MVP candidates hugged, smiled and exchanged words on the court.
“He's a really great guy,” Doncic said. “We both have a lot of respect for each other and that's great. We fought there.”
Doncic shrugged when asked if he felt like there was a fight in the game as all eyes were on the MVP candidate. I think it's for the media. they have the right to vote. ”
But the final result of the night, and the 1-3 finish on this Mavericks road trip, exemplifies the uphill climb Doncic faces in the MVP race and the one Dallas faces in the playoff race.
When this trip began, the Mavericks were on a seven-game winning streak, coming off a win over Phoenix and moving into sixth place in the West, a half-game behind New Orleans.
The Mavericks (34-26) are currently in eighth place in the West, returning to Dallas for a quick-turn game against Philadelphia at noon Sunday, 1.5 games ahead of the sixth-place Pelicans and 0.5 games ahead of seventh-place Sacramento. I'm chasing you based on the difference.
There's no shame or surprise in losing to a 47-12 Boston team that made 21 of 43 3-pointers en route to a 10-game winning streak, but Dallas would ideally be 2-2 on this trip. I needed to lose. The Mavericks almost certainly would have done so if not for Max Strus' 59-foot buzzer-beater in Cleveland.
“It was a close game for three, three and a half quarters,” rookie Derek Lively II said of Friday's loss. “We just have to be able to get through some bumps. Just because the offense isn't working doesn't mean we have to slack off on defense.
“Sometimes you have other players in your head, but we feel like we have to believe in ourselves in that moment.”
PJ Washington had a strong offensive performance for the third year in a row, recording 17 points and 7 rebounds.
Washington made three 3-pointers in the third quarter alone, but missed a shot that could have given Dallas an 82-81 lead with 5:38 remaining. The Mavericks remained within striking distance after three quarters, 102-90.
However, the Celtics scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter and 12 of the first 14 points to take the lead.
There were multiple interesting subplots. This is Kristaps Porzingis' second game with Dallas since being traded to Washington on February 10, 2022, and since April 1, 2022, when he had 24 points and nine rebounds in the Wizards' home win. It was my first match.
Porzingis had 24 points and six rebounds Friday.
Kyrie Irving has returned to Boston frequently since becoming a free agent after the 2018-19 season, but this was his first visit to TD Garden as a Maverick.
Unlike when he returned for Game 2 of the road trip to Cleveland and received praise and applause on video, Irving was booed every time he touched the ball on Friday. Late in the game, when he was on the bench and the game got out of hand, fans chanted, “Kyrie sucks!”
But the main topic of the night was how well the Mavericks stack up against the Celtics, and whether Doncic or Tatum makes a stronger case for MVP.
The latter answer was clearly Doncic. He had 30 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds for Toronto, two days after turning 25.
“He's only gotten better at 25. I can't wait to be 26,” Kidd joked before turning more serious.
“He loves playing the game. He's emotional. He's intense. He believes he can take on the world. He can beat the world. And that makes him the best player. That's what you want. He's 25 years old and he's great.”
Those who tuned into ESPN on Friday night learned that Doncic is indeed playing MVP-caliber basketball. But what did the Mavericks learn about themselves on this measuring stick night?
“I think we can compete with the best players,” Kidd said. “I haven't looked at the score, but I truly believe we have the talent to compete. We understand that it's hard to be consistent and win in this league. It's hard to beat the best teams. difficult.
“You don't have to play perfectly, but you have to stay united. You have to be consistent. And that's what we're trying to do right now, just like any other player in this league. That’s what we’re fighting for.”
Read more of Dallas Morning News' Mavericks coverage here.
