On Tuesday night, the Dallas Mavericks lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-119. The Mavericks lost in tantalizing fashion after Max Strus made a spectacular 59-foot 3-point heave to seal the victory for Cleveland at the buzzer. It was one of Strass' five 3-pointers late in the game, and Strass' half-court shot was the culmination of a red-hot shooting streak in the fourth quarter.
The Mavericks opted to have Straus guard Luka Doncic for the majority of the game, as Straus is essentially the fourth or fifth option in Cleveland's starting lineup, but then Doncic He allowed two of the 3-point shots he took in the fourth quarter (excluding halftime). court shot). Strus's remaining two 3-pointers were due to poor switching by Tim Hardaway Jr.
Strus was the heater of the century, but that's no excuse for the Mavericks not to give him some defensive attention late in games, especially considering how quickly he started connecting from deep. Although Hardaway Jr. was taken out of position on these switches, it is already known that Hardaway Jr. is a below-average off-ball defender.
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd called a timeout at the 2:35 mark of the fourth quarter, and Strauss made 3-pointers on four consecutive Cavaliers offensive possessions until the Dallas timeout before Hardaway finally made the decision. – Josh Green was substituted for Junior. . Green didn't have the best shooting night, but he finished a productive game for Dallas and, along with the rest of Dallas' players, exposed the consequences of some poor officiating late in the game.
There's no question that Green is a better defensive option compared to Hardaway Jr. to protect a mobile shooter like Strauss, and this season Dallas has been able to defend the Mavericks late in games, especially in the closing minutes. It has proven that it is worthy enough to be included in the closing lineup. Considering Hardaway Jr. had another boring offensive night, scoring just four points. Green has been much better offensively than Hardaway Jr. as of late, which makes Kidd's overreliance on Hardaway Jr. throughout this post-All-Star period even more puzzling.
Hardaway Jr. has had a great start to the season, but Kidd is able to throw at least a few minutes a game to players like Jaden Hardy and AJ Lawson, giving them long leads when they are unproductive for long periods of time. Hardaway Jr., who shouldn't have been, is having a harder time. Hardaway Jr. is going to be a big part of Dallas' playoff run as it stands, and he needs to be locked in as he could break out of a shooting slump at any time, but Kidd Dallas shouldn't be reluctant to diversify its lineup. When the same problem persists even after many losses, especially in the second half of the season when the games are becoming more important by the day.
Stay tuned for more Dallas Mavericks coverage as the Mavericks play tonight in Toronto.
