Here are my 5 takeaways from the Dallas Mavericks’ 140-136 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night at American Airlines Center:
1. GET USE TO JORDAN DOUBLING UP: For the third time in as many games, DeAndre Jordan put together a masterful double-double. Jordan finished Monday’s game with 18 points and 16 rebounds. That fits right in with the 11 points and 12 rebounds he had on opening day against Phoenix, and the 22 points and 10 rebounds he collected last Saturday against Minnesota. Thus, Jordan joins Roy Tarpley (1989 and 1990) and Popeye Jones (1994) as the only players in the Mavs’ history to start a season with three consecutive double-doubles.
2. SHARING THE WEALTH: This was one of those games where a lot of players contributed to the win. Led by Wesley Matthews’ 20 points, the Mavs had six players score at least 12 points. The others include Luka Doncic (19), DeAndre Jordan (18), Dorian Finney-Smith (12), Dwight Powell (12) and Maxi Kleber (12). It’s this type of sharing of the wealth that’s going to be the hallmark of the Mavs’ success this season. The Mavs don’t want to get into a situation where opponents can turn on the film and easily identify who they need to stop on any given night.
3. THE MAVS CAN REBOUND: One of the biggest bugaboos that crippled the Mavs last season was their inability to consistently rebound the basketball. Well, that won’t be the case this season – if DeAndre Jordan has anything to do with it. Jordan grabbed 16 boards Monday night as the Mavs won the rebounding battle 41-34. In the Mavs’ three games, Jordan has picked up 38 rebounds. And the stat sheet doesn’t show how many other times he’s used his massive frame to block out defenders and enable some of his teammates to grab a rebound or two.
4. HANDLING THEIR BUSINESS WITHOUT TWO OF THEIR TOP PLAYERS: Has anyone noticed that the Mavs are 2-1? And they haven’t played with two of their top six players? Harrison Barnes led the Mavs in scoring the past two seasons and hasn’t played a game since last season due to a strained right hamstring. And Dirk Nowitzki – the NBA’s No. 6 all-time leading scorer – had left ankle surgery on Apr. 5 and hasn’t even been able to go through a full practice since training camp started. In other words, the Mavs should be even more effective when Barnes and Nowitzki returns.
5. WINNING WHEN SMITH HAD AN OFF NIGHT: Lost in the shuffle of the Mavs’ two-game winning streak was the ineffectiveness of Dennis Smith Jr. on Monday night. Smith tallied just seven points on 2-of-11 shooting and also committed four turnovers. The second-year point guard was just 1-of-5 from 3-point land. But the fact that the Mavs defeated a talented Chicago squad with Smith having an off night speaks volumes about how far this team has come since last season. In other words, depth is the strength of the Mavs and that depth was on full display against the Bulls.
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