Although they barely had enough time to get to know two of their new teammates, the Dallas Mavericks took a businesslike approach to the court during Tuesday’s 114-102 triumph over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Down eight players for various reasons, the Mavs (15-15) used some key baskets from Jalen Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith combined with the energy from newcomers Theo Pinson and Marquese Chriss and went on to zoom past the Timberwolves and into eighth place in the Western Conference standings.
Brunson collected 28 points, six assists and three steals, and Finney-Smith added 19 points, six rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals as the Mavs exacted revenge on a Timberwolves’ squad that just beat them in Minnesota, 111-105, on Sunday. Meanwhile, Mavs coach Jason Kidd didn’t waste any time throwing Pinson and Chriss right into the frying pan.
Signed on Monday to a 10-day contract under the NBA’s new COVID-related hardship allowance, Pinson played 22 hard-nosed minutes and finished with seven points, four rebounds, four steals, three assists and a blocked shot. Signed on Tuesday to a similar deal, Chriss collected six points, eight rebounds and a blocked shot in 16 spirited minutes.
Their contributions, hustle and energy went a long way toward helping the Mavs stave off the Timberwolves (15-16). So too did Dwight Powell (15 points, eight rebounds), Sterling Brown (12 points, 11 rebounds) and Boban Marjanovic (10 points).
“I thought Theo and Marquese were great,” Kidd said. “Just the energy, the ball movement and just being themselves.
“They helped us win this game. And we’re going to need that from here on out because you just don’t know who’s going to test positive (for COVID-19) and who’s out, so we’ll see.”
The Mavs played without their top three players — Luka Doncic (left ankle soreness), Kristaps Porzingis (right toe soreness) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (health and safety protocols). They also were without Reggie Bullock (health and safety protocols), Maxi Kleber (health and safety protocols), Josh Green (health and safety protocols), Willie Cauley-Stein (personal reasons) and Eugene Omoruyi (right foot injury).
Void of key players, the Mavs were like the person who ran out of wrapping paper on the night before Christmas. In other words, there were some anxious moments.
But after Karl-Anthony Towns buried a three-pointer to get Minnesota within 106-100 with a little over two minutes remaining, Brunson fed Frank Ntilinka for a jumper, and later scored on a drive and added four free throws to finish out the scoring for the Mavs.
Pinson was playing with Maine’s G League team and was headed to the airport and preparing to play in the G League Showcase when his agent sent him a text and told him not to get on the airplane, because the Mavs were trying to sign him to a 10-day contract. And after a short film session and a quick walk-through, suddenly he was on the American Airlines Center court and getting some meaningful minutes.
“I knew I was going to get some looks,” Pinson said. “I didn’t know I was going to get that much playing time, but I was ready.
“There were calling (plays), I had no idea what it was. I’m just reading my teammates. I have a pretty good IQ. I’m not trying to brag on myself, but I can read stuff pretty quickly, and just played off that.”
A steal and uncontested dunk by Pinson – he chipped in with a pair of charity tosses shortly thereafter – put the Mavs ahead,61-48, late in the second quarter. It was as if the longer Pinson and Chriss were on the floor, the more they started picking up the nuances of the Mavs’ offense and defense.
“We just know we got to talk a lot more because they don’t know all the sets and even the defensive principles,” Finney-Smith said. “You’ll see like early in the game, Theo was a little late on help defense, but they picked it up as the game went on.
“I’ve been playing against both of them guys for about five years, so they’re pretty smart guys.”
Chriss, who scored two hoops in rapid fashion via an offensive rebound and a jumper late in the first quarter, drew praise from Kidd for his defensive work on Karl-Anthony Towns.
“I don’t know if (Pinson and Chriss) were on the street, but they’re basketball players and it showed,” Kidd said. “I thought Theo was great moving the ball, talking on both sides — offense and defense.
“And Chriss, his athletic ability, he had a heckuva offensive tip-in in the first half. And I thought he did a really good job defensively on KAT.”
Brunson, who buried a trio of three-pointers in the first quarter, tipped his hat to Chriss and Pinson for the way they performed under adverse circumstances.
“They gave us energy, they played hard, especially for not knowing what we’re doing — with a day’s notice, or even less than that,” Brunson said. “Props to them. That’s the type of stuff that makes a true professional.”
The Mavs led by as much as 17 points before the Timberwolves rallied and inched ahead, 92-90, with 8:31 remaining following a basket from downtown by D’Angelo Russell. But without flinching, Finney-Smith’s three-pointer put Dallas up for good at 97-95.
Chriss followed with a dunk, Brunson nailed a jumper and Finney-Smith dropped in a triple by the Minnesota bench and the crowd went wild as the Mavs soared ahead, 104-95, with 4:20 to go.
“I thought losing the lead (in previous games) we would let those things affect us,” Kidd said. “I thought tonight it didn’t affect us. And we played with two new guys out there during that time.”
Two new guys who, because of the circumstances, found themselves right in the middle of the Mavs’ rotation. Now, who knows what will happen when the Mavs host the world champion Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday?
“It’s pretty crazy,” Brunson said. “I don’t really know what we can do but just try and stay safe. Obviously we have a job to do as basketball players to go out there and play.
“But I think the best part about (the Mavs players that are in the health and safety protocols) is that they’re OK. And we’re going to just pray for a speedy recovery not just for them, but everybody around the league and around the world. We just got to get through this time.”
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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