What stood out most about the Mavericks’ 121-119 victory at Oklahoma City on Sunday evening was the way the Mavericks stood out.
As in, head and shoulders above the Thunder.
They exploited an obvious height advantage as the Thunder didn’t have centers Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams. They started five players 6-6 or shorter.
Tall dominated small.
The Mavericks pushed around the Thunder, who had done a good job coping with their undersized situation with two victories since Holmgren went down with a hip injury.
So give the Mavericks’ coaching staff credit. Their game plan made the Thunder pay, which is what should happen when there’s an obvious advantage. The worst thing would have been if the Mavericks tried to go small to combat the Thunder.
Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington, all bigger than any of the OKC starters, feasted on the glass and it was a thing of beauty.
That they did it without Luka Dončić, who missed the game with a right knee contusion, made it even sweeter.
“It was a little weird, but we needed this win,” said Jaden Hardy, who at 6-3 didn’t have to worry about rim-protectors meeting him on his drives into the paint. “So we just focused on that.
“That (rebounding) was a big emphasis. Not only that but the physicality on defense and trying to make the other guys uncomfortable.”
A 53-29 rebounding advantage does that.
Digging a little deeper, here’s what else we took away from the victory over the Thunder.
Something about Oklahoma: Washington had a massive game with 27 points and 17 rebounds. It was an extension of his performances in the second round of last season’s playoffs against the Thunder, when he averaged 17.7 points and 8.3 rebounds in the Mavericks’ 4-2 series win and had a couple of huge games. He shot 47 percent from threes in that series. “Yeah, I like playing here,” Washington said. “I just enjoy the matchup, I went to school (at Kentucky) with Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander), so I love matching up against him and they got a great team over there.” That team likely will be healthier – and bigger – when the Mavericks see them next in January.
It wasn’t just rebounding: The Mavericks made a conscious effort to get to the basket. They did a good job of penetrating and while their 52 points in the paint weren’t astronomical, their 11-of-27 three-point shooting was a solid 40.7 percent. Those shots often came after kick-outs from penetration. Hardy was a big part of taking advantage of the undersized Thunder. Plus, the Mavericks shot 36 free throws to 25 for OKC. “Hardy did an incredible job. He gets us organized, and gives us a really good chance of something good happening,” Kidd said. “It doesn’t mean we’re going to make the shot, but it gives him the opportunity to see the floor and not just score but play-make. He can score, that’s for sure, but he’s also showed he’s mature enough to run the offense and he’s doing that at a high level.” Kidd said the game plan was to drive the ball with no shot-blocker anywhere to be found on the Thunder’s healthy roster.
Power in reserve: The Mavericks’ bench lost one of its key members when Quentin Grimes started in place of Dončić. Didn’t matter. They doubled up the Thunder’s reserves 50-25. The Mavericks had four players come off the bench and score at least 10 points (Jaden Hardy and Naji Marshall with 13, Daniel Gafford with 11 to go with 12 rebounds and Spencer Dinwiddie with 10 (all in the fourth quarter).
Final thought: Don’t even think about worrying about Klay Thompson after he shot 1-of-11 from the field (1-of-8 from deep) in 25 minutes against the Thunder. Shooters are going to have days like that. And don’t be surprised if the Mavericks run play after play for Thompson on Tuesday against New Orleans. “He was cheering for his guys. He’s just a pro,” Kidd said. “When you’re not making shots, you don’t have to be selfish. I think he’s one of the most unselfish pros. And he’s also teaching the younger guys that some nights you might not have it, but you can do some other things that bring the energy.”
X: @ESefko
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