The Mavericks were short on stars, but long on heart Thursday night.
Kessler Edwards, the two-way player who has spent a fair amount of time in the G League this season, was a clutch-play machine in the fourth quarter and the Mavericks rode the scoring of Max Christie and Dante Exum for a 118-113 victory over the Miami Heat at American Airlines Center.
With both teams missing their headline players, the game still delivered a competitive atmosphere that forced the Mavericks to make big plays down the stretch.
The Mavericks reach the All-Star break at 30-26. They won four of their last five games before the pause. Maimi fell to 27-28.
It was the kind of showing for the Mavericks that showed they are bonding together in the face of adversity with all of their usual starting lineup sitting out.
So what does it mean going into the All-Star break?
“The bumps and bruises go away faster,” coach Jason Kidd said. “As I told the guys, get some rest, enjoy the break, be safe and when we come back, it’s time to push forward and find a way to get as high a seed as we can and win as many games as we can.
“Sometimes you want the break. We do need the break, but we are starting to play pretty good basketball.”
Neither team led by more than seven through three quarters and the Mavericks were up by a scant point going into the fourth at 84-83. But they were down 102-98 with 5:10 remaining after Miami’s Tyler Herro hit a midrange jumper.
But the Edwards show took over. The two-way forward, who has filled in as the makeshift center, had two key rebounds and a layup as the Mavericks scored eight consecutive points, capped by Naji Marshall’s three-pointer with 3:42 to go that forced a Miami timeout with the Mavericks up 106-102.
Exum, who finished with 27 points on 11-of-13 shooting, scored twice to make it an eight-point lead. And when Naji Marshall canned two free throws with 1:49 left, the Mavericks still were up eight at 112-104.
It was enough of a cushion to celebrate the final game before the All-Star break. But just barely. The Heat got it to within 116-113 and had a chance to tie, but Tyler Herro’s three-pointer from the corner hit the side of the backboard and Spencer Dinwiddie made two free throws with 8 seconds left for a 118-113 lead.
Kessler was the heart and soul, particularly down the stretch. He finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.
“He is a pro, he played last year against us with Sacramento and I think also with Brooklyn,” Kidd said. “His talent level is not a starting center, but he’s doing everything we asked of him to play center. That just shows what type of person and player he is. He’s all about the team and he had a monster game tonight.”
And the Mavericks needed it. How shorthanded were they?
They found out on Thursday that Kyrie Irving would sit out after playing 40 minutes less than 24 hours earlier. Also out: Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, P.J. Washington, Klay Thompson, Caleb Martin and Dwight Powell.
Then again, the Heat were without Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins, Kevin Love and Terry Rozier.
So it was a night to be decided by deep roster players. And the Mavericks responded.
Said Edwards of his 40 minutes Thursday playing center:
“They got me listed as a center on the box score. I couldn’t believe it. It’s been a minute. A little bit in high school. But it’s been a long time.”
It’s a major moment for a guy who has put in time at Frisco with the Texas Legends after signing a two-way deal.
“Spent a lot of time in (the G League) at the start of the year,” he said. “As a two-way player, you can’t ask for much more as far as opportunity. So I’m just trying to hold it down while the big dogs are out. I’m just grateful for the opportunity.
““It was big time just to get this back-to-back going into the break. It shows our depth.”
Of which Edwards was a big part. Seven of the nine Mavericks who played scored in double figures.
What was interesting to see was how the shots were distributed. The Mavericks have plenty of shots to go around with Luka Doncic gone. And without Thompson or Irving in the lineup, there were more still.
“Yes, he (Irving) is going to get more shots,” Kidd said. “You see Klay has gotten more shots. Everybody will get more shots just because of the player we traded. He was involved in everything.”
What the Mavericks did on Thursday was spread the wealth, bank the win and move along to the All-Star break with the hope that they will look a lot different when they come back in a week.
On Thursday, it was not the prettiest basketball you’ll ever see. But the Mavericks thought it was a thing of beauty when they looked at the final score.
X: @ESefko
Share and comment