The new goal of the Mavericks is to find a way to win a few games without so much as a single healthy veteran center available.
They are 1-0 in that pursuit.
Their win over Golden State on Wednesday was hard-fought and unexpected – the Mavericks were 7½-point underdogs on their home floor.
That’s unusual in the NBA, but a testament to how shorthanded they were.
So they scratched and clawed for a 111-107 win. And that’s the way they’ll have to play again Thursday against Miami at American Airlines Center.
Mustering that kind of effort on back-to-back nights is a challenge.
But on Wednesday, the Mavericks played harder than the Warriors and the visitors weren’t exactly going through the motions. They missed a ton of shots that they often make. The Mavericks probably had something to do with that.
But it was a win that got them to the 55-game mark with a 29-26 record. After Thursday, they break for the All-Star weekend and there will be only 26 games left when they return next week.
It will be a sprint to the finish, no longer a marathon.
Here’s our other takeaways from the strong win over Golden State:
They got away with one: The Mavericks were outrebounded 50-39 and outscored in second-chance points 33-11. Those numbers almost always add up to a loss. And it may be a way of life without their big men that they have to find ways to overcome a rebounding problem. Rookie two-way player Kylor Kelley and Kessler Edwards, a veteran also on a two-way deal, as well as small forward O-Max Prosper are the only candidates to hold down the middle of the Mavericks’ defense. Gone is any semblance of rim protection, although they did block seven shots, three by Edwards, who stands 6-8 but is built more like a pool cue. The Warriors aren’t the biggest team around, and they elected to go small, too, much of the time. The Mavericks are hoping to have the same sort of impact with their small lineup one more time before the All-Star break.
Irving lights it up: Kyrie Irving is a nine-time All-Star for a reason. And he showed why with 42 points against the Warriors, whose coach, Steve Kerr, said he’s been trying “for 10 years” to figure out how to slow down the ballhandling wizard. Irving had his outside shot working (7-of-10 from deep). He buried a critical three-pointer with 1:46 left that put the Mavericks up 107-104. Irving is now the Mavericks’ superstar, for sure at least until Anthony Davis returns sometime after the All-Star break. And the Mavericks are in good hands.
Shout out to the fans: They might still be holding a grudge after the trade of Luka Doncic, but if they are, it didn’t show. The crowd was electric, especially down the stretch when the Mavericks needed all the adrenaline they could get. Fans pay money to go to games and have the right to express themselves. They did so in the most positive ways on Wednesday. Kudos, and that comes from Irving, too. “You look into the crowd, the fans, and get electrified off that,” he said. “It makes a big difference for us. Our home stadium, we got to protect it. I feel like our fans know that. We’re obviously dealing with something unique. But at the same time, we have to put our best foot forward. Try to put out a good product for our fans and win games. But we also feel for our fans, too. A delicate balance there.”
X: @ESefko
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