After a less than stellar performance Thursday against the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks centers Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively
II bounced back with authority during Sunday’s 108-85 victory over the Orlando Magic.
Gafford finished with a season-high 18 points and a season-high tying eight rebounds in just 20 minutes. Lively came off the bench and contributed 11 points and a season-high tying 11 rebounds in 20 minutes.
This after the pair combined for just 12 points and six rebounds in the 108-102 loss to Houston.
The Mavericks hope this is the start of a big run by their big men, a surge they’ll get a chance to continue Monday against Indiana at American Airlines Center.
Against the Magic, Gafford was very efficient, 9-of-13 from the field for 69.2 percent, while Lively converted five of his seven field goal attempts for a healthy 71.4 percent. Both players kept attacking Orlando inside the paint while re-establishing themselves as a force on both ends of the floor.
“The first play (Sunday) we went to Gafford,” point guard Luka Dončić said. “That’s what we wanted to do is get him going early, because we know he’s a monster in there – both of them are.
“When they play lik
e this, it helps everybody else on the team, so we need to keep them going.”
In his reaction to Dončić referring to him and Lively as “monsters,” Gafford said: “I feel like that word is a good word for us whenever we both are in the right mindset and not really just letting the game kind of fall out of control for us when it comes to the referees or anything like that. Just having poise and just going out and doing the things that we are great at doing.
“(We need to) do those at a high level and just open up the floor for everybody. Setting screens, getting rebounds, having energy – all of the above, pretty much.”
What Gafford and Lively accomplished against the Magic is similar to their solid play last season during the Mavs’ run to the NBA Finals. Once again, they’re showing that they are a dominant tag team, bringing a ton of physicality to the court.
Here are some nuggets surrounding Monday’s game between the Mavs and Pacers.
*This will be the third of a five-game home stand for the Mavs. After Monday, the home stand continues Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls and
concludes Friday against the Phoenix Suns before the Mavs travel to Denver to battle the Nuggets on Sunday. The Mavs are 1-1 on this home stand.
*For the Pacers, this is the finale of a short two-game trip that started with Friday’s 125-118 loss in New Orleans. After the game against the Mavs, the Pacers head home to host the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
*Why the late start for Monday’s game? Well, because of election day, no team will play on Tuesday. But all 30 NBA teams will play on Monday. Starting with a 6 p.m. game when Cleveland entertains Milwaukee, one NBA game will tip off every 15 minutes – ending with the 9:30 p.m. tipoff when the San Antonio Spurs play at the Los Angeles Clippers.
*The Pacers are led by Pascal Siakam (19.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 5.3 apg), Bennedict Mathurin (16.3 ppg) and Myles Turner (14.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg). Also for the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton is averaging 14 ppg and 7.3 apg, and Obi Toppin averages 10.7 ppg. Siakam tallied 29 points and also nailed a tie-breaking three-pointer with 6.1 seconds left as the Pacers defeated the previously unbeaten Boston Celtics, 135-132, in overtime last Wednesday.
*Mavs point guard Luka Dončić had his best shooting game of the season during Sunday’s 23-point win over the Magic. Dončić wound up making 11-of-22 shots. It was the first time this season he has converted as least half of his field goal attempts. He also tossed in a season-high tying five three-pointers – in 13 attempts – while finishing the game with 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Dončić now has 161 career games where he’s scored at least 30 points, grabbed at least five rebounds and distributed at least five assists. And that’s good for ninth place on the NBA’s all-time list in that category.
*In Friday’s loss to the Pelicans, the Pacers lost two players to injuries. That includes Isaiah Jackson (torn right Achilles tendon) and Aaron Nesmith (left ankle sprain).
*The 23-point victory over Orlando marked the first time this season the Mavs have beaten an opponent by at least 20 points. During their 50-win season in the 2023-24 campaign, the Mavs recorded nine victories by 20 or more points.
*Indiana is coached by Rick Carlisle, who coached the Mavs from 2008-2021, including the 2011 title team. Carlisle coached the most regular season games in Mavs history (961), and has coached the most regular season wins in Mavs history (513). He also has the most playoff wins as a coach in Mavs history (64), and the most playoff wins in Mavs history (27).
X: @DwainPrice
INDIANA PACERS (2-4) at DALLAS MAVERICKS (4-2)
When: 8:45 p.m., Monday
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas
TV: KFAA-29, MavsTV Stream
Radio: KEGL 97.1 FM The Eagle, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)
X: @DwainPrice
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