Naji Marshall fitting in very well in first season with Mavs

MIAMI – As the games go by, Naji Marshall appears to be getting more and more comfortable with his role with the Mavericks.

Signed to a three-year, $27 million free agent contract in the offseason, Marshall has been instrumental in helping the Mavs roll out to a 9-8 record this season. Not only has the fifth-year forward been able to score and rebound, but he’s also a solid defender who has the ability to initiate the offense.

“I think with Marshall, just the comfort level of having a playmaker on the floor and someone who gets us organized offensively (is great),” coach Jason Kidd said. “You look at the defensive side, being able to guard multiple positions and he’s switching, and then also just his basketball IQ.

“He’s not afraid of the moment, as we saw in Denver. But (he’s) just someone that can start, come off the bench, can play a lot of minutes or can play a little minutes, but have an impact on the game.”

Marshall had a big impact in Friday’s contest in Denver when he buried a crucial basket with 18.8 seconds left that put the Mavs up, 119-115, in a game they eventually won, 123-120. Marshall finished that game with a career-high 26 points, and followed that up with 20 points during Sunday’s 123-118 loss in overtime to the Miami Heat.

It marked the first time Marshall scored 20-plus points in back-to-back games since Jan. 6-7, 2023 when he tallied 23 points against Brooklyn and 24 against the Mavs while he was playing for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Marshall was scoreless with just one point on 0-of-4 shooting in the first half of Sunday’s game. But he cranked things up in the third quarter when he tallied 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting.

“Shots weren’t falling (in the first half),” Marshall said. “Like I told you, I look forward to working on those shots every day, so I just kept shooting and in the second half they fell for me.

“It was no real difference. Just sticking with it.”

Marshall was 8-of-16 from the field, including 3-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc. That came one game after he was a very efficient 11-of-15 from the field – and 3-of-4 from three-point range – against Denver.

“I work on those threes every day,” Marshall said. “I feel comfortable shooting them. I’m just trying to play hard and make a play for the team.

“There’s ups and downs of the game. You make a mistake (and) you learn from it and be better the next time.”

Marshall referred to Sunday’s contest as a “heartbreaking loss’ that should not have occurred.

“(I’m) not disappointed,” he said. “Proud of my guys. We fought. It’s a lesson learned.

“We fought hard. It came down to a couple of possessions. Hopefully, next time we’re in this situation we’ll correct it.”

Marshall also pointed out that the Mavs could have used their best player – Luka Dončić – against the Heat. Dončić missed the game with a right wrist sprain.

“Luka is an ultra-superstar,” Marshall said. “In clutch situations we would love to have him. This is what he does best.

“We’re missing a whole lot of a player in Luka Dončić. Hopefully, my guy gets right and when he gets back he can take over.”

As far as Marshall goes, Kidd said he’s a proponent of him taking off and driving to the basket and scoring in a crowd.

“The big drive is something that we’re promoting right now, so he can do that at a very high level with the floater game that he has,” Kidd said. “We’re comfortable with that. The other night against Denver he made a tough three, and I think that just opened the flood gates for him shooting the three.

“I think we’re going to need him to shoot the three because he’s open and we’re creating when he does have it in the corner or in the slot. Right now we trust that he’s making the right play as a playmaker or being able to be a scorer.”

BRIEFLY: The Mavs and Miami Heat have some obvious bad blood between them. In the 2006 NBA Finals, the Mavs led the best-of-seven series against Miami, 2-0, and were leading Game 3 – and preparing to take a commanding 3-0 lead – when they were ahead, 89-76, with 6:33 remaining in the game. But the Heat rallied and emerged victorious in Game 3, 98-96, then won the ensuing three games and the series in six games, which they clinched in Dallas. And in the 2011 Finals, the Mavs and Heat met again for the championship, with Miami taking a 2-1 lead in that series. But the Mavs made a lineup change and inserted guard JJ Barea into the starting lineup in Game 4. Dallas proceeded to capture the last three games and won that series in six games, clinching it on the Heat’s court.

X: @DwainPrice