SACRAMENTO – The No. 1 bit of fallout from Friday night’s 122-114 win over the Kings was the Mavericks now have a three-game road winning streak.
Gaining some traction in hostile arenas is paramount for the Mavericks, who have a 19-9 home record and now have built their road mark to 12-17.
On Saturday, they have a chance to complete a 4-1 trip.
But it wouldn’t have happened without salty play, particularly in the first quarter, on Friday.
Here’s our takeaways from the first of back-to-back games in Sacramento.
KYRIE’S IMPACT: It’s being felt in so many ways, but perhaps nobody has looked more rejuvenated since the arrival of Kyrie Irving that JaVale McGee. He’s been around long enough to know his role is always going to be subject to change. But in two games since Irving arrived, McGee has looked like a different player. “I think you saw it when Kai first practiced with us, you could see a turn in JaVale,” coach Jason Kidd said. “So hopefully JaVale continues to play the way he has. That gives us another dynamic.” McGee narrowly missed a double-double Friday with 11 points and nine rebounds in 19 minutes. He was more involved in orchestrating the offense. Admittedly, this could change when Luka returns, but McGee’s impact was huge on Friday, particularly after Dwight Powell got in early foul trouble.
RUN, RUN, RUN: The Mavericks have become the run-and-gun Mavericks and when they had 74 points by halftime on Friday, it was clear the style is suiting them well and perhaps catching opponents off guard. “We’re playing fast and we’re moving the ball,” said Josh Green. “It’s a really unselfish style. It’s fun, for sure.” And it’s helping Green, who had 17 points and seven assists Friday night. And, by all accounts, the Mavericks hope to keep pushing things when Luka returns, probably on Saturday night. “We’ve talked about it and Luka’s all for it,” Green said. “Luka’s a team player, too. At the end of the day, if something is working, we’re going to stick with it.”
CONFIDENCE, BABY: The Mavericks are feeding off of Irving, as evidenced by their season-best 34 assists on Friday. And everybody’s getting involved. Jaden Hardy had 12 points and was a team-best in the plus-minus department at plus-15. Christian Wood had 13 points in 12 minutes. Tim Hardaway Jr. had five assists and seven rebounds as everybody has chipped in on the boards. And it all stems from Irving allowing – insisting, actually – that his teammates not defer to the newcomer. “To make plays like he’s done in the last two games and trust us, that’s big,” Green said. “It means a lot, especially a young player like me to have a superstar like that trust me, it means a lot to me. And I’m sure it means a lot to the rest of the team. It’s been amazing.” Green also said that trust started quickly upon Irving’s arrival. “First practice, coach told me to run a play,” Green said. “I pointed, ah, we got Kyrie now. I don’t need to run the play. But it’s good to have. Honestly, it feels like they (Irving and Markieff Morris) have been on the team a long time.”
Twitter: @ESefko
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