As the Mavericks tried to run down the Portland Trail Blazers Thursday night, two plays summed up how critical Spencer Dinwiddie is, particularly during this time when injuries are ravaging the backcourt.
The first one came early, when the Mavericks were down by 10 points late in the first half and in danger of falling further behind.
Dinwiddie found Dereck Lively II with a lob pass that he jammed through the bucket for a morale-boosting moment that helped the Mavericks cut the deficit in half before the second-quarter buzzer.
The second play will be more memorable in the long run. As he drove to the paint, Dinwiddie spied P.J. Washington in the corner, zipped a pass to him and Washington’s three-pointer was perfect and put the Mavericks ahead 112-109 with just under two minutes to play.
That was part of a 16-0 blitz that pushed the Mavericks to a 117-111 win and made them 2-0 on this home stand.
Dinwiddie has been forced into the role of the lead guard with injuries to Luka Dončić (calf strain) and Kyrie Irving (back sprain). Dinwiddie is no stranger to running the point guard spot. And his skillset has been on display in the past two games.
“His energy, his effort to get downhill and also keep us organized,” coach Jason Kidd said. “That’s a big responsibility, but we all believe he’s up to that challenge.”
It was his organizational skills that helped keep the Mavericks afloat early, then enabled them to get rolling late. They were plus-15 in the 9 minutes, 4 seconds that Dinwiddie was on the floor in the fourth quarter.
During that time, the Mavericks turned a 97-88 deficit into a six-point win by outscoring the Blazers 29-14. Dinwiddie’s ability to run the team in lieu of Dončić and Irving might very well be the difference in the Mavericks staying in touch with the Western Conference leaders and falling out of range while their superstars heal.
“The pick and roll, the tempo of getting downhill, the ball touching the paint and being able to make plays,” Kidd said of Dinwiddie’s best assets. “We need that while those two are out and even when those two come back we need him to continue to play that way.”
It’s easy to forget that Dinwiddie averaged 19.7 points and 6.7 assists when he started the first three playoff games in 2022 with Dončić out with an injury.
Now he’s filling a similar role. On Thursday, he had 17 points, five rebounds and five assists against the Blazers. That followed 19 points, six rebounds and eight assists Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
“Obviously for me, volume’s higher, but also instead of three-and-D you’re probably thinking about making plays,” Dinwiddie said recently. “I’m getting in the paint rather than running to the corners.”
It’s a formula that Dinwiddie knows well and is doing at a high level.
Feeling for LA: The wildfires that are destroying parts of the Los Angeles area have been on the minds of everybody with any connection to southern California.
It’s no different for the Mavericks, several of whom (Klay Thompson, Spencer Dinwiddie and Brandon Williams) are from that area and pretty much everybody else that has family or friends there.
“It’s so sad what’s taken place with Mother Nature in LA,” Kidd said. “We checked in with the guys this morning and this afternoon and made sure that the guys who are from LA are all right. It seems like everything is all right so far.”
The situation forced the NFL to move Monday’s Minnesota-Los Angeles Rams playoff game to Glendale, Ariz.
Kyrie on the mend: Kidd supplied an update before the game on how Kyrie Irving is progressing with his back strain.
“He looks great,” Kidd said. “He seems mentally in a great place, physically he looks great. I would say that hopefully soon here he does some basketball stuff and see how his back reacts to that.”
Irving has missed the last four games with his back injury.
X: @ESefko
Share and comment