The Mavericks have been a better defensive team over the last month or so, but they clearly lack consistency in that department.
How else to explain giving up 117 points in your own house to one of the worst offensive team in the NBA?
That’s what New York did to the Mavericks on Friday. And considering that the Sacramento team coming to town Sunday (6:30 p.m. tipoff) is a much better offensive outfit than the Knicks, the Mavericks have some quick-fixing to do on the defensive end.
Nobody knows that better than Josh Richardson, who said Saturday when the Mavericks get going the wrong direction defensively, it can be difficult to turn around.
“Especially when a team is scoring like they were,” he said. “You have to have that moment where it’s like, no more. Everybody’s got to buy into that. And it’s tough. We’ve been a team that is very good offensively and can be good defensively, but it’s just a mindset and I think we’re still working on that.”
In other words, drawing a line in the sand is proving to be a tough assignment.
And it won’t get any easier. The Mavericks have been average at best at American Airlines Center this season and with point guard De’Aaron Fox leading a high-powered Kings’ offense, it’s going to require a much better defensive effort than the Mavericks had against the Knicks.
“We had a lot of holes,” Carlisle said. “We didn’t do a good job. But you got to give them credit. They came at us aggressively and we didn’t match it throughout the game. We were on our heels a lot. That’s always going to make things a lot more difficult.”
And the good defenders like Richardson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Maxi Kleber can only do so much. At some point, the greater good has to kick in. There’s no “I” in defense, after all.
“One of the reasons we acquired him was to be able to guard some of the best point guards in the game,” Carlisle said of Richardson. “He did a great job against Morant (Memphis point guard Ja Morant on Wednesday). But I don’t think there’s anybody in this league who can flat-out handle a great player. I just think it’s so hard. You have to have a system.
“Josh has done a lot of great things for us and we’re going to need him to continue that with Fox coming in.”
As will all of his teammates.
The Mavericks have had an overall defensive rating in the low 20s much of the season. That has crept up to 18th presently. And while nights like the New York game show the flaws, it’s clear they are putting a better emphasis on stopping the opponent.
“Our team has really evolved to a point where they understand the importance of defense,” Carlisle said. “(Assistant coach) Jamahl Mosley has done a great job of leading them in that direction. The defensive belt thing every game that we win has been something that’s motivated guys.
“We just got to keep our eye on the ball. There can’t be any letup. This is a season where there’s always a reason to let go of the rope, whether it’s COVID or a bazillion games or whatever. There’s just a lot going on. But coming into the year, we talked about the importance to lifting our defense to a higher level. I think our overall belief is stronger.
Start earlier, finish better: The Mavericks’ home record is an uninspiring 13-13 at AAC.
With no (or limited) fans at games this season so far, it’s skewed a lot of teams’ home records.
But this is the second season in a row that the Mavericks’ home record will be worse than their road record, in all likelihood. Part of the problem, Carlisle said, is the slow starts that have been a consistent problem, particularly at home. They have trailed or been tied after the first quarter in each of their last three home games. They are 0-3 in those games.
“A lot of little things add up,” he said. “But certainly good starts are very, very important.”
Twitter: @ESefko
Share and comment