Final: Mavs 98, Pistons 89
Box Score | Highlights
Behind the Box Score
Wesley Matthews has hit at least four treys in five of his last seven games. At his current pace, he’ll likely pass Jose Calderon’s mark for second-most 3s in a season by any Maverick in franchise history.
The Mavs outscored the Pistons 26-11 in the second quarter. That’s the highest point differential for the club since the fourth quarter against Cleveland on March 16.
Notebook
This was the biggest win of the season. Every win from here on out is the biggest of the season, for that matter. The Mavs were shorthanded on the road against a playoff team and still won. That’s a big result for the club.
Just one day after the birth of his daughter, J.J. barea put on an absolute show. He scored 19 points in the first half alone on 9-of-11 shooting. He has been sensational in the last couple weeks, and he continued that run tonight. He finished the game with 29 points, his most in a game since Dec. 23.
After seeing their 16-point lead vanish in no time in the third quarter, Dallas responded with a huge 13-3 run to take a 71-61 lead into the fourth. Dallas is now 28-5 when leading after three quarters. The Mavs virtually erased the Pistons’ significant momentum with some Wesley Matthews three-pointers and a few key defensive stops. It was a hugely important run.
With four minutes left in the fourth quarter and up five points, Dallas hacked Andre Drummond, who struggles from the free throw line. To put an end to the tactic, Detroit took an intentional team foul, forcing a dead ball and replacing him with backup center Aron Baynes. We have seen teams try avoiding becoming the victim of Hack-A, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a team take a foul to get its own player out of the game.
What’s Next
The Mavs (38-38) play the Minnesota Timberwolves (25-50) Sunday at the Target Center. Tip-off is at 2:30 p.m. Central.
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