There are many lessons to be learned from the first game of any NBA season, and particularly this one, when the Mavericks have two new starters, including a 19-year-old rookie, and are also without their two-time leading scorer. Luka Doncic is a few months younger today than Dennis Smith Jr. was when he debuted last season; together they are two of the top-three youngest players to ever play for the Mavericks, and they’re now the two main ball-handlers on the same team. They have plenty to figure out individually and as a playmaking duo. There will be highs and there will be lows, so even though we’re all collectively pretty high on these two, just keep in mind that they’re not yet a combined 40 years old.
It’s a first-quarter league. Phoenix scored 37 points in the opening frame, and while Dallas clawed its way back into things, inching to within 102-97 in the fourth quarter, but the 37-24 advantage was simply too much to overcome. Rick Carlisle says all the time that the first quarter is arguably the most influential in the outcome of the game, and that was quite evident tonight. Last season, Dallas was 7-36 when trailing after one, and 17-22 when tied or ahead. In case you want to see what a recent playoff team’s record looks like, the 2015-16 Mavericks, who finished sixth in the West, were 17-28 when trailing after one and 25-12 when tied or ahead. The season before that, when they won 50 games, Dallas was 15-21 when trailing and 35-11 when ahead. And this phenomenon isn’t unique to the Mavericks, either. The math here is pretty simple: If you’re up after the first quarter, you’re probably going to win. That’s why adding Doncic and especially DeAndre Jordan to the starting lineup was so important, and that’s also why missing Harrison Barnes is similarly important. The first five, six, seven minutes of a game have an unimaginably large influence on what happens the next 40-plus. Tonight, the Suns came out on fire and, although Dallas was able to keep them to just 46 points in the second and third combined, the 37-point barrage in the first 12 minutes proved to be a key deciding factor.
Despite all of this, the Mavs did a pretty incredible job scoring at the rim. There were a few put-back misses here and there, and unfortunately a couple layups rimmed out, but at the end of the day Dallas scored 54 points in the paint. The club scored that many in only three games last season, and only once the year before. The Mavericks also scored 10 fast break points, a mark Dallas reached only 40 times all of last season. Ten points isn’t a lot, but 54 absolutely is. That mark would have led the NBA last season. If Smith and Doncic can break down the defense with the help of a ball-screen or even out of isolation, good things will happen somewhere on the floor almost guaranteed. Either a shooter is going to be open or someone’s gonna get a dunk. I don’t know how often Dallas will surpass the 50-point milestone in paint scoring this season, but considering the Mavs have already done it once, I have to imagine they’ll do it at least a few more times. Easy offense is good offense.
Here’s video evidence to support the claim that Luka Doncic is good.
During one sequence midway through the fourth quarter, Jalen Brunson drew a charge at one end and drained a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession at the other. Brunson might not even have been playing had Devin Harris not suffered a strained left hamstring earlier in the game. It’s unclear how much time (if any) Harris will miss, but Brunson is certainly the next man up in line for backup guard minutes. He’s a rookie, but he played three years in college which seemingly makes him a veteran in this day and age, and he won two national championships at Villanova. I don’t think second- and fourth-quarter minutes next to the probably ageless J.J. Barea will be much of a problem for Brunson, who very clearly outperformed his three-point, one-assist stat line.
Dwight Powell has come a long way in the last few years. I hope we all appreciate that. He was a mid-second round pick in 2014 and was traded three times before the end of his rookie season. He spoke of his need to improve his touch around the rim during the 2015-16 season, often played third-string minutes as recently as 2017, and if you opened Twitter anytime between 2016 and about six months ago you probably saw someone complain about his contract. Then, last year he was the most efficient roll man in the entire NBA on a points per possession basis, and tonight he was the team’s leading scorer despite playing only 17 minutes. Appreciate the things players do well. Powell is terrific in the pick-and-roll; until someone unseats him, he’s literally the best there is. Three years ago that was not the case. Don’t discount the value of hard work, and don’t ever give up on player development.
What’s Next
The Mavs (0-1) will meet the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday at American Airlines Center in the home opener. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m.
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