As anybody in the construction business will tell you, the cost of building supplies has skyrocketed.
Apparently the Mavericks want to do their part to keep prices down, judging from the way they laid enough bricks to build a skyscraper Friday night.
If you took away Luka Dončić – which the Minnesota Timberwolves tried to do as often as possible – the Mavericks couldn’t make enough shots to stay with the hungry home team.
The Wolves strummed the Mavericks 116-95 as seven Minnesota players scored in double figures, led by Karl-Anthony Towns with 20 points.
The Mavericks were a combined 8-for-40 (20 percent) from 3-point range before a garbage-time warming trend from the deep reserves helped improve their average to 23 percent (10-for-43).
But Luka was a very solid 5-of-11 from 3-point range. That meant everybody else was 5-of-32.
“We just couldn’t shoot straight,” coach Jason Kidd said. “You’re not going to win shooting 23 percent (from 3-point range) and 38 percent (overall). We had a lot of great looks. They just didn’t go in.
“If we shoot the ball a little bit better, we have tendencies like we did in Boston to come out and play better on both ends.”
The Mavericks fell behind by 11 at halftime and by 22 after three quarters.
It was an absolute dud.
The loss dropped the Mavericks to 45-29 and left them with a 2-2 mark this season against the Wolves, both teams winning both games on their home floor.
Dončić finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. But as has happened on a few occasions lately, he didn’t get a lot of help.
The loss meant the Mavericks missed a chance to take sole possession of fourth place in the Western Conference. With Utah losing at Charlotte, the Jazz remained tied with the Mavericks.
“I guess we’re playing for fourth,” Kidd said. “They (the Jazz) lost, we lost, everybody lost. It’s just another game, one of 82. We have to be better. We didn’t play well tonight and it happens. We’ll make the corrections. We’ll talk about it and get ready to play the Jazz.”
Utah comes to Dallas on Sunday for a game that could go a long way toward determining who has home-court advantage in the first round should the Jazz and Mavericks end up meeting.
One certainty is the Mavericks will have to upgrade pretty much everything between now and then to have a better outcome.
“We missed a lot of open shots,” Luka said of Friday’s debacle. “I’ll take them anytime. It’s one night. It’s been a long season. We’ll bounce back.”
As for the critical nature of Sunday’s game, he said: ““Of course, everybody wants to get home-court advantage. It’s easier to win games (when you have it.”
The odd thing about Friday was that it was a very competitive game for most of the first half.
It was certain to be a drama-dripping game with Patrick Beverley, one of the chattiest players in the NBA, often guarding Dončić. The two have been competing – rather noisily – against each other for the last three years through two playoff series when Beverley was with the Los Angeles Clippers.
About Beverley’s penchant for trash-talking and the like, Mavericks’ coach Jason Kidd said: “That’s just part of the game. Bev’s going to always talk. That’s who he is. He does it at a very high level and has success with it. There are certain times when people will have a conversation. Sometimes it’s heated. Sometimes it’s under control.”
It is part of the game, true. But it’s also something Minnesota coach Chris Finch believes to be used in moderation.
“That’s something we got to get better at – handling emotional moments in the game,” he said. “We’re just young and we’re emotional.”
So who does the job of settling the Wolves down when things get wonky during a game?
“As crazy as it may sound, Patrick does a good job of that, even though he’s probably out there in the middle of the mayhem,” Finch said. “There’s a lot of guys that are able to do it. I think it’s something we have to get better at – part of maturing.”
For the most part, everybody was on their best behavior in what was a physical first half. Two Timberwolves – Naz Reid and Malik Beasley – went to the locker room to have leg injuries addressed. Several players got smacked in the face. But emotions stayed under control.
Unfortunately, the Mavericks’ defense wasn’t in very good control. Minnesota went to the free-throw line 21 times in the first half, after which they led 61-50.
Twitter: @ESefko
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