Dennis Smith Jr. continues to demonstrate why fans have reason for optimism after his performance in the Mavs win on Monday evening.

Dallas defeated Orlando, 99-96, behind 16 points, seven assists and six rebounds from Smith. Harrison Barnes also chipped in 14 points while Dirk Nowitzki added 10 points, all in the first half.

Dennis Smith Excites In Outing

The Mavs rookie point guard displayed a promising performance in a home win, shooting 7-for-15 from the field while connecting on 2-of-6 attempts from long range. Smith Jr. sought multiple ways to contribute in the victory, hauling in six rebounds while dishing out seven assists in the process.

Head coach Rick Carlisle was careful of lofting too much early praise on the 19-year old, challenging him to engage more on the defensive end.

“He’s getting more comfortable out there, attacking better,” Carlisle said following the win. “I want to see him put more pressure on the defense.”

Smith Jr. also finished with one steal, one block and three turnovers in the victory.

DENNIS DROPS THE ? pic.twitter.com/QALgflq6Bo

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) October 10, 2017

Bench rotation appears to be taking form

Although 16 different Mavericks checked in for game action tonight, the Mavs bench rotation seems to be carving itself into form. If Monday’s minutes are to be taken into consideration, it’s worth noting that Johnathan Motley, Josh McRoberts and Jeff Withey did not play while Seth Curry sat out due to injury.

With that said, it appears the Mavs second unit will include Nerlens Noel, Dorian Finney-Smith, Devin Harris, J.J. Barea and Yogi Ferrell. Ferrell earned the start on Monday against Orlando due to Curry’s injury.

Noel scored six points while grabbing seven boards in 18 minutes of action. Barea scored eight points with nine assists in 19 minutes off the bench while Finney-Smith — also in 19 minutes — added nine points and four rebounds. Devin Harris contributed seven points in 17 minutes. Ferrell added nine points, two rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes.

“I thought our second unit played pretty well and the numbers bear that out,” Carlisle shared following the win.

No timetable for Seth Curry’s return

Seth Curry sat out during Monday night’s contest after playing 20 minutes in a 112-89 loss against the Magic in Orlando.

Curry spoke with Tim MacMahon of ESPN and shared that he currently has no timetable for returning to the lineup.

“We’re looking at getting off it for this week, week and a half and seeing how it progresses from there,” Curry told ESPN. “There’s not really an exact timeframe when I could be back. It could be a week, could not. I’m just trying to be smart about it and let it heal before it gets worse or continues to linger.”

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