Although there is much uncertainty surrounding the Dallas Mavericks’ franchise, it’s seems that the one constant is beating the Los Angeles Lakers. The Mavs extended their series winning streak over the Lakers to 11 straight games. The win now puts Dallas ahead of L.A. in the loss column.
Top Performances
It was a collective team effort for the Mavs Thursday night, as they had 5 players scoring in double figures:
Wesley Matthews: 20 pts, 6 reb
Harrison Barnes: 17 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast
Dwight Powell: 14 pts, 6 reb
Devin Harris: 14 pts, 2 ast
Dorian Finney-Smith: 12 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast
Although he didn’t score double digit points, Deron Williams nearly notched a double double, scoring 8 points and 11 assists.
Second Half Defense
The Mavs were consistent with their offensive effort, putting up 50 points in the first half, then 51 points in the second half. Defensively, however, was a completely different story. Dallas gave up 57 points in the first half before putting on the clamps on the Lakers in the second half. The Mavs held L.A. to an impressive 32 total points in the second half. Seth Curry sparked the defensive run by recording 3 steals in the half.
Quotes
“Matthews’ big second half really keyed us. His shot-making energized our defense even more. And our guys kept finding him. At one point, we came off the floor for a timeout in the third quarter and Deron said: Hey, Wes is hot. Everybody take note. Wes is hot. They kept finding him. And he kept delivering.” – Rick Carlisle via Dallas Morning News
“One thing that we’ve struggled with a little bit is playing with a lead and keeping it. As a team, we know what they’re capable of and know that they’ve had some pretty good wins this season, and we just were grinding. We did it together at the defensive end of the floor, and we did it together at the offensive end of the floor.” – Wes Matthews via Mavs.com
“We got physical in the second half and started playing harder and together. We got a lot of stops, and we were able to not take the ball out of the net and just got to play basketball. We were making shots, we were getting in a rhythm, we were getting good looks, and we were able to open the game up a little bit.” – Wes Matthews via Mavs.com
Play of the Game
This is actually 2 plays by 1 player, Seth Curry. After the Mavs finally regained the lead in the second half, Curry hit some huge shots to keep the Lakers at bay.
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) December 30, 2016
Up Next
The Mavs will face the Golden State Warriors on the 2nd night of a back-to-back. The Warriors are the best team in the NBA, and it would be a monumental accomplishment if the Mavs were to pull out a victory here, given the circumstances.
Mavs win!!! #DALatLAL pic.twitter.com/6khI0OByce
— DMD Ally (@DMD_Ally) December 30, 2016
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