Opening night of the Las Vegas Summer League didn’t quite go as planned for the Mavericks as they fell short against the Phoenix Suns, 92-85.
The crowd at Cox Pavilion had a heavy Suns fans presence as first overall pick DeAndre Ayton surely gathered the loudest cheers throughout the game.
“We moved the ball well. We played hard defensively. Doing a great job talking and switching,” Coach Jamahl Mosley said about the first half performance by the Mavericks, who were only down 42-37 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Suns came out hot, outscoring Dallas 30-17 as shots became tough to come by and the awareness on defense began to fall.
“I think it came defensively. We allowed the lack of shot making to impact our intensity on defense and when you do that, it starts to take the energy out of the ball,” Mosley said on what the turning point was in the second half. “But it’s a good message for these guys to understand that you have to hang your hat on defense every night.”
Dennis Smith Jr. started out in attack mode, scoring seven first quarter points and ending the game with 14 points, three rebounds, and five assists in 26 minutes. But different from last summer, DSJ isn’t the rookie this time around. In fact, he feels like a vet and is focused on being the leader.
“It’s different. In Summer League, you could say that I’m a vet. I got a lot of minutes under my belt last season playing with vets and some of the worlds best players so I can come here and see little mistakes that guys make or see things that they’ll have to learn,” Dennis on his role during Summer League as a second-year pro. “That’s what it’s all about. Be a good leader and improve my leadership skills.”
Aside from Dennis, the best player on the floor for Dallas was Jalen Jones, who finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds. “Just do whatever coach asks me to do. I wanna be that junkyard dog that goes out there and helps the team offensively and defensively to help the team win,” Jones said following his double-double.
“He’s a monster. He goes hard every single time he’s out there and I think the team and the staff know what to expect when he’s on the court,” Dennis on the effort from Jones tonight.
First overall pick DeAndre Ayton finished with 10 points and eight rebounds while the 10th pick Mikal Bridges had 14 points on 4-5 from downtown.
“He’s alright,” Smith Jr. in response to what he thought of DeAndre Ayton. It’s safe to say, if you aren’t going to war with DSJ, you’re not getting any props thrown your way.
The Mavericks will have Saturday off before facing off against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.
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