Mavs Morning Coffee: Overcome Rough 4th Quarter, Prevail In OT

 

It wasn’t pretty by any standards. Trailing by 10 with a little over four minutes to play, the Mavericks went on a 14-4 run to give them a chance to win the game at the end. After DeMarcus Cousins was whistled for an offensive foul with 23 seconds remaining, the Mavericks found themselves locked in at 99-99. Monta Ellis dribbled down the clock, eventually taking a stepback jumper, which wouldn’t fall.

 

In Overtime, the Mavericks continued to find ways to get stops on the defensive end, and it would be the six points from Ellis and one huge three-pointer from Rajon Rondo that would be the difference in a much needed victory for the Mavericks, who won 108-104 in the end.

 

“When you’re down 10 points with 4:11 to play, you virtually have to pitch a shutout to win the game or even get it to OT” – Rick Carlisle

 

This was a game that the Mavericks seemed to avoid winning throughout. In the first half, they had no answer for the Kings, even despite Rudy Gay leaving in the 2nd quarter with a knee strain. It was the Mavericks focus on the defensive end of the floor in the 2nd half that seemed to make the difference. After giving up 63 points in the first half, the Mavericks only surrendered 41 points in the final half, including overtime. 

 

DeMarcus Cousins was a handful yet again against our Mavericks, and was sorely missed in the extra 5 minutes of play. He fell one assist short of a triple-double, as he finished with 32 points, 16 rebounds, and 9 assists.

 

“With Cousins out in overtime, we were able to set up our defense. He’s a load, one of the premier players in the league.” – Tyson Chandler

 

Play Of The Game

 

With 1:19 remaining in overtime, the Mavericks trailed 102-101. Rajon Rondo seemed like he was stuck with nowhere to go as the shot clock was ticking down to it’s final seconds, so he stepped into a three-point jumper, and knocked it down, giving the Mavericks a 104-102 lead. The Mavericks would never trail again. Rondo finished with 21 points on 10-16 shooting, to go along with 7 assists and 5 rebounds. He and Monta Ellis would both tally 4 steals a piece including this fun one that led to a Tyson Chandler flush at the end of the fast break. 

 

“It was a great team effort. We stuck with it. Things didn’t go our way the entire game, but we continued to play hard and continued to believe in each other. And we got the win.” – Rajon Rondo

 

MVM (Most Valuable Maverick) Of The Game

 

 

This one has to go to Monta Ellis. We’ve seen it all season long. The guy loves the big moments, and never hides when it comes down to making a big play. Ellis had 28 points to go along with 10 assists and 4 steals. He had 6 of the 9 total points in the extra frame, and seemingly willed this team to the victory.

 

Closing Tweet Of The Night

 

Always worth staying up late when the @dallasmavs get the victory! #MAVERICKS#DALvsSAC

— ManiAAC Don Julio (@MM_DonJulio) January 14, 2015

 

On Deck

 

The Mavericks will have a quick turnaround tonight, as they head out to Denver to face the Nuggets and the back end of a tough back-to-back. Tip-off is at 7:30 CT and will be televised locally on FOX Sports Southwest.