With a date with Jason Terry and the Boston Celtics on ESPN looming just 2 days away, the Mavericks didn’t want to waste any energy on the Sacramento Kings. The Kings came in to tonight’s game with a 5-12 record, and managed to stick around for 1 whole quarter. Then everything started to unravel for the hapless Kings. The Kings failed to score in the 2nd quarter until Jason Thompson’s tip-in with 2:26 remaining. The Mavericks outscored the Kings 29-14 in the 2nd Quarter.
“There was just nothing that we could establish,” Kings coach Keith Smart said. “They kind of took us out of what we can do.”
O.J. Mayo and Chris Kaman each had 16 points at the half, and the Mavericks were well on their way to moving a game over .500. These types of games by Kaman and Mayo have to have Mavs fans salivating all over Mavs Nation. With Dirk’s return “crawling” back to a reality, the Mavericks could add their most lethal weapon, and still have two dependable sidekicks.
Sacramento came out guns blazin in the 3rd Quarter, but the Mavericks managed to weather the storm. The Mavericks had 6 guys in double figures, and only turned the ball over 8 times. Turnovers have plagued this team in many of their losses this season. If the Mavericks can find a way to be more secure with the basketball, these kinds of performances won’t surprise so many.
Jae Crowder and Darren Collison were the two guys that stepped up most in my opinion. Darren Collison played well on both ends of the floor, leading to 15 points and 2 steals leading to breakaway slams. The shooting form of Crowder that had all of our jaws dropped to start the season looked like it may have made a return. He missed some shots early, but managed to put up 11 points on 5-9 shooting, to go along with 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
O.J. Mayo Update:
Stat Line: 19 points(6-9),7 rebs,4 asts.
You tell me!
“We’re playing good basketball right now,” Mayo said. “But now we’ve got to take it on the road with us and continue playing hard. We need to continue playing with effort and energy.”
Interesting Notes:
Strong Bench Play: Crowder(+24),Brand(+29),Collison(+22)
In the 2nd quarter, O.J. Mayo and DeMarcus Cousins were hit with a double technical. Replay showed Cousins hit O.J. Mayo in the groin area(OUCH!) with a closed fist. Looked pretty blatant. Potential fine could be just a day away. Wouldn’t be the first time for BoogieCousins!
On Tap:
The Mavericks will head to Boston to take on Jason Terry and the Boston Celtics. The game tips off 7:00 CT and you can find it on FxSW or ESPN.
As always, GO MAVS!
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