Recap:
The Dallas Mavericks (12-9) went 2-2 on the week. It was a “mixed bag” kind of week. They got slammed by Rajon Rondo and the Sacramento Kings. One night later, they found themselves down 7 with just 1:43 remaining in the game. Then, Dirk Nowitzki happened. The Mavericks stormed back to force the Blazers to overtime, where Deron Williams put the game away, and showed that he still has plenty left in the tank. The Mavericks then let one slip away in Houston, and followed that up with a solid outing in Washington last night, where Wesley Matthews caught fire, nailing 10 3-pointers en route to 36 points.
Mavs Fanatic – Ryan Wilson: 15th (16th Last Week)
Will the real Wesley Matthews please stand up? Question answered. The Mavericks let one slip away against Houston in the middle of the week, but the resurgence of Wesley Matthews “bow and arrow” was a delight to see last night in the Nation’s Capital. The Mavericks continue to surprise, and if they can get Matthews jumper back and Chandler Parsons back to normal minutes, they should continue to do just that.
ESPN – Marc Stein: 12th (13th Last Week)
You know how much we love the old school plus/minus stat. The one where you subtract home Ls from road Ws to get a better read on how teams are doing so early in the season. We suspect that the Mavs, at the moment, are as fond of that stat as we are, given that they’re No. 3 in the West at plus-4, behind only the top two teams in these rankings.
CBS Sports – Matt Moore: 10th (11th Last Week)
They’ve won three of their past five to stabilize. I continue to marvel at how balanced their schedule is. They beat teams under .500 and lose to teams over .500 like clockwork. By the way, Rick Carlisle and Deron Williams getting along swimmingly is a little bit of a plot twist.
NBA.com – John Schuhmann: 12th (10th Last Week)
Two days after saying that he’s “tired of hurting the team, tired of missing shots,” Wesley Matthews tied his career high with 36 points (hitting 10 of 17 threes) in Sunday’s win in Washington. With Chandler Parsons willingly taking a reserve roll, the Mavs’ starting lineup has been the best five-man unit in the league among those that have played at least 100 minutes together, helping them survive a road-heavy stretch of schedule.
Ball Don’t Lie (Yahoo Sports) – Kelly Dwyer: 10th (11th Last Week)
Wesley Matthews, after going 1-for-9 from the floor in a winnable four-point loss to Houston on Friday:
“I’m tired of hurting the team,” Matthews said after the loss. “I’m tired of missing shots. I put everything I have into this game — I have since I started playing. I put everything I had into getting back and being ready. I’m just trying to keep the doubt out.”
[…]
“I suck right now,” he quietly told reporters. “Point blank.”
That game dropped Matthews’ percentages on the season to 31 percent from the floor, and 34 percent overall. Matthews, who is coming off an Achilles tear, also misses more than his fair share of open shots.
Wesley Matthews, in a win over Washington on Sunday: 36 points, 10 3-pointers made, six rebounds, five assists, just one turnover.
Sports Illustrated – Jeremy Woo: 13th (9th Last Week)
Nice to see you, Wesley Matthews. His off-season Achilles surgery brought with it some major shooting woes, but a 36-point breakout with 10 threes against the Wizards has to have everyone feeling good. The Mavs have navigated the earlygoing just fine, and are still nowhere near in peak health.
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