Getty Images | Rocky Widner
There are very few times in the NBA that you will win a game shooting 2-19 from the 3 point line in the second half. As a result of the Mavs doing so, they fell on the road to the Sacramento Kings, 112-98. There was no way to sugar coat a loss like this. The Kings weren’t playing stellar defense, and the Mavs were simply missing wide open shots. How was this game competitive in the first place?
It appeared the Mavs early shooting woes escaped them tonight, as they opened up a 32-23 lead over the Kings in the first quarter. The team was playing with energy, and it showed. Dirk Nowitzki came out firing, hitting his first 3 shots and giving him his 10,000th career field goal. The Kings were able to close the gap in the second quarter, but the Mavs still managed 58 points in the first half and took a 4 point lead into intermission.
The second half is when the world came crashing down for the Mavs offensively. After a 3-for-3 start from Nowitzki, he finished the game 2-12 from then on. Wesley Matthews didn’t have it going. Nor did Deron Williams or Raymond Felton. The trio combined for 11/37 (29%) shooting. And there was the fact that the Mavs hoisted 19 3s in the second half and only managed to make two of them. Shooting this poorly typically isn’t a winning formula, and its not something you expect from the Mavs every night. Here’s what we learned:
Zaza the Animal
The Mavs big man continues to play extremely well, as he tallied another double-double tonight pouring in 13 points and 10 boards. He continues to impress us all night in and night out.
Boogie Means A Lot
The Kings clearly go as Boogie goes. They are 1-7 without him and 6-5 with him. The Kings center dominated tonight, torching the Mavs with 31 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists.
Rondo decided to shoot well tonight: The ex-Maverick point guard, who we loved so much (not), clearly has a knack of playing his former team for the first time (he torched Boston). He finished the game with 21 points on 6/14 shooting and 5 dimes. He didn’t seem to let Rick Carlisle’s hack-a-Rondo strategy get to his head too much.
Player of the Game
No one, really. But I’ll give it to Zaza for his double double.
Congrats Dirk
Dirk Nowitzki became just the 13th player in NBA history to record 10,000 career made field goals. He’s a treasure.
Up Next
The Mavs can quickly erase this game from their memory, as they head to Portland to take on Al-Farouq Aminu and the Trail Blazers tomorrow night.
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