Beautiful poster on this Thursday evening in Brooklyn, where the Nets in “back-to-back” and in bad shape at the start of the season receive Luka Doncic’s Mavericks, beaten twice in three matches to start their 2022/23 fiscal year. .
During the first half, the two teams each had their highlights, but the confrontation was overall very balanced (61-59 in favor of Dallas at halftime).
On the Mavericks side, we particularly remember Luka Doncic’s XXL first quarter (13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals) which puts the Dallas troops on the right track, and more broadly the excellent outside address which represents nearly 50% of the points scored in the first period (10/19). On the Nets side, it’s more disjointed in the first act, but a rise in offensive power in the second quarter, embodied by Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving who compile 26 points and by Royce O’Neale and Yuta Watanabe who at two bring four outside shots, balance things out afterwards.
Returning from the locker room after the break, a 15-point third quarter from Luka Doncic allows the Mavericks to maintain a solid momentum after half an hour of play (90-84), before attacking the last act.
Except that nothing goes as planned for Jason Kidd’s men in this fourth quarter: the attack is suddenly down, with only 22 points scored and a Luka Doncic who takes only one shot. At the same time, the Nets are fighting back, via, of course, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving who have accumulated 23 points to two, more than the Mavericks! In the last moments, a decisive interception by Ben Simmons on Luka Doncic leads to a dunk of the equalizer of “KD”. On the next possession, Reggie Bullock, served by the Slovenian, misses the “game-winner” and the two parties go into overtime (112-112).
An extension that the Mavericks dominate overall, thanks in particular to a series of three award-winning shots in a row from the start to widen the gap. The Nets did not abdicate because Kevin Durant continued his efforts, but Luka Doncic, after a too discreet fourth quarter, then scored two important shots. In the game of free throws, the Mavericks then secure the victory (129-125).
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Grand but lonely Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. With 37 points (with 3 rebounds, 5 rebounds and 2 steals) for the first and 39 for the second (with 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 4 blocks), the Nets were carried throughout the evening by their XXL duo, but had to surrender in the end. An observation certainly bitter for the two stars of Brooklyn, who probably had the feeling of having been a little alone in the world during this meeting, while the club collected a fourth defeat in five matches…
– Mavericks saved by outside address. Authors of a 20/40 behind the arc, the Mavericks have scored 46.5% of their points at this distance since they finish with 129 points in total. An observation which is not new for this team which reached, last season, historic heights of offensive efficiency by relying on outside shooting, but which relates well to what point this club lives and dies by its address. exterior. When she lives from it, the damage is substantial.
– First triple-double of the season for Luka Doncic. XXL performance from the Slovenian: 13 points in the first quarter, 15 points in the second, then a few decisive shots in overtime to make up for a ghostly fourth quarter. In total, 41 points that crack the Nets defense, but also 14 assists to offer many open shots to his teammates, including 3-pts as mentioned above, and 11 rebounds. Immense.
TOPS & FLOPS
✅ The Mavericks bench. If Luka Doncic was as usual the nerve center of the attack, the Slovenian leader was not particularly well supported by the other holders. No worries, since the substitutes came to the rescue: 54 points scored! We note in particular the 33 cumulative points of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber, who pounded the Nets defense wide, with four winning shots for the first and three for the second.
✅ David Duke Jr.. He didn’t finish the game in regular time as he committed a sixth playoff foul late in the fourth quarter, but the young fullback still had time to show his advantage. Limited in attack but opportunistic far from leather and a real ball of energy in defense, he brought 10 points and 5 rebounds in about twenty minutes. A useful rotation player.
⛔️ The Nets Offensive Game Plan. In absolute terms, victory was not far away for the Nets, who lost only 4 points in overtime. But basically, the face of the Nets was disappointing, particularly in attack with this worrying ratio of 20 assists for 13 losses of ball. And for that, Steve Nash is partly to blame. The Nets technician did not, at any time, seem in control of his game plan in attack, and the offensive phases thus consisted of an incessant sequence of isolations for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, forced to work miracles with for only base a screen in the axis. If their immense offensive talent was almost enough to win, it is no less worrying for a team that is still looking for an identity…
THE FOLLOWING
– net : reception of the Pacers, on the night of Saturday to Sunday (1h30)
– Mavericks : reception of the Thunder, the same night (2h)
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