The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Houston Rockets 113-100 on Friday night in Houston. Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 30 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. Kevin Porter Jr. has been a Houston star since he was 17.
The Mavericks were clearly the more talented team, and they took advantage of that. The Rockets had absolutely no response to the Luka Doncic/Dwight Powell pick and roll. The Mavericks launched it early and often with great success.
The Rockets made the score much closer than the game actually was, with some late showing off. But make no mistake, the Mavericks absolutely dominated this game.
Here’s what you need to know.
Dwight Powell had the best match of his career.
The Rockets were incredibly bad at pick-and-roll defense, but Powell still needed to play well to take advantage, and he certainly did. In the first half, he had 22 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists. He was 8 of 9 from the floor and 6 of 6 from the free throw line.
The Rockets apparently decided to change their defense to take Powell’s rim runs in the second half, limiting his scoring. But every time Powell forces the defense to change their defense to accommodate him, this team is in a lot of trouble given the talented defenders on this team. He still finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. He was the leader of the plus-19 team.
Maxi Kleber broke down
Kléber was booked for three fouls in just four minutes in the first half. He was in a slump before this game and it looks like it was an opportunity for him to take advantage of the match to get things going. He didn’t. Kleber is incredibly important to the Mavericks’ success as he is the only major player on the roster besides Powell. It was good to see Powell playing well, but Kleber needs to play better.
The Mavericks simply have no choice but to hope for a return to form. When he plays well, Kléber offers too many skills that no one else on the team can replicate. He didn’t play in the second half so it will be interesting to see if he recovers from an injury that could explain his poor performance.
The Mavericks took care of business against a bad team
The Mavericks sometimes have a hard time starting against bad teams, but they put it off early. By the end of the first half they had 23 points, and in the second half everything was just for show. This should always be the goal of a good team playing against a bad team.
Luka Doncic played a very well balanced game.
Luca has had a lot of Supernova games lately. That game didn’t quite qualify as he finished with 30 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, which is relatively normal for him lately. Nevertheless, it was one of the most successful games he had played in recent times. He played well on the court despite limited passes and was very good defensively, even playing part of the game as a defender under the basket.
Spencer Dinwiddie doesn’t have to be a knockout shooter to make his contribution.
Dinwiddie struggled from the 3-point line as he was 1-of-4 today. He still contributed by calming the play and providing size on the defensive perimeter. He got to the ring at will and showed how much he can help even if he doesn’t take punches every night.
He finished with 16 points, seven assists, two steals and a block. Some pessimists have argued that his success with the Mavericks was due to an unstable streak of luck. Shooting helped, but tonight was a good example of why he’s a positive addition even on nights when the jumper isn’t as good.
All in all, it was a much-needed win that got the Mavericks back on track. They let him get a little closer than he should have been in the fourth, but the game was never in doubt.
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