Player Ratings: Recapping Mavericks Vs. Trail Blazers

Twenty-four hours after earning a gutsy win with a depleted roster, the Dallas Mavericks were back on the court (with an even more depleted roster) to face the Portland Trail Blazers for the third time this month. After winning the first two matchups between the two teams, the Mavs couldn’t pull off the trifecta, falling 126-122.

Taking the court without Luka Doncic, Dante Exum and Dereck Lively II due to injury, and without Naji Marshall and PJ Washington due to suspension, the Mavs and coach Jason Kidd would roll with unique lineups all night. For example, Maxi Kleber got the starting nod after playing his best game of the season yesterday. The rest of the starting five included Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, Klay Thompson and Daniel Gafford.

The Mavs appeared to sleep through the first eight minutes of the contest, with Jason Kidd making several substitutions to find some sort of competitive combination. A 9-2 run by the Mavs to end the first quarter helped narrow an 18-point deficit to 11. The second quarter was similar to the first, with the Mavs falling further behind but closing relatively strong. The third was where things unraveled. In a game that felt winnable throughout despite poor rebounding, poor three-point defense and a general absence of cohesion (expected), the Mavs couldn’t hit a shot for far too long in the third. Still, they wouldn’t go away. Led by Kyrie Irving going all out, the Mavs had a chance right up until the end, but couldn’t quite complete an epic comeback. Let’s get to the characters!

Kyrie Irving: A+

46 points / 2 rebounds / 2 assists / 2 steals / 1 block / 4 turnovers (39 minutes)

I won’t sell you short here, dear reader, but like great books that can’t quite be made into good movies, there aren’t enough words for this article to do justice to Kyrie here. He was nothing short of amazing, spectacular, downright incredible… Yes, you can argue that every major statistical category except for points could and should have been higher (with the exception of turnovers which could have been lower) but what he did tonight was simply special and the Mavs wouldn’t have been within double figures of the Blazers if not for him.

Spencer Dinwiddie: B+

17 points / 8 rebounds / 4 assists / 0 steals / 1 blocks / 1 turnover (35 minutes)

Dinwiddie’s shot just hasn’t been quite right lately, but he continues to do smart things to work around it and remains fearless in big moments. He hit a huge fourth quarter three (2-for-6 on the night) and drove to draw fouls (5-for-5 free throws) instead of force jumpers. He rebounded very well and took care of the ball, but just a few more makes would have been huge. He also had an uncharacteristic five fouls. To his credit, Dinwiddie is an important part of this team and I think he sometimes takes more flack than he deserves. He makes good decisions, doesn’t force things and brings much needed ball handling and leadership.

Klay Thompson: C-

12 points / 1 rebound / 1 assist / 0 steals / 1 block / 1 turnover (34 minutes)

On a night when Kyrie really could have used a “two” in the proverbial “one-two punch,” Thompson just didn’t come up with it. He shot poorly (5-for-17, with 2-for-8 from three) and ended the night with a completely unacceptable turnover in the final minute. He was also blown by often in the fourth quarter, when stops were crucial. Hopefully he can flush this one and bring it next time, because it’s best to forget.

Maxi Glue: C-

0 points / 8 rebounds / 5 assists / 0 steals / 2 blocks / 1 turnover (33 minutes)

Despite having a season high in rebounds, Maxi couldn’t quite bring the magic he brought last night. His boards and assists (especially the latter) were close to big, as were his blocks. However, just two shot attempts in 33 minutes won’t cut it in a game with so many players out. His most horrendous offense was not even looking at the rim despite being wide open in the final minute of the game where every second mattered. Instead, he wasted time, making a poor pass to Klay Thompson, who then turned it over, essentially slamming the door on whatever slim chance the Mavs had to tie or win in the closing moments.

Daniel Gafford: A-

15 points / 9 rebounds / 0 assists / 1 steal / 5 blocks / 3 turnovers (28 minutes)

It was hard for me not to go A here at first, pretty much on the back of the crazy block total, but honestly, Gafford could have had quite a few more rebounds and probably shouldn’t have had as many turnovers as he did. On a night where the four and five spots were thin, Gafford did an admirable job for the most part, but you can’t help but feel like he really could have dominated.

Quentin Grimes: B+

15 points / 6 rebounds / 3 assists / 1 steal / 1 block / 0 turnovers (28 minutes)

One of the few bright spots on the night, Grimes put together a competent game. Of course, an all-star game would have been better, but that’s neither here nor there. Grimes shot well, continued to rebound very well and made few if any mistakes. His on-ball defense was fantastic at times and his low assist total isn’t enough to give his grade as he was less of a primary ball handler in this one compared to other games.

Jaden Hardy: C+

11 points / 4 rebounds / 1 assist / 0 steals / 0 blocks / 1 turnover (17 minutes)

On the surface, Hardy’s grade may seem a tad low, at least considering his box score output and the fact that he only recently returned from injury, but watching the fight showed some mistakes that really shouldn’t have happened . The low light walloped a foul three only to immediately follow it up by providing an and-one at the other end. Overall, he has shown that he can be an impact player and a positive difference maker, but it just didn’t quite come together for him in this one where he had the opportunity to shine with so many players out.

Olivier-Maxence Prosper: C+

4 points / 2 rebounds / 1 assist / 1 steal / 0 blocks / 1 turnover (13 minutes)

Prosper didn’t get much burn in meaningful playing time, so he’s a little hard to rate. He was generally fine, though another rebound or two and maybe another steal would have been huge. His free throw shooting was terrible in a game where every point was needed, and it was a spot he could have enjoyed after attempting six while getting just two.