The Dallas Mavericks got back on the hardwood against the Houston Rockets Thursday night. Completing a three-games-in-four nights stretch, the Mavericks unfortunately had more tricks than treats during this Halloween showdown, suffering an embarrassing 108-102 loss to drop their record to 3-2 before heading into a two-day break. Here we will recap game sequences that may get overlooked in the moment, but which nonetheless have a critical impact on momentum and the final outcome.
Turning Point: Dinwiddie to Lively alley-oop
At the 6:35 mark of the second quarter, Spencer Dinwiddie found Derek Lively for an alley-oop dunk to cut the Rockets’ lead to 45-28. On the very next play, Klay Thompson poked the ball away from Jalen Green and dove on the floor to take possession, leading to a layup. At face value, it may be difficult to imagine cutting the deficit to 15 as a turning point, but up until then, the Mavs looked to be sleepwalking through the game. If not for that burst, the 13-point halftime deficit could have been much worse.
Turning Point: Failing to extend a run
From the 2:36 mark of the second quarter to the 9:21 mark of the third, the Rockets did not score a single point. Dallas ended the half on a 6-0 run, but failed to keep up the momentum to start the third. As the Rockets continued their drought for the first two minutes and thirty-nine seconds of the quarter, the Mavericks joined them in not scoring a single point it what could have been an extended run.
Turning Point: Missing a chippy
With 6:50 remaining in the game, the Rockets were up nine, but the Mavericks had come alive. Kyrie Irving had a great game, but the one notable blemish was missing a point blank layup which lead to a bucket and an and-one on the other end. What should have been a seven point game instantly became a 12 point game.
Turning Point: Effective use of a timeout
For those who criticize coach Jason Kidd’s decision making, consider this as a positive on his ledger. Houston called a timeout with 3:56 remaining in the fourth quarter. During the stoppage, Kidd substituted Luka and Kyrie for Quentin Grimes and Dereck Lively. In what may have seemed inexplicable on the surface, Kidd made a great move here. The Mavericks had three timeouts remaining at the time, but teams can only carry two timeouts into the final two minutes. Kidd put in a defensive lineup, which got a stop and the rebound, called his use-it-or-lose it timeout with 3:31 remaining, and promptly put Luka and Kyrie back in the game.
Turning Point: The dagger
With 2:07 remaining, Luka canned a three to cut the Rockets’ lead to three. Dallas got a stop, but Luka turned it over on a play where he was adamant about being fouled. On the other end, the Mavericks forced a missed three, but then gave up an offensive rebound which resulted in a made three. Despite some late heroics from Luka, this sequence effectively put the game out of reach.
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