Dallas Mavericks Make Statement With Win In Charlotte
The Dallas Mavericks have been nothing short of impressive during their four-game winning streak. Ever since that come-from-behind win over the Sacramento Kings at home, the Mavericks have been dominant.
Just ask the Philadelphia 76ers. God bless the Sixers.
Other than the win over Sacramento, Dallas hadn’t been putting teams on notice. Then again, if you dismember an NBA franchise by 53 points and follow that up with a comfortable win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, you’re taking care of business.
But to go on the road to a building where you got manhandled a season ago, and make it look easy against a playoff team, that’s more than taking care of business: That’s a statement.
That’s what the Mavericks did on Monday against the Charlotte Hornets.
Albeit, the Hornets have been far from impressive. Many believed they’d be contending for homecourt advantage in the Eastern Conference playoffs this season after getting Lance Stephenson from Indiana. They’ve struggled and haven’t fully brought back the buzz to Charlotte.
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Dallas went into Charlotte and picked apart the Hornets in a basketball clinic. The Hornets are no slouch defensively. This is the same Charlotte team that no one noticed was in the playoffs until Game 4 against the Miami Heat, when they got swept.
And this is the same Charlotte team that dismantled Dallas, inside Time Warner Cable Arena, on Feb. 11.
The Mavericks had yet to play a strong defensive team until Monday. How did they respond?
- All five starters scored in double figures.
- Dallas shot 51 percent as a team.
- The Mavericks dominated the glass, outrebounding Charlotte 50-35.
- Dirk Nowitzki became the fourth player ever to score 27,000 points with one team.
Not a bad day’s work. Not to mention, the Mavericks held Charlotte to 87 points. I’m well aware Charlotte’s offense isn’t great, but the fact of the matter is, it should be. The Hornets are a talented team. They’re going to be in the playoffs, and once Kemba Walker and Stephenson start making shots, look out.
But 11 games in, now at 8-3, this was a statement win for the Mavericks. The back-to-back blowouts were what was expected. Going into Charlotte and dominating that game? It wasn’t supposed to be that emphatic.
Dallas hasn’t been the teams they should beat as of late, but that will come at some point. The key is, they’re manhandling the easy teams, like the Utahs, the Philadelphias and the Minnesotas.
Again, Charlotte is a capable playoff team and that building is hard to play in when that crowd gets going.
This win in Charlotte was a reminder that this Dallas team is not a pushover. They’re not going to win every game by 30-40 points, but the Mavs are so lethal offensively. This was the third straight game Dirk played under 30 minutes, and Dallas blew a team out.
For the first time in who knows how long, Dallas is figuring out how to win games without needing Dirk to bail them out. Monta Ellis had 18 points, Chandler Parsons had 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists, Tyson Chandler had 14 points and nine rebounds, and even Jameer Nelson did some good basketball things.
Dirk, meanwhile, was a pedestrian 6-of-14 shooting, had 13 points in only 25 minutes of action.
It stems even beyond the starters, who all played well. This bench is quickly becoming one of, if not the best bench in the NBA. Al-Farouq Aminu is becoming a great role player for the Mavericks with his athleticism and his somewhat-developed 3-point shot. Brandan Wright continues to lead the world in field goal percentage.
All of this was while Devin Harris left the game with leg soreness. The Mavs didn’t even need their Sixth Man to contribute to make quick work of the Hornets.
This Mavs team is the real deal. It’s still a work in progress. Nothing’s perfect, especially when it comes to the Mavericks. Dallas is on a four-game winning streak and hold the most efficient offense in the NBA. And there’s still plenty of room to grow.
Dallas came into Charlotte looking to make a statement, and it was emphatic.