Dallas Mavericks: Balanced Attack Helps Even Series

The Dallas Mavericks earned a huge win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 thanks to their balance on both ends of the court.

After suffering an embarrassing 38-point loss in Game 1, the Dallas Mavericks stormed back and stole Game 2 to even up the series at one game apiece. It was not the prettiest game to watch, nor was it the game we all expected to see, but the Mavs dug a little deeper, with even more injuries this time around, and found a way to shock the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Mavs used a balanced attack in order to get the job done in Game 2.

Starting with the offense, it was Raymond Felton who led the way. After his seven-point outing in Game 2, Felton responded by becoming the most productive player on the floor all night long.

With 21 points and 11 rebounds, Felton picked up his third double-double of the season and gave fans another reason to appreciate what he’s done on the court this year.

Dirk Nowitzki was good again with 17 points while Deron Williams, who was banged up all game, added 13 points and rookie center Salah Mejri posted 12. It was simply an all-around better game, in terms of offense, as the Mavs shared the ball more effectively and responded to every OKC run.

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Now switching the focus to the defense, we will get to dive into the exact reason why the Mavs won the game.

Wesley Matthews, though he had a terrible night offensively, came up huge with critical steals and forced turnovers in the fourth quarter. The entire night, he was either guarding Kevin Durant (7-for-33 shooting) or Russell Westbrook (8-for-22 shooting), and when he wasn’t, Felton got the call, delivering with some hard-nosed defense to add to his great game.

The Thunder, as a team, shot just 33.7 percent from the floor as their big three (Durant, Westbrook, Serge Ibaka) were the only players to get to double figures.

It was the Mavs’ defense that thwarted any kind OKC turnaround as they lost their 15th game of the season when leading after three quarters. Even on the last possession of the game, when the Thunder were desperately trying to score in the final seconds, the defense held up and held out long enough for Steven Adams‘ shot to come late.

Afterwards, Nowitzki spoke on his team’s performance (via SportsDay):

"“We let ‘em know we’re here to fight. Obviously, with their talent and their team, they’re still the heavy favorites. But we let them know this is not going to be an easy walkover.”"

The most amazing thing about the game was that the Mavs used Mejri as their primary center (28 minutes) and got quality offense and defense from him in an intense playoff atmosphere like Oklahoma City. Also, Justin Anderson stepped up in a big way, igniting energy into the team at critical times in the second half.

The simple statement made by losing a game by 38 points two nights before was a testament to how mentally tough the veterans and young players on the team are–not to mention how masterful Rick Carlisle can be when his team needs a turnaround.

Though a balanced game is what every team strives to play night in and night out, it’s something the Mavs must do consistently if they want to have a chance once they head back home. A heavy dosage of Matthews plus a team full of players with chips on their shoulders just might be good enough for some more playoff drama.

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The Mavs could still be without some key players, like J.J. Barea and David Lee, on Thursday, but playing in Dallas is going to make things interesting after a hard-fought victory.