The Dallas Mavericks are back on top after winning Game 3 in Utah. Here are 20 thoughts on the game, including the Mavs’ mini-Draymond, possible solutions for Utah, and an enigmatic Donovan Mitchell.
1. The Mavs hadn’t won in Salt Lake City for six years, and now the black streak ended in the playoffs of all places. At the time, Donovan Mitchell was still an unknown freshman in college and averaged 7 points there, the Mavericks backcourt consisted of Deron Williams and JJ Barea. Dirk Nowitzki scored 22 points and was also present in game 3.
2. The German liked what the best Maverick of all time saw: “Our game plan has been phenomenal for three games,” said Nowitzki happily in the half-time interview with Marc Stein. “We take away the three, prevent the lobs on Gobert. (…) We move the ball, play the kick passes. It’s wonderful to watch.”
3. You don’t want to contradict the Dirkster. The Mavs played a first half after a tough first few minutes. Jalen Brunson hit his floaters and short jumpers, while Spencer Dinwiddie put pressure on the defense with his drives. Utah had no answers, again allowing one open three-way after another. After 22 triples in Game 2, it was 13 again after 24 minutes (in 25 attempts).
4. Sagittarius number one? Again Maxi Kleber, who suddenly makes the nets glow after his nasty slump (18.8 percent threesome since the ASG). “It felt good to take those throws,” said Kleber, who scored 17 points (6/7 FG, 4/5 threes) in 22 minutes. Foul problems prevented a better stat line, but the Würzburger was essential for the success of the Mavs, but more on that later.
Dallas Mavericks: The Brilliance of Josh Green
5. The unsung hero of the first half was Josh Green. “He was incredible,” said head coach Jason Kidd, not exaggerating a bit. Green is sometimes difficult to grasp as a player, as his style is somewhat unique. But precisely this uncertainty can make it difficult for the opponent. This time the guard also managed to be valuable at both ends of the field.
6. Of course, the 6 assists caught the eye and they covered the whole spectrum. There was something of the namesake Draymond about the way the Mavs youngster created open shots for his teammates without even thinking about a shot himself. An easy handoff for Davis Bertans followed by a good screen – open three-pointer. A drive over the baseline with a one-handed pass to the other corner (Luka must have been proud) – open three-pointer. Green was a big factor in Dallas winning the minutes without Brunson (+9) because of his actions that kept Utah’s defense rotating.
7. His influence on defense was similarly great. Green has unbelievably fast hands and keeps surprising his opponents. Thanks to good footwork he can stay in front of them, even a Donovan Mitchell didn’t always have it easy. The question now is whether Green can pull this off consistently. Here and there, the sophomore hesitates too often at the perimeter, which can hamper the flow of the offense. If he hits at least 35 percent consistently over a longer period of time, he is an important rotation player in the long run. In Game 3, he undoubtedly was.
When did Mitchell forget or stop defending?
8. The Mavs put up 41 points in the second quarter and led by 17 points at the break – much to the displeasure of the home fans. There shouldn’t have been that many boos in Salt Lake City for a long time, and Mitchell had no problems with it either: “If I had sat in front of the television as a fan, I would have booed as loud as I can. It’s nothing personal. We were expected to do our job and we didn’t.”
9. And it was really embarrassing what the Jazz offered on defense, especially Mitchell, who provided alibi defense at times. What actually happened to the Mitchell who came into the NBA as a potential chain dog and recorded 8 steals in one game in the Summer League? The facilities are still there. For actions like this there just can’t be an excuse in the playoffs.
10. Of course the offensive load is enormous, but at the same time Utah actually has enough other ball handlers like Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson or even Bojan Bogdanovic to give Mitchell breaks in attack. It remains a mystery, the same applies to the weak first half, in which Mitchell scored just 4 points like in game 1.
