The Dallas Mavericks (9-16) bounced back in a big way Saturday night, throttling the Houston Rockets (15-6) at home, 122-109. Anthony Davis led the Mavericks with 29 points, eight rebounds, two assists, to go along with two steals and a block. Kevin Durant led all Houston scorers with 27 points.
Dallas played as aggressive a start to a game as they’ve played all season. With Ryan Nembhard pushing the pace and Davis and Cooper Flagg finishing plays, Dallas jumped out to a 19-8 lead. Kevin Durant plays basketball for Houston, however, and rallied back with nine straight Rockets points. Houston took the lead briefly, but a PJ Washington strip and dunk gave Dallas a 29-26 cushion after one.
The pace for both teams continued into the second quarter but Dallas maintained the lead throughout. Turnovers and foul trouble bit Houston throughout the frame and they were unable to wrestle control of the game, even if they did take the lead midway through the frame. A pair of late mistakes from the Dallas defense allowed the Rockets to tie it up at 57 just before halftime.
The two teams traded baskets for the first half of the third quarter. Amen Thompson picked up his fourth foul, which would portend serious problems to come for Houston. After the Rockets took a 68-65 lead on a goofy backcourt turnover around the seven-minute mark, the Dallas defense came alive. The Mavericks rattled off a 14-0 run on the back of four Houston turnovers in rapid succession. The Mavericks scored on something close to 12 straight possessions and built up a 17-point lead to take into the final frame. Dallas led 94-77 after three periods of play.
The Maverick lead grew to as many as 22 before Dallas took their collective foot off the gas. Houston took advantage of the lull from Dallas, forced a number of turnovers, and chipped the lead back to 11 by the five minute mark. Brandon Williams made one of the best fast break steals I remember seeing, effectively ending any chance Houston had of making a comeback. In the end, Dallas won their fourth game in five tries, this time beating the Houston Rockets, 122-109.
You saw the vision in the third quarter
With all disrespect due to our dearly departed former general manager, the third quarter stretch where the defensive whirling dervish of Flagg, Washington and Davis forced the Rockets into a bundle of turnovers all in succession. The trio finished with nine steals and four blocks.
Flagg is just proposterous on defense. He just appears in the right place — and that’s a skill, mind you. After a bad game against the Thunder, where he got caught flat-footed often and gave up baskets he usually doesn’t, he roamed the defensive end of the floor with great presence against the Rockets, treating fans to multiple examples of his next-level anticipation. He’s just good at this.
Washington showed himself last year to be a strong and willing defender, and when paired with Davis and Flagg, his best abilities are amplified. He has trust that his teammates will have his back and help if he gets beat. It’s also a joy to watch him finish in transition.
Davis is a former all-multiverse defender. He can’t guard in space anymore, but that is what it is. His paint defense and rim protection remain fantastic. Great anticipation and reputation force opposing offensive players to overthink regular plays.
Downhill Davis makes all the difference
Compared to Friday night’s massive disappointment (2 points, 1-of-9 shooting), Davis lived in the paint and at the rim on Saturday. When he’s forceful on offense, it changes the effectiveness of everything the Mavericks want to do on that end of the floor. His aggressiveness begets more aggressiveness. It’s really quite something to behold when he goes at the rim. Davis might not have the hops of a 19-year-old Flagg (or the Davis of yesteryear), but he’s still huge and athletic and hard to stop. Houston didn’t have a reasonable answer all game long without Alperen Sengun (illness) and Steven Adams (ankle).
He’s a natural five, and while I’d like to see the Mavericks healthy, at least we don’t have to pay lip service to him wanting to play power forward.
During these last give games where the Mavericks are 4-1, they are turning the ball over just 11 times a game. That’s down in a massive way compared to early in the season where they were averaging north of 15 in every contest. Simply not giving it away gives Dallas an edge they didn’t have earlier on this year, and while it’s difficult to say if they can keep this kind of ball-security intact for the rest of the season, it’s been the defining factor in this stretch of games. That has led to the best basketball we’ve seen from this bunch this season.