DHJ Quick Take: Bagley\u2019s Return vs. Lakers<\/p>\n
The Efficiency Engine Returns: The Mavericks are expected to regain a critical offensive piece as Marvin Bagley III is listed as probable for Sunday\u2019s clash against the Lakers. Before a shoulder impingement sidelined him, Bagley was in the midst of his best stretch in Dallas, punctuated by a 26-point, 9-rebound masterpiece in Portland.<\/p>\n
Solving the \u201cMismatch Nightmare\u201d: Bagley\u2019s unique gravity as both a rim-runner and a 47.8% three-point shooter (on modest volume) creates what P.J. Washington calls a \u201cmismatch nightmare.\u201d By forcing opposing bigs to choose between protecting the paint or contesting the arc, Bagley opens the floor for Brandon Williams and Cooper Flagg.<\/p>\n
Reinforcements for the AAC: With Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, and Caleb Martin still sidelined, Bagley\u2019s return is a vital injection of size and rebounding for a squad mired in a 14-game home losing streak. Alongside John Poulakidas (probable), Bagley gives the Mavericks a proven secondary scoring option to flank Flagg\u2019s historic production as they face a Lakers team fighting for postseason positioning.<\/p>\n
DALLAS \u2014 The Dallas Mavericks<\/a> could be getting one of their most versatile offensive weapons back at exactly the right time.<\/p>\n Marvin Bagley III<\/a> is listed as probable for Sunday\u2019s home game against the Los Angeles Lakers with a left shoulder impingement, the team announced Saturday. The injury was sustained in what was the best performance of his time in Dallas \u2014 a 26-point, 9-rebound explosion on 11-of-14 shooting in a 100-93 win at Portland on March 28 that snapped a five-game losing streak.<\/p>\n In 18 games with the Mavericks since arriving at the deadline, Bagley has averaged 10.6 points and 7.1 rebounds in 21.6 minutes per game while shooting 59.8% from the field and 47.8% from three \u2014 the latter on modest volume but at a clip that underscores what teammates have said about his shooting ability in practice translating when he lets it fly in games. His 63.3% true shooting percentage in that stretch reflects a player who does not waste possessions, and his rebounding output \u2014 2.4 offensive boards and 4.7 defensive per game \u2014 gives Dallas a physical presence it has been missing since Dereck Lively II<\/a> went down.<\/p>\n The timing of a potential return is notable. Dallas enters Sunday having lost five of its last six, sitting at 24-53 with the franchise-record home losing streak now at 14 games following Thursday\u2019s 138-127 defeat to Orlando \u2014 a night that produced Cooper Flagg<\/a>\u2018s historic 51-point performance but not a win. Getting Bagley back into the rotation gives Jason Kidd<\/a> a proven secondary option at a moment when the Mavericks\u2019 supporting cast has been stretched thin by injuries.<\/p>\n What Dallas Mavericks Have Missed<\/p>\n The Portland game illustrated exactly what Bagley brings to this offense when healthy. His ability to step out to the three-point line while remaining a threat as a roller forced Donovan Clingan<\/a> into a series of impossible choices \u2014 follow him out of the paint and give up the rim, or stay anchored and allow wide-open looks. Three made threes and two crucial baskets in the closing two minutes, including a driving reverse dunk that put the game away, underscored what he is capable of when the structure around him is right.<\/p>\n P.J. Washington<\/a> identified the problem Bagley creates for opposing defenses in a postgame conversation with Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a> after the Portland win.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was being dominant,\u201d Washington told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>. \u201cWe were finding him and giving him the ball and just letting him do him. He\u2019s scoring at a high level in the paint. He\u2019s just a mismatch nightmare for them tonight. I feel like when he\u2019s in the pick-and-roll, it\u2019s good for us. If we hit him in the pocket, he can make plays, he can pass, he can score.\u201d<\/p>\n Brandon Williams<\/a>, who grew up playing against Bagley before the two became teammates in Dallas, has watched that chemistry develop in real time.<\/p>\n \u201cI love playing with Marvin,\u201d Williams said. \u201cI used to play against him growing up \u2014 we\u2019re from the same high school class \u2014 so it\u2019s fun to finally be on the same team. We\u2019re just building chemistry day by day.\u201d<\/p>\n That chemistry showed up most visibly in the Portland closing run, where Williams connected with Bagley on back-to-back possessions to put the game away. Williams also addressed the one element of Bagley\u2019s game that has been inconsistent throughout the season.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, he can shoot,\u201d Williams said. \u201cSame with Dwight Powell<\/a> \u2014 those dudes can shoot. They do it all the time in practice. I don\u2019t know why they don\u2019t shoot more in games, but when they do and it goes in, I\u2019m like, \u2018Keep shooting.\u2019 It\u2019s good for his development for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n Jason Kidd was equally direct about what Bagley\u2019s efficiency meant for the team that night.<\/p>\n \u201c11-for-14, 26 points,\u201d Kidd said after the Portland win. \u201cHe was shooting the three well. He just let the game come to him, and I thought down the stretch between him and B. Will, running the pick-and-roll was really good.\u201d<\/p>\n Cooper Flagg, who watched the closing sequence from the floor, put it plainly afterward.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was incredible,\u201d Flagg said of Bagley. \u201cHe just showed up in a big way, especially down the stretch. Donovan is a big dude \u2014 he\u2019s hard to combat down there. But I thought Marv did a great job just playing with his size and athleticism to match that.\u201d<\/p>\n The Bigger Picture<\/p>\n Dallas will also have John Poulakidas<\/a> available Sunday, listed as probable. Moussa Ciss\u00e9 and Tyler Smith<\/a> are questionable. Caleb Martin<\/a>, Kyrie Irving<\/a>, and Dereck Lively II remain out.<\/p>\n The Lakers represent a meaningful test. Los Angeles is pushing for playoff positioning in the Western Conference, and the matchup gives Dallas a chance to evaluate its roster with Bagley back in the mix alongside Flagg, Williams, Klay Thompson<\/a>, and Khris Middleton<\/a>.<\/p>\n For Bagley, who described his approach in Portland as simply trying to \u201ctake my time, not rush, and get a quality look,\u201d Sunday is an opportunity to pick up where he left off before the shoulder sidelined him \u2014 and to remind a Dallas team that has been searching for consistent secondary contributors all season exactly what it looks like when he is right.<\/p>\n Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. CT at American Airlines Center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DHJ Quick Take: Bagley\u2019s Return vs. Lakers The Efficiency Engine Returns: The Mavericks are expected to regain a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":698793,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3793],"tags":[7,686,149,4057,166,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-698792","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas-mavericks","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-dallas","10":"tag-dallas-mavericks","11":"tag-dallasmavericks","12":"tag-mavericks","13":"tag-nba"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/698792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=698792"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/698792\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/698793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=698792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=698792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=698792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}