The Dallas Mavericks fell 93-99 to the Utah Jazz in game one of their playoff series. Considering the fact that Luka Doncic, the heart and soul of the Mavericks team and one of the greatest players in the league didn’t play, it was a respectable result for the team. With that being said, it’s the playoffs. There are no moral victories. With Doncic listed as doubtful, it’s safe to assume he won’t be playing in game two. Dallas still plays at home, so they must secure a win before heading to Salt Lake City.
Dallas Mavericks: Three Keys for Game Two
1. Keep Utah’s Stars in Check
Utah’s star players include Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.
Mitchell only scored two points in the first half of game one. He then exploded for 30 in the second half. This, of course, is a problem. With that being said, Mitchell still shot 10/29, or slightly over 30 percent. That’s essentially a win for Dallas. They need to keep stifling him, but also avoid the fouls as he shot 10/11 from the line. Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock will be key here.
Gobert only attempted one field goal and did not convert. He ended with five points, all coming through free throws. Dallas needs to run that same defense on him. Gobert’s main impact, of course, comes on the defensive side of the ball. The Mavericks hold a collection of bigs with different playing styles, so they must continuously rotate them and keep Gobert guessing.
Bojan Bogdanovic shredded the Mavericks, but the team can live with him being Utah’s primary scorer instead of Mitchell.
2. More of a Big Man Rotation
Dallas used Dwight Powell, Maxi Kleber, and Davis Bertans as their bigs in game one. Bertans hardly qualifies as a big.
Powell is a solid option, although is severely limited offensively without Doncic.
Kleber played a strong defensive game, but he remains in a funk on offense. He’ll always have the green light to shoot if his shot is open, but Kleber should limit his offense to an extent. Live in the paint and only take open threes.
Bertans should be phased out, or at least see reduced minutes. He’s known as the “Latvian Laser,” although he hasn’t had any impressive moments on offense with Dallas. This isn’t likely to change. Utah also constantly targeted him on defense.
The Mavericks need to use Marquese Chriss and Boban Marjanovic. Chriss is extremely-athletic and provides a change of pace. Lastly, Marjanovic contributes plenty in small spurts of time.
Dallas does not have great bigs, especially compared to Gobert. For this reason, constant rotation is the best move to make.
3. The Dallas Mavericks Must Use the High Pick and Roll
The high pick and roll is the go-to offense for the Mavericks when Doncic is playing. Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie do not compare to Doncic, but the team still understands this offense. Brunson and Dinwiddie remain great guards and are capable of doing this. This offense will also allow Powell to do a lot more than what was shown in game one.
Dallas struggled offensively in game one. They cannot continue to rely on iso play from Brunson and Dinwiddie because Utah has plenty of their own weapons as well, paired with solid defense.
It’s unlikely that Dallas wins without Brunson and Dinwiddie getting at least 20 points apiece, but the offense needs to be more inclusive.
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