Mavs Game Observations: Game 25 @ Thunder [NBA Cup Special]

Mavs outhustled and out of the NBA Cup in OKC

Photo by Joshua Gateley / Getty Images

In my preview, I mentioned we were in for a playoff-like game in December.

The Mavericks may have taken that a bit too literally, treating it like almost every Game 1 of last year’s playoffs—feeling it out, seeing what the opponents threw at them, and planning to adjust for the next game in the series. The problem is, that in the single-elimination NBA Emirates Cup format, there is no Game 2. The OKC Thunder brought the playoff intensity and thunder, beating the Mavs 118-104 at home.

The Mavericks looked like a team that had been on the road for too long, playing their third consecutive away game and eight of their last ten. Meanwhile, the younger, more aggressive Thunder jumped on them from the first possession. NBA games are often won by the team that brings more energy and force, and that was undeniable last night.

While the beating was tough to watch for most of the game, it shouldn't overshadow the fact that the Mavericks have been doing a lot of great things recently. This was just their second loss in the last 13 games, and they remain well-positioned at the top of the Western Conference with a 16-9 record.

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Today’s notes:

1. OKC brought the playoff intensity and dominated the possession game

2. Playing fast eventually backfired

3. Two different star performances, two contrasting approaches to stop them

4. Point of attack defense, Achilles' heel of this Mavericks team

5. Positives: Marshall and O-Max making plays against closeouts (🎞️VIDEO)

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1-OKC brought the playoff intensity and dominated the possession game

As tough as the game was for the Mavericks' two stars, with Luka Dončić and, to a lesser extent, Kyrie Irving being outplayed by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams (more on that in the next note), this game was ultimately decided by hustle plays. The Mavericks actually shot the ball better than the Thunder, posting a 56.9% effective field goal percentage compared to 56.0%. However, there was a huge disparity in turnovers and rebounding.

Source: Cleaning the Glass

For the Mavericks to have any chance of keeping up with the aggressive, turnover-generating defense of OKC, they need to compensate for lost possessions on the offensive glass. Last night, the Thunder dominated the Mavericks in this area as well, grabbing 10 more offensive rebounds, with often two or three OKC wing players crashing the boards from different angles (P.J. Washington was badly missed as a key factor in the Mavericks' size advantage). Combined with a +5 turnover margin and a 36-17 gap in points off turnovers, it was a losing formula for Dallas.

2-Playing fast eventually backfired

This season, I’ve often been surprised by and praised the Mavericks for sticking to their fast-paced game plan, even in games where grinding it out in the half-court seemed like a more conservative and rational approach. Wins against Atlanta and Memphis are two notable examples of that strategy paying off.

However, last night, especially in the first half (the game was played at a very high pace of 108 possessions per 48 minutes), playing too fast backfired. It was a half in which the Mavericks executed better in the half-court, but 9 turnovers—half of which came from Dončić’s cross-court transition passes being stolen or as a byproduct of pushing the pace—were the reason Dallas trailed by 3 instead of building some separation. Sometimes, fast-paced, up-and-down races lead to great wins, but against a ball-hawking OKC, like last night, they lead to frustrating turnovers.

3-Two different star performances, two contrasting approaches to stop them

First, to set the record straight, the OKC stars outplayed the Mavericks' stars convincingly last night. SGA scored 39 points with only 2 turnovers, while Dončić finished with just 15 points on 5-of-15 shooting, on a tough night, marked by frustrating OKC defense and 6 turnovers. Irving was outscored by Jalen Williams, 18 to 17.

But the contrast wasn’t only glaring in the stars' performances; there was also a significant difference in the defensive strategies both teams employed to try to stop them. Dončić was trapped from the first possession and on every subsequent one for the rest of the night, with OKC clearly willing to live with others trying to beat their fast and aggressive defenders in 4-on-3 situations on a spread court. I mentioned that OKC leads the league in opponent corner three frequency as a by-product of this defensive scheme; the Mavericks took a season-high 17 shots from the corners last night.

In addition to trapping, OKC threw what is probably the most disruptive on-ball and screen navigating defender lineup in the league at Dončić: Dort, Caruso, and Wallace battled fiercely over screens, denied hand-offs, and disrupted plenty of the Mavericks' early actions, forcing them into late-clock situations.

On the other hand, the Mavericks employed a much more conservative approach against SGA (and Williams), mostly playing drop coverage with their big man and switching—or rather, giving up the switch with their guards. They tried to provide late help on the drives with Lively and Gafford, but in most cases, it was too late. SGA got comfortable torching most of the Mavs' defenders, capitalizing on plenty of his patented open mid-range looks.

4-Point of attack defense: Achilles' heel of this Mavericks team

Even after last night, the Mavericks are still a top-10 defense, ranked 8th, allowing 111.2 points per 100 possessions. However, what separates them from the elite defenses—like OKC, Houston, Orlando, Golden State, Boston, and Minnesota—is the lack of pressure and force they apply on the perimeter compared to those teams. Last night, it was a stark difference in how much disruption and force OKC provided on the outside, compared to the Mavericks.

As in the first matchup against OKC, SGA got the matchup he wanted against any of the Mavericks' weaker perimeter defenders—whether it was Irving, Thompson, or Dinwiddie—way too easily. And without Washington, there wasn’t enough length or commitment to provide gap help and necessary rotations, especially if the strategy wasn’t to double-team. Last night SGA shot 15 of 23 from the filed, and with 13 of 19 in the first game, that’s 28 of 42, or 67 percent combined. We often praise Kidd and Sweeney for their defensive adjustments, but it’s clear that the Mavericks were far too passive and inactive against one of the league’s best scorers.

With Spencer Dinwiddie gaining more trust and minutes to make the right play in 4-on-3 situations on offense, compared to Quentin Grimes (who struggled with 1-of-5 shooting and 3 turnovers), it only magnifies the issues on defense. As a result, we saw plenty of instances where Thompson, Dinwiddie, or Irving ended up—and in some cases even started—possessions matched up in isolation against SGA or Williams. In some instances, this happened even with Marshall, Grimes, or Prosper on the floor, which made it even more problematic.

5-Positives: Marshall and O-Max making plays against closeouts (🎞️VIDEO)

Despite the tough loss, there were some positives last night. While the Mavericks' two centers failed to impose their will and make a mark against the scrambling OKC defense, and guards Grimes and Dinwiddie struggled with their shooting, three wing players made key plays in 4-on-3 situations that kept them competitive—if not for the underwhelming performance from their stars and issues with turnovers and rebounding.

Thompson shot the ball well, making 5 of his 10 three-point attempts and totaling 19 points. Naji Marshall matched that total and once again showed he’s a reliable option to punish a rotating and scrambling defense, using a combination of outside shots, drives, and floaters against smaller or scrambling defenders. And Olivier-Maxence Prosper, for the second consecutive game, played meaningful minutes, highlighted by sinking a couple of open corner threes.

While the most obvious question mark with O-Max will always be whether he can make the outside shot consistently, what’s more intriguing—and sometimes baffling—is why he doesn't get more on-ball defensive assignments against opposing scorers, especially to prove the defensive reputation he had when he was drafted last year.