Mavs Game Observations: Game 34 @ Rockets

One quarter of fun, followed by three quarters of pain...The sequel

Photo by Alex Slitz / Getty Images

After a 110–99 beating by the Houston Rockets, the Mavericks are officially in a slump. They’ve now lost three in a row and four of their last five games, struggling to break the 100-point mark in four of those contests. To make matters worse, P.J. Washington went down with a right knee sprain in the second quarter, adding to the growing list of concerns for Dallas.

The Mavericks, who earlier in the season played with flair, incredible pace, and unselfish ball movement during a stretch without their best player Luka Dončić, now look rattled and are searching for their identity the second time around. Despite their struggles on offense, the Mavericks continue to lose on the margins—in the hustle and effort categories.

In all three consecutive losses, Dallas actually shot better than their opponents (with a higher effective field goal percentage), but still fell short due to other factors: a negative rebounding margin against the Blazers, a turnover margin last night against the Rockets, or both in the loss to the Kings.

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Today’s notes:

1. One good quarter of structure and focus wasn’t enough

2. Collapses in the second and third quarters

3. Offensive struggles and missing Luka, Part I: Turnovers

4. Offensive struggles and missing Luka, Part II: The pressure on Kyrie

5. Cascading problems: Losing P.J., Gafford’s struggles, and extended Maxi minutes (🎞️VIDEO)

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1-One good quarter of structure and focus wasn’t enough

Like in Sacramento, the Mavericks opened the game strong, building an early double-digit lead and winning the first quarter 30–24.

Dereck Lively II and Klay Thompson returned to the lineup and made an immediate impact. Thompson scored 8 points in the first quarter, punishing Alperen Sengun in drop coverage with off-screen jumpers. On the other end, the Mavericks started strong by doubling Sengun, competing defensively, getting stops, and generating a few solid transition looks as a result.

The only issue for Dallas early on was excessive fouling. Houston attempted 13 free throws in the first quarter, which kept them in the game. Even the fouling had a silver lining, as it allowed the Mavericks to run more set plays and structured offense after free-throw situations—arguably the most structured offense we’ve seen from them in recent games.

2-Collapses in the second and third quarters

What followed that first quarter was a series of events that spiraled into yet another collapse, resulting in another game that was effectively decided long before the final buzzer.

The defensive collapse began when Lively picked up two quick fouls—his third overall—forcing Jason Kidd to substitute him with Daniel Gafford early in the second quarter. Sengun took full advantage, scoring on four possessions against Gafford, as the Mavericks’ earlier well-executed doubles became late or entirely absent.

That defensive breakdown coincided with the Mavericks’ offensive struggles, as they became too reckless with the ball once again—which brings me to my next point.

3-Offensive struggles and missing Luka, Part I: Turnovers

In my preview, I mentioned that the Rockets compensate for their low efficiency in half-court offense with aggressive play and by winning the possession battle. While Houston’s dominance on the offensive glass was the Mavericks’ downfall in the first matchup, it was turnovers that proved fatal last night.

Ball and offense control is where the absence of Dončić is really starting to show—a trend I had already highlighted as a side effect of the more evenly distributed offense and multiple players handling the ball and initiating actions. With Dončić, the Mavericks were consistently a low-turnover team, ranking in the top five in turnover rate in each of the last six seasons. However, they’re now trending downward, currently sitting at 12th.

Last night, the Mavericks committed 20 turnovers, most of which were the result of poor decisions and bad passes. Thompson led the way with 5, followed by Irving with 4, Dinwiddie and Hardy with 3 each, and Gafford and Maxi Kleber with 2 apiece.

4-Offensive struggles and missing Luka, Part II: The pressure on Kyrie