Preseason recap: Phoenix Suns 100 at Dallas Mavericks 94 -- Minus Dirk, turnover-prone Mavs fall to Suns
Preseason recap: Phoenix Suns 100 at Dallas Mavericks 94 -- Minus Dirk, turnover-prone Mavs fall to Suns
DALLAS — It had been an eventful 48 hours since the Dallas Mavericks stormed through Southwest Division rival Houston with a 123-104 victory by the time Wednesday night’s exhibition matchup against the Phoenix Suns rolled around.
After Monday night’s win, 11-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki announced that he wouldn’t be rushing back too soon while he continues to battle a right knee effusion that sidelined him for the team’s prior two preseason showdowns. Then Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle suspended eight-year veteran Delonte West for violating team conduct rules, leaving a hole in the lineup at Tuesday’s practice.
By Wednesday, however, West was reinstated to the team, active and ready to go against the Suns while Nowitzki and fifth-year guard Rodrigue Beaubois (sprained left ankle) were the only Mavs unavailable for action. The Mavericks then hit the home hardwood at American Airlines Center for a second time this preseason, hoping to improve to 3-1 in exhibition play.
But, without No. 41, the Mavericks (2-2) couldn’t notch their second straight W on the home floor. And although five Mavericks scored in double figures, the Mavericks limped to a 100-94 defeat.
“Well, I think so far to me offensively we’ve been scoring some points, but defensively we’re not where we need to be,” new addition Chris Kaman said after the loss, “and still offensively we have obviously some improvements to be made. A lot of new guys is still gonna be quite the struggle for us and figuring out when Dirk’s gonna be back — if he is, how long and all that kind of stuff. They’re not really giving us any kinds of heads up right now, we’re kinda waiting to see what’s going on there and then for us, we’ve gotta continue doing our jobs whether he’s there or not, and then just kinda improve each day. And we did some good things, but we also did some bad things and things that need to improve, and that’s gonna come with practice and more games as well.”
With Nowitzki out a third straight game, Carlisle again with a starting lineup of Darren Collison at the point, O.J. Mayo and Shawn Marion on the wings, Elton Brand at the 4 and Kaman at center. But, despite getting off to a hot start from the field, the Mavs found themselves in a quick hole thanks to their early turnovers.
Newcomer Elton Brand, who scored 11 points in the opening quarter, and eight-time All-Star Vince Carter would help change things around, however, powering a 15-0 run to help the Mavericks escape into the second stanza with a 31-28 edge.
“The first quarter score was a misleading score,” Carlisle confessed. “The guys that were killing us got out of the game and we made a run with their second unit guys. We just have to get better.”
Defensive pressure and active hands would lead to fast-break opportunities for the Mavs as the second period began with the bench extending the lead.
“The more active we are it makes it that much easier on the opposite end,” Marion explained. “But, it’s gonna start with us; everybody just getting a feel for each other and knowing and communicating. You know, our communication has gotta be really big now, because it’s a lot of guys learning this new system and, if the communication isn’t there, it’s gonna be a huge problem.”
Meanwhile, Carter continued to light the net on fire with his outside shooting. But the Mavs’ lead wasn’t safe, finding themselves in a dogfight after going up by as much as eight, before an 8-0 spurt to close the half lifted the home team to a 54-49 advantage at the intermission.
Getting a combined 34 points from the trio of Carter, Brand and Kaman, the Mavericks overcame 11 first-half turnovers that led to 13 Phoenix points. Meanwhile, the Mavericks connected on 5-of-12 from 3-point range and outshot the Suns, 53.8 percent to 39.6 percent, at the midway mark.
The Mavs would come out of the locker room sluggishly, while the Suns (2-1) took advantage at the other end of the floor. Frustration would then build as Brand was assessed a technical foul for arguing with officiating after not receiving a call on a drive down the lane.
And after trailing by as much as 10 after a 3-ball from Goran Dragic, the Mavs entered the final 12 minutes of play facing an 81-74 deficit.
Making up for their poor play in the prior period, the Mavs began to chop away at their disadvantage in the fourth with hustle plays led by West, who sacrificed his body while diving into the third row of the stands trying to track down a loose ball.
Carlisle then turned the game over to his three drafted rookies and young stars, as a lineup of Josh Akognon, Jared Cunningham, Dominique Jones, Jae Crowder and Bernard James inched the team closer in the final minutes. But, even with the hustle of Akognon and Crowder following up his 20-point game two nights earlier with another double-figure performance, the Mavericks never got closer than within two the rest of the way, eventually falling to defeat despite a spirited close to the game.
Led by 16 points for Kaman and 15 more from Carter off the bench, the Mavericks finished outshooting the Suns, 46.3 percent to 44.2 percent. Mayo added 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting, Brand added 11 points and Crowder pitched in 10 points.
Still, the Mavs couldn’t overcome their 21 turnovers, which led to 19 Phoenix points at the other end.
“It was a mixture of poor recognition and bad decisions,” Carlisle said of the turnovers. “We have to keep the game as simple as possible. We have to play with high-level force, and if we do that, we will be a solid team. But it wasn’t where it needs to be tonight.”
“We’ve just gotta slow down. You know, I think we’re all wanting to do good, wanna be successful, but we’ve just gotta slow down, see the play, make the play. Not too many home run plays,” Mayo added.
Jared Dudley led four Suns in double figures with 16 points of his own, as Phoenix won despite their 19 turnovers for 25 Dallas points.
The Mavericks will now return to the practice court until going back into action Saturday night in a road exhibition showdown against the Atlanta Hawks. The game will air on TXA 21 at 6 p.m. CT.
“We’re obviously not where we need to be,” West said while looking ahead. “You already know we don’t take moral victories over here in Dallas, but it’s a lot of positives we can take from tonight. Just preseason thus far, and it’s a long ways to go before the regular season, but the rookies are developing quickly. It’s a lot going on, man. Dirk’s not here, bigs are trying to get acclimated and new guys, but you can see the flashes that we’re showing and everyone is happy with it. We can go with this.”
