Recap: Wizards 101 at Mavericks 107; Mavs outlast winless Wizards to end three-game skid
Earl K. Sneed recaps the Dallas Mavericks' Wednesday night matchup against the winless Washington Wizards, as the Mavs jumped out to a 22-point lead before holding on late to end a three-game losing streak.
Recap: Wizards 101 at Mavericks 107; Mavs outlast winless Wizards to end three-game skid
DALLAS — Something needed to change.
After seeing his team limp to a three-game losing streak without its best scorer and best defender due to injuries, Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle made a change to his starting lineup.
Before facing a winless Washington Wizards squad, Carlisle announced that he would be replacing center Brandan Wright with big man Chris Kaman and rookie small forward Jae Crowder with nine-year veteran Dahntay Jones. And without 11-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki (right knee surgery) and forward Shawn Marion (sprained left MCL) once again, Carlisle looked for a better start to the night after following up three straight 30-plus point opening quarters with first periods of 23, 21 and 17 points during the losing streak.
And while the new-look lineup wouldn’t immediately impose its will, it wouldn’t be long before the Mavericks (5-4) got back to their old form, sprinting to a lead as large as 22 before holding on for dear life late en route to a 107-101 victory to end their losing skid.
“We’ll take it right now. Being on that three-game schneid wasn’t too good, so we’ll take it and take it with us on the road,” guard O.J. Mayo said of the win before leading his team on a two-game road trip.
With Jones and Kaman alongside power forward Elton Brand on the front line and the backcourt of Darren Collison and Mayo, the Mavericks tried to end their spell of slow starts. But, with rookie Bradley Beal catching fire early from behind the 3-point arc and point guard A.J. Price adding another trey from deep, Carlisle would be forced to call for a timeout with his team down 13-8 midway through the opening quarter.
After the timeout, however, Mayo would begin to assort himself by leading a 6-0 spurt to put his team in front. And with the sharpshooter hitting all three of his shot attempts in the quarter, the Mavs took a 23-19 edge into the second stanza.
“We didn’t get off to a good start, but we pulled it together and that group ended up doing OK,” Carlisle said of his new starting unit. “It is never going to be about who starts and how the starters do. It is a whole game and we have to work a rotation that fits the right pieces together through 48 minutes, and that’s what the goal is going to be.”
Beginning the second quarter with a four-point play by Martell Webster after his 3 was coupled with a foul on the rookie Crowder, the Wizards refused to go away early in the second period. But Crowder made up for it on the offensive end, as the Mavs opened up a double-digit lead a short time later.
With Crowder and Mayo cashing in while Collison pushed up the pace, a 15-2 Dallas run would further separate the two squads on the scoreboard as Dallas surged ahead by as much as 19. Kaman would handle the rest, joining Mayo in double figures and boosting the Mavs to a 63-45 halftime advantage after meeting Beal at the rim for a big rejection to add an exclamation point to a season-high 40-point quarter.
Led by Kaman’s 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting and Mayo’s 5-for-6 from the field for 12 points, the Mavericks outshot the Wizards (0-7) through the first 24 minutes of play, 59.5 percent to 42.2 percent. Dallas also held a 20-17 rebounding margin, 30-16 points in the paint advantage and 10-0 separation in fast-break points at the midway mark, committing just four turnovers to Washington’s 10 giveaways.
Continuing their dominance from the first half, the duo of Kaman and Mayo helped the lead balloon to 22 coming out the locker room. But, despite the lopsided score, the Wizards continued to battle with a 7-0 run.
Still, with Crowder and backup big man Troy Murphy moving into double figures, the Mavs entered the final quarter with an 85-67 lead.
“I thought the first three quarters for the most part were pretty solid,” Kaman explained. “They battled us back and forth, 15, 17, 20, but ultimately I thought we did a good job for the first three quarters. The fourth quarter was kind of a shame, in my opinion. I don’t think we did what we’re supposed to do as a team collectively, and that’s something that we have to improve upon.”
Led by sharpshooters Jordan Crawford and Cartier Martin catching fire from the outside off the Wizards’ bench, however, the game wasn’t over after the first three quarters.
Starting the fourth quarter with an 18-3 run, the Wizards climbed to within three, 88-85, with 6:59 left.
“I thought defensively we were really into it. Offensively, we were attacking and making the simple plays. That’s what built the lead,” Mayo said. “Then we got a little comfortable and content with the lead and they kept firing away. You know, they haven’t won a game yet this season, so obviously they’re gonna play until the end and see what happens.”
The Mavs would then put the ball back into the hands of Mayo and Kaman, surging back ahead by seven, 94-87, on Mayo’s jumper with 5:43 still on the clock.
Exchanging scores with Martin and big man Kevin Seraphin, Mayo got a much-needed helping hand from eight-time All-Star Vince Carter with a big and-one score in the lane to go in front by seven. Still, the Wizards closed to within three before a 1-of-2 trip to the foul line by Mayo and a 2-for-2 trip by Collison with 26.5 seconds remaining.
The Mavs weren’t out of the woods just yet, though, as Martin connected on another 3-ball with 21.3 ticks left, trimming the Dallas lead in half. That’s when stellar ball movement broke the Wizards’ trap, leading to a Kaman score with 17.8 seconds to put the game away.
“We just didn’t do our job in the fourth quarter, whether it be myself, Elton, whoever. Nobody did what we’re supposed to do, but we snuck that win out. We didn’t really deserve to win that game at the end, but we did. Fortunately we came out with the win,” Kaman added.
Leading the way for the Mavs was Mayo, scoring 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Back in the starting lineup, Kaman added a season-high 23 points and eight rebounds, while Crowder’s 12 points, Brand’s 11 points and Murphy’s 10 points made it five Mavericks in double figures.
Scoring 21 points off the bench on 6-of-11 shooting, Crawford led four Wizards in double figures. Seraphin added 16 points and Martin pitched in 14 points off the bench, hitting 4-of-4 from 3 in the fourth quarter.
But the Mavs finished the night outshooting the Wizards, 50 percent to 48.1 percent, in addition to a 40-34 rebounding edge led by Brand’s double-double with 12 boards. The Mavs also finished with 13 turnovers on the night, bettering Washington’s 17 giveaways but leading to 19 points for their opponents.
“We’ve gotta take it for what it is. It was a game that we certainly wanted to win, and we’ve gotta be honest with ourselves about how we’re playing,” Carlisle concluded. “We’re playing a brand of basketball that isn’t where it needs to be. We’ve gotta get better, so we’ve got practice tomorrow and then a tough back-to-back. We’ve gotta be patient but persistent with the team.”
The Mavs will now head back out on the road for a two-game road trip, touching down in Indiana for Friday night’s matchup against the Pacers. The game will air locally at 6 p.m. CT on Fox Sports Southwest.
