Summer League Report: 'DoJo' stars, nets 32 in victorious debut
Earl K. Sneed reports from Las Vegas and breaks down Dominique Jones' 32-point performance in the Dallas Mavericks' double-digit Summer League debut win.
Summer League Report: 'DoJo' stars, nets 32 in victorious debut
LAS VEGAS -- Although it was just meant to be the debut of the Dallas Mavericks’ Summer League squad on Sunday, by the end of the team’s first game together the day had become a reintroduction to third-year guard Dominique Jones.
Taking the court at the Cox Pavilion in a matchup against the Denver Nuggets, the team of young pros and NBA hopefuls looked to turn heads in front of the Las Vegas crowd. But it would be Jones recapturing the form that helped him garner All-Tournament team honors two summers ago, posting a Summer League-high 32 points to help the Mavs notch an 88-77 victory.
“Every year is a big year, but when you talk about getting established and getting put on a team and being ready to play, I think this is a year that I show really what I can do,” Jones said after the masterful performance. “My thing is to just come out here and get a good rhythm and get back in basketball shape -- up and down instead of open gym. The main thing is just getting better.
“It’s just kind of me looking in the mirror and saying that I have to get back to the old me, playing the way that I used to play. I can’t worry about proving this to different people. Either you’re gonna like my game or you’re gonna hate it, to each his own. So I’m gonna come out here, play the way I want to play and do the things I want to do, show my game and how I’ve been doing my whole life. So, this whole year and the whole summer, you know, just me working on what I do and just play my game.”
With first-round acquisition Jared Cunningham ruled out of the game due to a nagging hamstring injury, the scoring and ballhandling duties fell to Jones. Meanwhile, rookie second-rounder Jae Crowder offered a helping hand, as the Mavs jumped out to a 24-19 lead after one.
Crowder and Jones continued to assert themselves in the second period while the lead reached double digits. And with sharpshooter David Jelinek providing plenty of scoring from the perimeter, the Mavericks took a 51-39 lead into the halftime break thanks to Jones’ 19 points and five rebounds.
After leading the scoring charge in the first half, Jones became the main facilitator while Chris Roberts rained in shots from behind the 3-point arc. And with the former Ft. Worth Dunbar High School and Bradley star knocking down key shots, the Mavs entered the final period clinging to a 68-61 edge.
Sensing it was once again time to take over, Jones reassumed the aggressiveness he displayed in the first half during the game’s final period. And once the lead again hit double digits, the Mavs took their foot off the gas en route to the debut win.
Finishing 12-of-25 from the field, snatching down a game-high eight rebounds and dishing out two assists, Jones led the way to the win.
“I just think that the next few games I need to be more disciplined,” Jones explained while critiquing his own play after four turnovers. “The turnovers when I’m tired, I’ve just gotta pull a little more mustard out of myself and just gotta be a little more disciplined to make it happen. So, all and all, I think that this was a good game to make progress off of and see my mistakes and be better.”
Jelinek was the only other Mav in double figure, hitting 3-of-4 from long range en route to his 11 points. Crowder and fellow second-rounder Bernard James -- who tied Jones for the team-high in rebounds -- finished with nine points.
The Mavericks outshot the Nuggets, 47.2 percent to 31.1 percent, and overcame a 41-39 rebounding deficit and 18 turnovers for 20 Denver points.
“We’ve gotta box out a little bit better,” James said of the rebounding. “We allowed too many offensive rebounds. I think we did better towards the end, but they definitely got a little more than we wanted them to.”
The team returns to action Monday at 5 p.m. CT while doing battle against Toronto.
