Summer League Report: Jones, Crowder, James star in Mavs' 2nd W
Earl K. Sneed reports from Las Vegas, where the Dallas Mavericks moved to 2-0 in the Summer League after impressive showings by Dominique Jones, Jae Crowder and Bernard James.
Summer League Report: Jones, Crowder, James star in Mavs' 2nd W
LAS VEGAS -- It was a different day but the same result.
After serving notice of his arrival in Las Vegas to the NBA world on Sunday with his 32-point explosion in an 88-77 Summer League debut win over Denver, third-year guard Dominique Jones looked for an encore performance on Monday while leading the Dallas Mavericks against the Toronto Raptors.
And led by Jones’ 21 points, the Mavericks (2-0) notched their second victory of the five-game schedule with an 85-75 win.
“If you love to play basketball, if you love to hoop, this is a great place to be,” Jones said after starring for the second straight day. “You love to do it, so you get a chance to go out here with the refs, it’s organized and just great.”
Getting a helping hand from second-rounders Jae Crowder and Bernard James, Jones didn’t disappoint early on. And after scoring nine points and dishing out two assists, the combo guard made up for the absence of first-round acquisition Jared Cunningham (hamstring) by leading the Mavs to a 24-21 edge at the end of one quarter of play.
Showcasing a refined offensive game and much-improved jumper compared to his first two seasons in the league, Jones continued to attack in the second quarter. Meanwhile, the squad’s unheralded supporting cast came alive as the lead ballooned to double digits.
The first half then concluded with Jones tallying 12 points, while James and Crowder pitched in seven points apiece, as the Mavs entered the intermission comfortably ahead 50-30.
They wouldn’t look back the rest of the way.
Extending the lead to as much as 24 in the third period, the Mavericks continued to be on the attack despite a hard-charging Toronto team. And with James snatching down seemingly every rebound in the period, the Mavs carried a 67-52 advantage into the fourth period.
But the Mavs weren’t quite out of the woods just yet, as the Raptors (0-3) crept closer by catching fire from behind the 3-point arc in the final quarter. Still, the Mavs wouldn’t allow their opponent any closer than within 10 before Crowder and Jones closed the door with timely scores down the stretch, sealing the victory for the Dallas team and remaining unbeaten through two games.
Led by Jones’ 6-of-12 from the field, the Mavericks finished the game outshooting the Raptors, 48.5 percent to 42.9 percent. Jones also dished out four assists to just one turnover.
“You know, just being better at reading the floor and being more effective with the ball in my hands as the point guard and even sometimes jumping off the ball and trying to be effective that way. The main thing is just to get better in all areas,” Jones said when asked his areas of focus this summer.
Crowder added 15 points and James finished with a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Led by James, the Mavs also concluded the game with a 37-29 rebounding advantage.
“Once you get guys to buy in on the defensive end, the offensive end is all natural and it’s about execution,” Crowder explained. “The defensive end has to be a mentality. You have to want to stop their team. Once all the guys on the court want to come out there like that, it’s hard to score on you.”
The Mavs will now take Tuesday off before returning to action on Wednesday, playing Atlanta at 7 p.m. CT.
