'Playing with Smiles': Mavs Have Fun, Ride Record 3rd Quarter in Win Over Lakers
The Dallas Mavericks (18-16) started off their Christmas Day matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers (13-20) as if they'd had too much eggnog the night before.
Despite having a much better record than the Lakers, the Mavs found themselves down 54-43 at halftime with LeBron James having his way. The uninspiring performance definitely didn't fit the pregame vibes when the Mavs unveiled Dirk Nowitzki's statue in front of American Airlines Center. But then ... the third quarter happened.
Whatever coach Jason Kidd told his team at halftime, it worked, because the Mavs came out in the second half and dropped 51 points in the third quarter en route to a 124-115 victory. It was an NBA Christmas Day record for points scored in a single quarter and tied the franchise record for most points in a quarter. The only other time Dallas had an outburst of that magnitude in one quarter was against the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 15, 1985.
"I would say all of the above (line-up changes, guys making shots, taking pressure off of Luka) in the sense of just what we talked about at halftime was: let's think about the paint first before we start shooting 3s," said Kidd of the Mavs' half-time adjustments. "I thought the guys came out in the second half, during that third quarter, where the ball touched the paint, we played through Luka in the post to create a different double team. And Luka being the quarterback, he found open guys and they knocked down shots a little bit different than that first half when we weren't making shots.
"We were only down 11 at halftime. We felt good. That's a positive. Our body language, we felt connected there. If we could just make some shots, it would be a different game -- and that's what we did there in that third quarter."
Doncic, who always plays the game with such joy, helped keep his team's heads up after a slow start. He ended up with a team-high 32 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and two steal, and he had a lot of fun doing it ... especially in that third quarter.
“I would say the 51 points we scored," said Luka Doncic when asked what his favorite part of the historic third quarter was. "I think was a franchise record in a quarter. I think we just played with pace, played with smiles on our faces and kept going since I was being doubled every possession in this game. We just had to play out of that because it was the right play and that’s what we did.”
LeBron James was impressed by Dallas' halftime adjustments and knew the writing was on the wall for his Lakers when they gave up as many points as they did in the third.
“They made adjustments at halftime. They countered what we were doing at halftime. We didn't make the proper adjustments once they made their adjustments," said James. "They made nine threes and six free throws. I think Tim Hardaway Jr. was 6-7, 4-5 from the three, with 16 points in the third. He got going. So, a lot of the shots that they missed in the first half, that we kind of forced them to shoot, they made in the third. But, you’re never going to win a game if you give up 51 in a quarter.”
Christian Wood, who played his best game as a Maverick with 30 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, four steals and two blocks while shooting 12-17 from the field, said the quality of shots the Mavs got in the third quarter was the same as the first two quarters.
“I felt like they were the same shots," said Wood. "They were of course doubling Luka, hitting me in the pocket, I was finding guys on the weak side. First half they weren’t really going in and then Tim and Reg, they were big for us tonight, hit big shots. We can really count on those guys.”
Doncic and Wood got most of the Christmas Day praise with their 30-point performances, but Tim Hardaway Jr. was just as much part of the Mavs' second-half turnaround than anyone. Hardaway finished with 26 points on 10-19 shooting, including 6-14 from deep with four of them coming in that third quarter.
“Obviously, when you’re making shots and moving the ball, everything feels good," said Hardaway. "I think we had to get the jitters out of us for a little bit. It was some guys’ first time ever playing on Christmas Day. Just being able to appreciate the opportunity for the most part and being able to go out there and get the nerves and the butterflies out of your system.
"I think that’s what happened, and [we] came out in the second half more aggressive, pushing the pace instead of walking the ball up the floor, and getting the ball moving, and knocking down our shots.”
The Mavs will try to keep their momentum rolling into Tuesday's matchup with the New York Knicks, which will be Jalen Brunson's first game back at AAC since leaving Dallas in free agency over the summer. The Mavs beat the Knicks 121-100 at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 3.
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