Mavs Donuts: Dallas Beats Miami, LeBron Makes History, NBA Roundup
Tuesday night provided a delicious batch of "Mavs Donuts.” The Dallas Mavericks beat the Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat, Giannis Antetokounmpo dropped 50 points, and yes, even more Goran Dragic buyout speculation occurred.
DallasBasketball.com, of course, played a part in curating the scrumptious content.
Donut 1: Mavs Cool-Off the Heat
Playing the Miami Heat at full strength is quite the task, and the Mavs were up to the challenge. In a 107-99 upset, the Mavs' newest additions found ways to contribute. Spencer Dinwiddie recorded five assists, and Davis Bertans made three three-point shots.
Shockingly and impressively, the Mavs won with Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson shooting a combined 33 percent from the field. DallasBasketball.com's Mike Fisher breaks down how the Mavs ended Miami’s five-game win streak.
Donut 2: Analyzing the Victory Over the Heat
Everyone on DallasBasketball.com's staff brings something to the table. My colleague, Grant Afseth, provides the best in-depth Mavs analysis you can find. Dissecting one of Dallas' best wins of the season makes for great content, Afseth did just that with his "Top 4 Observations" breakdown piece immediately following the game.
Donut 3: "Corner Pocket" Bertans
Bertans didn't hesitate to let it rip Tuesday night despite his underwhelming three-point shooting in Washington this season. Finishing 3-7 from deep is quite the debut performance, and DallasBasketball.com’s Editor-In-Chief Dalton Trigg pointed out that two of those three made attempts came from the corner, an area where Bertans is shooting nearly 60 percent from this year and in previous years.
With Doncic at the helm, the Mavs generate a lot of open looks from that same area; just ask Dorian Finney-Smith. Without getting ahead of ourselves by predicting Bertans to register efficient triples every night, it's safe to say he'll be better than he was with the Wizards this season, assuming he shoots anywhere near his career mark of 40 percent from distance.
Donut 4: More Dragic Speculation
At this point, Dragic has been included in more "Mavs are interested in Dragic" reports than Samuel L. Jackson has film appearances. Despite the addition of guard Dinwiddie to the Mavs' mix, Mavs shouldn’t rule out signing Doncic's buddy to a post-buyout deal.
However, the competition to sign the veteran point guard is as stiff as a well whiskey. The Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, and Los Angeles Lakers compile the long list of suitors.
Donut 5: James Harden Doesn't Opt Into Final Contract Year
When the Philadelphia 76ers agreed to trade Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two future first-round picks for James Harden, part of the deal, at least, so they thought, was for Harden to opt in to the final year of his contract. This move would’ve kept Harden from testing the open market until the summer of 2023.
However, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania on ‘The Real Ones’ podcast, the opt-in never happened because Harden missed the deadline for the paperwork to be processed.
"The paperwork was filed, but they did not meet the buzzer for the opt-in,” says Charania.
Although the opt-in could still happen this summer, now Harden has the opportunity to see how things workout in Philadelphia for the rest of this season before committing to another year.
Donut 6: Mavs Film Room - Dinwiddie's Fit
Although Spencer Dinwiddie hasn't had a good season since returning from his torn ACL injury, there is reason to believe he'll turn it around in Dallas, given that a lot of the pressure he faced in Washington has now been alleviated. His efficiency should increase alongside Doncic in a lesser role with fewer responsibilities. And as we've seen with other players before, the further they get away from an ACL injury, the better they perform.
Dallas Basketball.com's NBA film room extraordinaire, Grant Afseth, analyzed how the potential sixth-man will fit with the Mavs.
Donut 7: On This Day
Today's edition of "on this day" takes you back to the 1960s. One of the most interesting men in the world, breaking records on and off the court, the Warriors' center Wilt Chamberlain scored 55 points on the Lakers.
Donut 8: Antetokounmpo Drops 50
While the NBA discourse surrounds the Sixers and Nets, the 36-23 Milwaukee Bucks belong in the conversation at title contenders. Antetokounmpo exploded for 50 points on the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night. What's more impressive is that he recorded 2-3 from the three-point line.
Donut 9: Lebron James Passes Kareem
Alonzo Adams / USA TODAY Sports
LeBron James makes history; nothing new here. However, his latest feat has unlikely chances of duplication.
Sports Illustrated's All Lakers website covered the record-breaking night.
James became the NBA's all-time leading scorer between regular season and playoffs last night. In the third quarter, he passed up Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar when he drained a three-point attempt against the Warriors.
James did it in just 1,616 games between the regular season and playoffs, nearly 200 less than the number of games Abdul-Jabbar did it in.
Donut 10: Bertans Exposes Wizards Chemistry Issues
In his introductory press conference, Bertans spoke with the Dallas media on his time in Washington, and while doing so, exposed some of his former team’s issues.
"It's tough to have team chemistry when every single day, the team is basically fighting with each other about 'I want to get more minutes' and 'I want a bigger role,’” Bertans candidly stated.
Bertans is on the right track in Dallas only one game into his tenure as he registered three triples in his Mavs' debut.
Donut 11: The Mavs Asked for Cade Cunningham?
Dallas' front office holds Jalen Brunson in high regard. How high? Well, the Detroit Pistons at one point inquired about the Villanova alum in trade talks, and the Mavs reportedly responded with something to the effect of, ‘Sure, but we have interest in Cade Cunningham.’
Even with Dinwiddie's contract on the books, it doesn't seem like Dallas has any plans for letting Brunson walk.
Donut 12: What's Next for Mavs?
Following the impressive victory over the Heat, the Mavs play the 23-35 New Orleans Pelicans Thursday night. Follow DallasBasketball.com for all of your Mavs game coverage. We will be inside Smoothie King Center keeping you updated.
