Mavs Talk: ‘Spectacular' Up But A 'Stay Calm' Down
The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Orlando Magic 112-98 on Saturday as Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke led the Mavs to their third straight win, contributing 36 and 29 points respectively.
Luka Doncic also played a part, quietly posting a triple-double (20/11/10).
Dallas, which been struggling with shooting the ball from deep (22nd in the NBA), caught fire with a season-high 50% (20 of 40) in Saturday's matchup. But then they "caught'' another issue, as on Sunday the team facility was shut down due to COVID concerns.
READ MORE: BREAKING: COVID Forces Mavs To Shut Down HQ
Before the game, coach Rick Carlisle talked about how all involved need to "stay calm.'' We will do so ...
Now let's hear Mavs talk:
Carlisle on the game:
"Trey Burke was spectacular. [Tim] Hardaway was spectacular. Luka [Dončić], you almost expect him to go for a triple-double-type night. And we had a lot of other guys do a lot of good things. Really important win coming off the situation in Denver and another very difficult game coming up on Monday.”
Carlisle on Trey Burke:
"He's a weapon. He's a dangerous scorer. One reason that I think that he plays well for us is because we have confidence in him."
READ MORE: Doncic & Hardaway Jr. Push Mavs Past Magic, 112-98
Luka Doncic on having hot shooters in Trey and Tim
“It was great. They were hot players the whole game. It was like make a pass, you know you’re going to get an assist — it was easy. They both have an amazing game and they’re a big part of our wins every game.”
Luka on what has changed from the first few games:
“We had not a lot of time to get to know each other. We have a couple of new guys. I know everybody overreacted the way we were playing, but I know we are going to be fine. It was just the couple of first games. I think we are way better now, especially with chemistry, and we’ve just got to continue playing like this, especially on the defensive end.”
READ MORE: Cuban: Maxi As NBA's Most Underrated Player
Hardaway Jr. on his college teammate Burke’s performance
“Yeah, we turned back a little bit. That’s how normally it used to be back in those days. I am happy for him. TB came in there and kept a level head. We needed him being three guys short. He stepped in and was always next man up mentality.”
The Mavericks (5-4) will aim to extend their three-game winning streak when they face the New Orleans Pelicans at home on Monday night. ... again, though, with COVID concerns hovering. Stay tuned.
