Mavs Lose on Final Play Blunder vs. Wizards: 3 Big Takeaways
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The Dallas Mavericks (25-24) came up short in their 127-126 loss to the Washington Wizards (21-26) on Tuesday.
Luka Doncic led the Mavs with 41 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists, but it wasn't enough to win. The team had a chance to win the game with five seconds remaining, but proved unable to score on two attempts at a side-of-bounds play, ending with a steal on the final try.
Here are three big takeaways from the Mavs' loss to the Wizards:
3. Defense Still Not Getting It Done
The Mavs had experienced some optimism about their defensive execution after their recent win over the Miami Heat. It made sense. They contained them to 90 points, and the unit as a whole was swarming around the half-court by running 3-point shooters off the line and making extra defensive rotations.
It was often too easy for Kyle Kuzma, who finished with 30 points despite shooting just 2-10 from beyond the arc. Bradley Beal was able to get 22 points along with four other players reaching double-figures scoring. Allowing a team to score 127 points while shooting 50.6 percent from the floor is asking for problems.
As it turns out, the Mavs going small isn't a quick fix. That's not too surprising, though. Considering they are a team with an aging supporting cast that already has a talent deficit on the wing when they aren't going small. Doncic can tear apart opposing small ball lineups, but their group can't get stops on a nearly consistent enough basis.
Had the Mavs produced a higher-quality defensive performance, perhaps they wouldn't have had to rely on a final possession to decide the outcome of the game? They have a bottom-five defense on the season and now are allowing 120.9 points per 100 possession (27th) in January.
"We shouldn't be in a game like that with them [the Wizards]," Dinwiddie said of the Mavs' loss coming down to a final possession. "Like I said, they’ve got two max players, and one’s hurt. We should be able to stop them enough to where our 126 points beats their 125 or less. That’s really all it comes down to. We’ve just got to be better in that respect. ... Not offensively, because we had 126. That can win you a lot of games. But defensively, it’s not just one more stop. Really, we should have 15 more stops. We would rather have this game be 126 to 105.”
The Mavs lack an identity right now. They hung their hat on defensive execution last season, proving to be instrumental in turning things around. Dallas turned up its defensive execution after New Year's Day by embracing small ball, ranking fourth in defensive rating from that point on through the final 47 games of the season. This season, they are simply getting worse with time, not better.
2. Free Throw Shooting Woes Continue
There have been some games from the Mavs that feature a double-figure volume of free throw misses with poor free throw shooting accuracy. That wasn't the case against the Wizards, as they shot 22-26 as a team, which results in an 84.6 percent conversion rate.
However, the Mavs did lose by one point, and Doncic missed the second free throw attempt on a trip to the line with 12.1 seconds remaining in regulation. There hasn't been a less efficient free throw shooting team in clutch situations than Dallas this season at 65.6 percent. The next worst is the Phoenix Suns at 69.5 percent. There are only three teams below the 70-percent threshold.
It's challenging to rely on the Mavs' free throw shooting when the game is on the line. It's concerning considering they rank 26th in defensive rating on the season, so they can't be counted on to consistently get stops. Factor in their inability to manufacture good looks when the game is on the line on final possessions, and it's all the more concerning of a formula.
1. Final Possession Riddled With Mistakes
The Mavs had the final possession facing a one-point deficit with 5.0 seconds remaining in regulation. The first attempt of the final play featured Doncic drawing a double team far off the 3-point line to get the ball to Spencer Dinwiddie on the wing. It ended with a kicked-ball violation, giving the Mavs possession again with 3.7 seconds left to play.
“We knew they were going to double, so we cleared the side and it was Spencer [Dinwiddie]’s ball to shoot," Kidd said of the final play. "We just couldn’t connect the pass. Give the Wizards credit. We knew that with the double team we would have the advantage, and pretty much all season we played the advantage, and we just couldn’t connect the pass to Spencer [Dinwiddie]. Give Washington credit, they played well.”
With the need to inbound the ball again, the Mavs ran the same play. Delon Wright, who ended up stealing the pass, timed up his double-team knowing that Doncic was going to be the recipient of the inbounds pass. With the Mavs running the same play twice, he was in position to make the play.
“Yeah, we knew he [Luka Doncic] was going to get it," Wright said of defending the final play. "So as soon as he caught it, Coach [Wes Unseld Jr.] kind of told me to pick the right moment to go trap him, so I just had to time it up. I didn’t want to go too early and he just pass out of it, so I was waiting until he took a dribble or looked like he was going to attack.”
Doncic took the blame for the execution on the final play: “It was my fault, I lost the ball.”
There have been some genuine shortcomings from the Mavs on final possession situations with a chance to win. In this game, the Wizards had Daniel Gafford fouled out and weren't using a big man. With it being a one-point game, why not go for two?
Among the limitations the Mavs do face is having a lack of shot creators and just general dynamic threats. There aren't many players on their roster that can consistently attack a closeout, let alone make a play on a drive on the final possession. However, getting the superstar double-teamed far from the basket with five seconds or less remaining isn't a strong way to use him as a decoy.
There are a few routes the Mavs could go to maximize Doncic as a decoy in those end-of-game situations. One option is to have him be a screener. Whether it's Spencer Dinwiddie or Josh Green driving aggressively to the rim, that could be a successful outcome. Another option could be to have Doncic be the inbounder and perhaps use a screening action to create an opportunity for Green or Dwight Powell to catch a lob, or to get Green or Dinwiddie a touch with momentum going toward the rim.
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