Energy, Versatility Leading Mavs' Success During 5-Game Win Streak
From leading some games wire-to-wire, to coming from behind in others, the Dallas Mavericks have found different ways to win during their five-game win streak.
Dallas overcame an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Washington Wizards 34-16 en route to a 112-104 win on Monday at the American Airlines Center. While coming from behind to win against a Wizards (9-44) team that has already lost enough games to guarantee they'll finish under .500 may not appear impressive on paper, how Dallas (31-23) won should provide optimism for its success moving forward.
Luka Doncic and Daniel Gafford.
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It wasn't Luka Doncic playing hero ball to carry his team out of a double-digit hole in the final stanza. Second-year guard Jaden Hardy scored eight of his 10 points to close the gap, and a clutch triple from center Maxi Kleber gave Dallas its first lead of the second half with 5:32 left in the game. After a Kyle Kuzma layup briefly gave Washington the lead again, Doncic scored six straight points to give Dallas the lead for good and spurred a 15-6 run to close the game.
"I think just the energy picked up," Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said of his team's run in the fourth quarter. "I thought [Jaden] Hardy was great for us. He gave us a spark by getting to the basket and knocking down a 3. We didn't shoot the 3 well tonight, but it just shows the versatility of this group. When we got to the paint, we dominated the paint. Again, we had rebounds, second opportunities."
Doncic and Irving had 26 points apiece, while newly acquired center Daniel Gafford had a double-double with 16 points and 17 rebounds against his former team in his second game with Dallas. Gafford's performance helped lead to the Mavs' second straight game where they've scored over 60 points in the paint, as they had 64 against Washington.
Gafford also had five of Dallas' 12 blocks.
"Just allowing the attitude inside him to focus on doing whatever it takes to win," Irving said of Gafford. "Going against your former team is always going to bring out those natural emotions, so I’m grateful I got to see him in that environment tonight [and] see how he responded. Just proud of him. In his last two games, he’s done incredibly well, and he’s been a big force down there for us.”
The ability to win in different ways is the mark of a good team and has carried Dallas during its longest win streak of the season. If the Mavs can continue to win in multiple ways and have different players step up on a given night, they can be a force to be reckoned with after the All-Star break.
