The Dallas Mavericks hosted the Washington Wizards in a Monday night game and honored the Lunar New Year for the Asian American population. The Mavericks blew out the Wizards 130-108 at the American Airlines Center. Dallas improved to 25-22 and avoided a two-game losing skid, while Washington fell to 6-39 and lost its 14th straight game. Kylor Kelley made his Mavericks debut with one point and four rebounds in eight minutes.
Klay Thompson led the Mavericks with 23 points, three rebounds, and four assists. Olivier-Maxence Prosper followed up with 20 points, five rebounds, and one assist. PJ Washington Jr. had 19 points, nine rebounds, and three assists. Daniel Gafford scored 18 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Kyrie Irving recorded 13 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Jaden Hardy tallied 12 points and one rebound.
Dallas Mavericks vs. Washington Wizards Recap
The Mavericks vs. Wizards game was action-packed from start to finish. Dallas’ Luka Doncic was ruled out with a left calf strain, and Dereck Lively II with a right ankle stress fracture. Also inactive were Dwight Powell with a right hip strain, Maxi Kleber with a right foot fracture, Naji Marshall with an illness, and Dante Exum with right wrist surgery. The Wizards ruled out Marvin Bagley III with a right knee sprain, Saddiq Bey with a left ACL tear, and Malcolm Brogden with a right foot plantar fascia contusion.
The Dallas’ starting lineup featured Irving, Thompson, Spencer Dinwiddie, Washington Jr., and Gafford. Most recently, Dallas signed center Kylor Kelley to a two-way contract and requested waivers for two-way guard Jazian Gortman. Kelley, 27, will wear No. 50 for the team and was spotted in a team t-shirt during an earlier practice. They brought a commanding 73-43 lead to the locker room at halftime.
The Mavericks and Wizards battled throughout the third quarter. Gafford made a one-handed jam while the Wizards’ defense gradually picked up the pace and substituted Patrick Baldwin Jr. for rotation minutes. Dallas led 101-76 through three quarters. The Wizards had the upper hand in the fourth quarter, but it was too little and too late. The Mavericks would win 130-108 in regulation.
Game Highlights
The Mavericks vs. Wizards game featured multiple highlights, such as the Mavericks’ takeaway of Gafford as the lone healthy center after the right foot fracture injury to Kleber. Gafford and Dinwiddie have played in a team-high 44 of the Mavericks’ 46 games this season. Gafford is averaging a career-high 12.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks while ranking fourth in the NBA in field goal shooting at 69.9%.
The Mavericks reportedly are eyeing Bruce Brown Jr. of the Toronto Raptors as a key trade target. Brown Jr. can bolster both ends of the court, alleviating the Mavericks’ defensive struggles, especially when defending shots from beyond 15 feet. His defensive prowess can quickly upgrade the team. Brown has been holding his opponents to 35.3% shooting on mid-range and long-range shots.
For the Wizards, Kyle Kuzma is reportedly growing impatient with the team’s direction. He could ultimately be traded ahead of this year’s trade deadline. The Wizards are nowhere near a playoff contender and will try to get as much value for Kuzma as possible. He has shot just 42.3% from the floor and 28% from the three-point line this season.
Final Thoughts
The Dallas Mavericks hosted the Boston Celtics in a rematch of last year’s NBA Finals. Saturday afternoon’s game was their first since they faced each other in last year’s Finals. At the time, Boston won the first two games of the best-of-seven series at home — 107-89 and 105-98 – then took a 3-0 lead after winning the third game — 106-99 — on the road.
The Celtics buried 20 three-pointers and defeated the Mavericks, 122-107, in their rematch. The Dallas’ Irving reportedly knew exactly what his team would be in for after the world-champion Celtics’ 117-96 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers this past Thursday. The Celtics made enough adjustments in Saturday’s game to build a 25-point lead before cruising to a 122-107 win on the road.
The Celtics’ Kristaps Porzingis is reportedly hoping the Celtics transform from a “house cat” to a “lion.” Porzingis finally returned to the court at the American Airlines Center as a visitor, as His last visit to the AAC was on January 7, 2018. Porzingis — a former Maverick — finished with 18 points, five assists, four rebounds, and two blocks while hitting 3-5 of his three-point shots.
The Mavericks will embark on a five-game East Coast road trip, starting with a Wednesday night game against the New Orleans Pelicans at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. As of Sunday night, New Orleans’ record is 12-34 after back-to-back losses to the Memphis Grizzlies, 139-126, and the Charlotte Hornets, 123-92, and are likely out of playoff contention. The Pelicans should focus on rebuilding and could save money by trading guard Javonte Green.
