Nico Harrison hasn’t been right about much of anything in the last two-and-a-half months, but give him partial credit for that otherwise tiresome mantra about defense.
Chances are good it won’t earn the Mavs a championship anytime soon, but at least it won them a play-in game Wednesday.
Can their D do it again Friday in Memphis?
Why not?
Be the smartest Mavericks fan. Get the latest news.
And then against No. 1 Oklahoma City?
Now you’re trippin’.
For the moment it’s enough that these luckless, Luka-less Mavs, who kept right on grinding even after the bottom fell out Feb. 1, took out their frustrations on Sacramento in a 120-106 blowout at Golden1 Center.
Luka Doncic has gone Hollywood and the front office has gone nuts, but the Mavs who play for a living made a statement of their own Wednesday.
Made a peace offering, actually.
“We want to give the City of Dallas,” Klay Thompson said, “something to be proud of.”
Proud of the Mavs?
Imagine that.
If it makes it easier to picture, forget what I wrote up top about Nico and defense. Forget Patrick Dumont’s casino dreams. The ill-fated “Thanks for the memories” tribute, too.
And that embarrassing no-camera, no-clue press conference.
Clear your head, take a deep breath . . .
Come to think of it, forget Rick Welts lumping Luka with Monta Ellis, too.
But don’t forget this: Even without Luka and Kyrie Irving, the Mavs aren’t exactly pushovers these days, no matter what you might think after watching them lose 17 of their last 25 regular-season games.
The difference now is, except for Kyrie, they’re healthy. Also playoff-tested. Ten of the Mavs have played in the Finals. Three have won it all. The depth of that experience matters in the postseason.
Certainly mattered Wednesday when Thompson — who’d averaged 9.8 points in his last six games, four of them losses — scored 16 of his 23 points in the second quarter to kick-start the rout. Like old times. Thompson splashed four threes in just three minutes of the second.
Related:Klay Thompson turns tables on Kings to help Mavericks survive first play-in game
The Mavs outscored Sacramento, 44-19, in the second and the Kings never really recovered. The visitors were just too big. Jason Kidd surrounded poor Damontas Sabonis with Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford. Sabonis, who usually gives the Mavs fits, couldn’t see through the trees. Finished 5 of 13 for 11 points.
Davis, who posted 27 points, nine rebounds and three of the Mavs’ eight blocks, gives the Grizzlies at least one too many big men to deal with. Jaren Jackson Jr. can handle one, but three? He won’t get much defensive help from Zach Edey, the 7-4 rookie, who was abused by the Warriors.
Beating Sacramento will help the Mavs prepare for Memphis, Thompson said. You can see the similarities. The Kings fired their head coach in December, and Memphis is working with an interim, too. The Kings traded their best player, De’Aaron Fox, to the Spurs in February. Ja Morant, Memphis’ problematic star, may or may not be available Friday after turning his ankle Tuesday.
As long as we’re making comparisons, the Kings’ general manager, Monte McNair, was out Wednesday in the wake of their quick exit. His departure comes three weeks after his assistant, Wes Wilcox, left to become GM of Utah.
The University of Utah, not the Jazz.
Only a couple of years ago, the Kings were on the cusp of NBA royalty. Not so much now. Got ugly Wednesday. Fans voiced their dissatisfaction with management early and often.
Sound familiar?
The Mavs have heard the same, even if it’s directed at their boss. They’ve done a remarkable job tuning it out. Gafford, who had nine points and a couple blocks Wednesday, said it really hasn’t been that hard. He approaches it like any 9 to 5’er would. Does his job, goes home, hangs with family. Controls what he can control.
How have his teammates handled it?
“The resilience and, you know, the care factor that they have brought,” he said, “especially when we went through the stint where everybody was injured. We didn’t really have too many players at the time. Everybody came in and they had one job to do, and that was to come in and play Dallas Mavericks basketball. Win games. Have fun doing it, no matter what adversity we were facing, no matter what obstacles were in front of us.
“We did it as a team.”
A team that got 17 points on eight shots Wednesday from Brandon Williams, who didn’t even have a real-live contract until last week.
Try to remember Williams’ addition and maybe forget that, in his other deadline deal, Nico traded Quentin Grimes for Caleb Martin. As you may realize, Grimes has been spectacular since the deal while Martin has not, which is putting it mildly.
But try not to think about that and everything that’s gone wrong. We’ve banged on the organization enough. Enjoy this little run, because it’ll have to last you. Probably longer than you’d like.
Twitter/X: @KSherringtonDMN
Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
