The Dallas Mavericks are finally back above the .500 mark after falling to 5-7 three games ago, as the Mavericks blew past the injury-riddled New Orleans Pelicans by a score of 132-91 on Tuesday night. The Mavericks are now 8-7 and 1-1 in West Group C of the Emirates NBA Cup, as Tuesday night’s win marked Dallas’ second game of the in-season tournament.
This game had heavy implications for obvious reasons and the Mavericks responded to the call by destroying the Pelicans in every facet, solidifying Dallas’ first three-game win streak of the season. The Mavericks were aided by the return of Luka Doncic, as Doncic had 26 points on 10-16 shooting from the field as well as three steals after missing Sunday night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a right knee contusion.
Doncic’s defense was one of the more defining factors in Dallas getting off to a hot start in this contest, especially after some blunders on that end this season. However, another huge factor in Dallas winning this game was the fact that the Mavericks had 56 points off their bench.
Multiple players are finding their way offensively from Dallas’ bench after early season struggles, including Quentin Grimes, who had 12 points on 5-9 shooting from the field and eight rebounds against New Orleans. Grimes has now scored in double figures in three of Dallas’ last four contests, and his defensive intensity has been far more prevalent ever since he got benched against the Denver Nuggets on November 10.
Kidd benched Grimes against Denver to get a 'better look' at Hardy
Before the game kicked off on Tuesday evening, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd took to the podium for his pregame presser, and Kidd went into detail about why Grimes suffered that DNP-CD against Denver when asked about it.
Kidd gave a cliche answer in regard to Grimes being a true professional and bouncing back well from being absent in the rotation against Denver, but he also said that Dallas wanted to get an extended look at Hardy in that game.
Hardy played arguably his worst game of the season in that game, going 1-7 from the field and 0-5 from distance in 19 minutes. Dallas’ lack of production off the bench from their guards has been one of their hugest early-season deficiencies as aforementioned, but it seems like both Grimes and Hardy have shot out of their slump now.
Kidd hinted at how he thought that the Denver game was a big turning point for both Grimes and Hardy as well during the pregame presser, and given that both young guards are playing some of their best basketball of the season on both ends, it seems like Kidd gave them a needed wake-up call.
Grimes getting benched in favor of Hardy was an extremely questionable move at the time for many Mavericks fans, but they are now both thriving as Dallas’ main guards off the bench, as Spencer Dinwiddie didn’t even see the floor in Dallas’ win against the Pelicans.
Hardy has been far more aggressive recently, using his dribble-drive attempts and savvy finishes to open up his game beyond the arc instead of forcing ill-advised shots. Grimes has shot the ball far more efficiently as well, and he isn’t hesitating nearly as often when the opportunity comes to attack off the catch or in transition.
Perhaps Hardy’s early-season struggles can be attributed to feeling the pressure of finally getting a more established role for the first time, and Grimes’ struggles easily could’ve been because of needing time to adapt to a new place and system.
Nonetheless, Kidd finally revealing the reason as to why he benched Grimes is making a lot more sense after three straight wins compared to if this was right after the Denver game, and you have to give him credit for how he’s managed the guard rotation off the bench so far.
