The Dallas Mavericks lost an offense-heavy contest on Monday night at American Airlines Center, as the Indiana Pacers’ sense of urgency in transition and ability to exploit driving lanes carried them to a 134-127 win over the Mavericks.
Despite being 2-4 heading into this game, the Pacers are a much better squad than their record suggests, evidenced by their playoff success last season as well as their overtime victory over the Boston Celtics last Wednesday evening.
While the Mavericks got off to a sluggish start in this game and were on the second night of a back-to-back, Dallas competed hard in an attempt to come back and win this game, as they got huge contributions offensively from Naji Marshall and Spencer Dinwiddie off the bench. Ultimately, Dallas’ inability to guard floor-stretching center and DFW native Myles Turner was their biggest kryptonite in this contest, as Turner had 30 points and 11 rebounds off 5-8 shooting from beyond the arc.
Other factors such as P.J. Washington’s continued shooting struggles as well as Indiana converting 26 fastbreak points off only eight Dallas turnovers were instrumental in the outcome of this contest, and losing center Dereck Lively II due to a shoulder sprain in pregame warmups didn’t help whatsoever either.
Dallas has to get Klay Thompson more looks to reach their full potential
One factor that didn’t play the biggest role in the outcome of this game, but definitely was still a point to note, was the fact that the Mavericks continued to not get Klay Thompson involved offensively early in this game.
Thompson sought his own offense when the ball found his hands more often from the second quarter onward, and he was very efficient last night with his mid-range shot creation and catch-and-shoot 3-pointers.
Thompson finished with 16 points off 6-12 shooting from the field and 4-8 shooting from outside, and Dallas’ coaching staff was far more keen on getting him open looks within the flow of the offense and in after-timeout scenarios in the second half.
However, in a game that had a ton of high-octane offense on both sides given Dallas’ inability to stop Indiana at the rim, Thompson could’ve served to get even more looks in this game since he was shooting so well.
Furthermore, Thompson needs to get more looks in games where Dallas is pining for more 3-point shooting, as Thompson shot 13 field goals or more in Dallas’ first three games but has only reached that attempt count once in the four games since.
Dallas’ slow starts thus far have been well documented, and getting Thompson involved offensively earlier in these contests could definitely help solve some of that puzzle.
After a game like Thompson had against the Pacers on Monday night, there’s no reason to raise the alarm bells by any means, but Dallas has to establish a more concerted effort to get Thompson more looks if they want their offense to reach its peak.
Thompson’s shooting is a lethal weapon that can turn the tide of games if Dallas uses it correctly, so the Mavericks and head coach Jason Kidd would be remiss to disrespect Thompson’s skill set by not getting him more looks at this beginning juncture of the season, especially with Dallas’ continued slow starts.
Thompson and the Mavericks will continue their homestand on Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls, where fans will hopefully get a better defensive effort from Dallas as well as a more involved Thompson within Dallas’ first-half offense.
