Player Grades: Recapping the Mavericks’ 137-101 blowout over the Washington Wizards

Eight Dallas Mavericks scored in double figures and the starters sat for most of the fourth quarter of Thursday’s 137-101 blowout over the Washington Wizards (2-18) at Capital One Arena.

The Mavs (15-8) took care of business, and no one left on a stretcher, so mission accomplished. It wasn’t quite wire-to-wire, but you’re not going to see a more straightforward bloodletting of a blowout this season. The Mavericks have now won nine of their last 10 games, while Washington has now dropped a staggering 16 straight.

Quiet down, class, it’s time for grades.

Luka Doncic: A-

21 Points / 10 Rebounds / 10 Assists / 2 Steals / 1 Block

It’s always a good thing when Dončić sets the tone with 100% engagement against an inferior opponent, and that’s exactly what he did against the Wizards. He shot 2-of-3 from deep in the first quarter and looked to push the ball off defensive rebounds, often resulting in easy buckets or trips to the free throw line even when they weren’t direct assists. He didn’t miss from inside the 3-point lane in the first half.

Dončić did it on the defensive end, too. He cut off dribble drives and went up vertically to challenge shots without fouling. He stayed in passing lanes, after coming into the game at fourth in the NBA at 1.8 steals per game. And he did it all in 32 minutes of playing time.

Kyrie Irving: A

25 Points / 4 Rebounds / 3 Assists / 2 Steals

Irving was coming off a season-low 10 points in Tuesday’s 121-116 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, but he showed up Thursday with a fresh haircut and set the bad vibes to the side. He was on a mission to get to the cup against Washington until he started to heat up from distance in his 25 minutes on the floor. His nifty step-through move along the baseline made the Washington crowd “ooh” and “ahh” with a minute left before halftime, and he banged his second 3-pointer of the game the next time down the floor to give Dallas a 66-50 lead. He made it nine straight Dallas points to close the first half with a smooth pull-up jumper 30 seconds later, and the Mavs took a 68-50 lead into the break. He scored 18 of his 25 points in the first half and rested for most of the fourth quarter.

Klay Thompson: B-

11 Points / 2 Rebounds / 2 Assists

Thompson started just 1-of-5 from the field in the first six minutes in Washington but hit both his 3-point attempts in the second quarter. He hit another early in the fourth, a positive sign going forward as he looks to get out of his current shooting slump. Keep shooting, Klay.

Dereck Lively II: B

6 Points / 11 Rebounds / 1 Assists / 1 Steals / 1 Block

Lively wasn’t a focal point on offense, but we all know by now he doesn’t have to be to have a big impact on the proceedings. He grabbed seven of his 11 rebounds in the first half, and, even though he had just one blocked shot on Thursday, his interior defense forced a few frantic passes back out when the ball made its way inside. He got involved offensively in the third with three baskets, deep in the lane and assisted by Dončić.

Quentin Grimes: B+

14 Points / 4 Rebounds / 1 Assist / 2 Steals

Grimes turned the ball over three times in his first 10 minutes on the floor, but he made a couple of nice plays going to the basket as well. He knifed through the lane after an offensive board, then stole the ball from Jordan Poole and went coast-to-coast in transition less than a minute later to give the Mavs a 23-10 with five minutes left in the first quarter. He pump faked and drove from the corner for another quick bucket before the Wizards defense had a chance to get set put the Mavs back up by 20, 84-64, but it came after a rare palming violation on the previous possession. He made his stat line look a little better with five points in junk time.

P.J. Washington: B-

10 Points / 7 Rebounds / 2 Assists / 2 Blocks

Washington’s excellent run of rebounding and 3-point shooting continued in the first half at Washington. The Mavs’ Swiss Army knife hit his first two 3-pointers in the first quarter and was solid in just about every facet of the game. In a string of really good games, though, this was not his best, and it didn’t need to be, so no hard done. Washington shot just 2-of-7 from the field in 25 minutes. We move.

Daniel Gafford: A

16 Points / 7 Rebounds / 1 Assist / 2 Blocks

Gafford was adequate enough to go mostly unnoticed in the first half before becoming a major factor under the basket as the Mavs built their lead up to more than 30 in the third quarter. He had seven of his 16 points points and two blocked shots in the third, the second of which came on a baseline fadeaway from Jonas Valanciunas and led to Grimes’ first 3-pointer of the game on the other end.

Spencer Dinwiddie: A-

12 Points / 3 Rebounds / 2 Assists / 1 Block

Dinwiddie’s pleasant surprises keep showing up on the Mavs’ front porch. He rattled home his first 3-point attempt late in the first quarter with a hand in his face to put the Mavs in front 28-20, then his another with just six seconds left in the first to send it to the break with Dallas leading 31-22. He hit another on a lead pass from Dončić in transition early in the second, when the Mavs built the lead to as many as 22 points.

Dinwiddie hit a ridiculous twisting j3-pointer line from the right wing on Dallas’ last possession of the third to make it a 101-77 game headed to the fourth. He was 4-of-5 from the 3-point land in an incredibly efficient outing.

Jaden Hardy: A

13 Points / 1 Rebound

Hardy didn’t come into the game until early in the fourth quarter, which qualifies as junk time when you’re in the nation’s capital. The mission was to stay in rhythm after he showed some developmental progress while filling in for injured teammates in recent games, and he accomplished that and then some, scoring 13 points in just six minutes. He hit two long 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions midway through the fourth to put the Mavs up 126-90, but landed on his tailbone and hit the deck hard on a drive that resulted in a 3-point play less than a minute later. He was taken out of the game a couple of possessions later and was favoring his right leg.

Maxi Kleber: C

0 Points / 0 Rebounds / 0 Assists / 0 Steals / 2 Blocks

It’s a sliding grading scale, of course, but it’s notable to play 17 minutes in a game and remain nearly statistically nonexistent. Kleber did not put a shot up, which, honestly, was probably for the best.