Southwest Notes: Morant-Poole, Adams, Pelicans, Doncic
When Grizzlies wing Dillon Brooks committed a hard foul on Warriors guard Gary Payton II, in an eventual 106-101 Game 2 Memphis win, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr had harsh words for the play. “There’s a code that players follow,” Kerr said at the time. “Dillion Brooks broke the code.” Payton fractured his elbow and is set to miss three-to-five weeks of postseason play with the injury. Brooks was subsequently suspended for one game.
Now that the shoe is potentially on the other foot, Alex Kennedy of Basketball News wonders if the code was broken once again in Game 3, a 142-112 Warriors win. Warriors guard Jordan Poole grabbed Grizzlies All-Star point guard Ja Morant‘s right knee on a play, and Morant subsequently left the contest with an apparent injury. Morant initially tweeted a video of the Poole foul, while quoting Kerr’s “broke the code” comment. Morant has since wiped that post.
“I don’t have a take,” Kerr said of the interaction, per Mark Medina of NBA.com (via Twitter). “There’s nothing to comment on.”
There’s more out of the Southwest Division:
- Grizzlies center Steven Adams deserves to return to the Memphis starting lineup, opines Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Though the more athletic and switchable Xavier Tillman has supplanted Adams at center for the Grizzlies’ last six contests, Cole believes the rebounding of Adams will be key for Memphis against the smaller Warriors. The burly big man is also excellent at the kinds of little plays that may not show up in box scores, such as devastating screen-setting.
- The Pelicans have a variety of intriguing roster-building decisions to make during their offseason. Will Guillory of The Athletic discusses a handful of issues for New Orleans this summer, including potential extensions for new additions CJ McCollum and Larry Nance Jr., the team’s future at point guard, the fate of Jaxson Hayes, and more. The first part of Guillory’s series on the Pelicans’ offseason was previously linked here.
- Mavericks All-Star guard Luka Doncic has flexed plenty of playoff muscle this postseason, leading Dallas to its first second-round appearance in 11 years. Cydney Henderson of USA Today writes that Doncic proved his mettle in his winning both a EuroLeague title and EuroLeague MVP in 2018, prior to arriving stateside in the NBA draft. He has been training his whole life for this moment. Henderson notes that Doncic has been playing basketball since he was seven months old. His father Sasa Doncic was a pro in various European leagues. “I played basketball because (my dad) played basketball,” Doncic said. “I was always with him on the court. Always at the games just shooting basketballs.”
Mavericks Notes: Bounce Back, Kidd, Adjustments, Kleber
The Mavericks bounced back in Friday night’s Game 3 with a 103-94 victory over the Suns, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Jalen Brunson, who struggled in the first two games of the series, scoring a combined 22 points on just 9-of-28 shooting, led the way with a game-high 28 points on 10-of-21 shooting.
“I kind of found myself playing with a little bit more hop in my step, getting to spots quicker and making decisions faster,” Brunson said. “Decisions came from me just being aggressive. My teammates just kept giving me confidence to go make plays, and I just kept doing that. … I found a way to bounce back tonight, but I just can’t be satisfied with this.”
Star Luka Doncic finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, but perhaps more importantly, showed renewed vigor on the defensive end after being repeatedly targeted in Game 2.
“The first or second possession, he was diving on the floor,” Dorian Finney-Smith said of Doncic. “When you see the best player do that, it kind of sets the mood.”
“I knew I had to do better,” said Doncic, per MacMahon. “I knew I could do better. I think I made a big jump on defense this year. The second half (of Game 2) was horrible by me, and I knew I had to get back to my team and play better defense.”
Here’s more on the Mavs:
- Head coach Jason Kidd lamented the fact that Doncic didn’t receive much help in the first two games, but he was happy with team’s well-rounded performance in Game 3, MacMahon relays in the same article. “Everybody joined the party,” Kidd said. “They helped out on both ends. Luka was great defensively. He participated, too. It puts us in a different position when that happens.”
- Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock were key in slowing down the Suns’ star backcourt of Chris Paul and Devin Booker, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. “Reggie and Doe-Doe (Finney-Smith), man, those guys have been incredible all year on the defensive end,” Doncic said. “They’re our leaders on defense. We go as they go on defense.” Bullock and Finney-Smith combined for six steals and 8-of-21 on three-pointers, limiting CP3 and Booker to more turnovers (12) than field goals converted (11).
- Kidd said the NBA had the wrong priorities regarding the team’s $25K fine for ‘bench decorum’ violations, Townsend notes in another article. “The league is worried about the wrong thing. You have millionaires cheering on other millionaires. Doesn’t happen in this society. And the enthusiasm of the game, for a teammate to cheer on another teammate is special. And I think sometimes we’re focused on the wrong thing. And so when you look at people who make a lot of money cheering on their teammates or their employees, that’s what sport is all about. And so for us to get fined, that’s cool. It’s going to another good cause, charity. But again, we’re looking at the wrong thing,” Kidd said before Game 3.
- Dallas’ heliocentric approach, with Doncic frequently dominating offensive possessions, has led to him being tired in the second halves of games in the postseason. Prior to Game 3, Tim Cato of The Athletic detailed how Doncic and the Mavs could adjust in order for him to contribute on both ends of the floor.
- Maxi Kleber is improving after falling on his neck in Monday’s Game 1, tweets Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News. “It’s better. I still feel it a little bit when I move my head and all that, but it’s good. I was lucky,” Kleber said.
Mavericks Fined $25K By NBA
The Mavericks have been fined $25K “for violating league rules related to bench decorum,” the NBA announced (via Twitter).
“On multiple occasions, several players and a member of the coaching staff stood away from Dallas’ team bench and were on or encroaching upon the playing court” during Game 2’s loss to the Suns, the announcement says.
The boisterous bench squad, led by two-way player Theo Pinson, who’s ineligible for the playoffs, have made their presence felt throughout the season, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
“Probably more s–t talking than coaching,” Pinson says. “We just try to do everything we can to help our teammates. We just want to give ourselves an advantage. We’re causing a problem for the other team, just mentally. I don’t see other teams doing what we do.”
However, the league has taken notice of their antics, including for “bench decorum” violations in a “Points of Education” video sent out prior to the postseason, MacMahon notes.
“We’re probably on the floor a little bit too much here and there, but we’ve tamed it back from the regular season,” Pinson says. “We police ourselves over there a lot more than we did in the regular season.”
Pinson, who signed a couple of 10-day hardship contracts with the Mavs before inking a two-way deal in January, has provided a major spark in an intangible way: team chemistry.
“Our chemistry is way better now than it was at the start of the season,” Luka Doncic said before the start of the second round. “We’re together, and I think it’s improved a lot. You can see it on the court and off the court.”
The Suns lead the Mavs in their second-round matchup two games to zero, with Game 3 set for Friday night in Dallas.
Kidd: Luka Doncic Still Needs More Help
- For the second time this week, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd had a familiar message for his team, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. As he did after Dallas’ Game 1 loss to Phoenix, Kidd said on Wednesday after the team lost Game 2 that Luka Doncic needs more help. “He had a great game, but no one else showed,” Kidd said. “We’ve got to get other guys shooting the ball better. We can’t win with just him out there scoring 30 a night — not at this time of the year.” The head coach added that the Mavs also need to “do a better job” of helping Doncic on defense, where he was repeatedly attacked by the Suns in the second half.
Mavs Notes: Doncic, Brunson, Dinwiddie, Scoring, Future
Mavericks All-Star guard Luka Doncic turned in a masterful performance in Dallas’ 121-114 Game 1 loss to the Suns on Monday. Doncic scored 45 points, pulled down 12 rebounds and notched eight assists. However, Phoenix’s significant edge in athleticism could remain an issue going forward in the series for Dallas, opines Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports.
Young, lengthy, springy players like Deandre Ayton, Cameron Johnson, Mikal Bridges and Devin Booker have already exposed the vulnerability of the Mavericks. Goodwill also cites the Mavs’ size disadvantage as the reason the team was out-rebounded 51-36 by Phoenix.
There’s more out of Dallas:
- Beyond Doncic’s big night, the team’s other two main ball-handling guards failed to rise to the occasion in Game 1, writes Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie scored a combined 21 points on 9-of-24 shooting from the floor. Townsend points out that Brunson averaged 27.8 PPG during the Mavericks’ 4-2 first-round victory against the Jazz, while Dinwiddie averaged 15.3 PPG in that series. Of course, as Townsend notes, both players received significantly more opportunities in part because the team played those first three contests with Doncic sidelined.
- Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd is hoping that more Dallas players will be able to contribute to a more well-rounded scoring approach, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “[Doncic] got whatever he wanted, when you look at the shots in the paint, behind the arc, midrange, and then also I thought he got his teammates some great looks that we normally had made,” Kidd said. “We’ve just got to get someone to join the party.”
- The Mavericks are in the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2011, when they won the NBA title. The team clearly is trending in the right direction, though Tim Cato of The Athletic still has some questions about the club’s core roster surrounding Doncic. Cato notes that the team offloaded center Kristaps Porzingis to the Wizards for future roster-building flexibility, not to improve the team’s current postseason chances — the latter outcome occurred anyway. Cato wonders about the efficacy of Brunson and Dinwiddie against the Suns’ swarming perimeter defense. Cato also expressed curiosity about how the team would defend the midrange-centric offense of the Suns, after clamping down against the Jazz in the first round.
Bullock Has Been Defensive Stalwart
- Reggie Bullock‘s defensive importance was so profound against the Jazz that the Mavericks played him 254 of a possible 288 minutes in the series. Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News writes an in-depth piece on Bullock and how personal tragedies have shaped his career. Bullock is in the first year of a three-year deal, though the final season isn’t fully guaranteed.
Stein’s Latest: Kings, M. Jackson, Russell, Brunson, Hornets
Mike D’Antoni‘s inability to advance to the second round of head coaching interviews with the Kings suggests that the team is making it a priority to upgrade its defense, according to Marc Stein, who observes in his latest Substack article that Sacramento ranked 27th in defensive efficiency this season after placing 30th in 2020/21.
According to Stein, former Golden State coach and current ABC/ESPN broadcaster Mark Jackson – reportedly one of three finalists along with Steve Clifford and Mike Brown – impressed Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, and appears to have a legitimate shot of returning to an NBA bench. All three of Sacramento’s finalists are known for their “fondness for defense,” says Stein.
If Jackson isn’t hired by the Kings, he’s expected to be a candidate for the Lakers‘ job, though he may not be high on their wish list, Stein writes, adding that L.A. is expected to take its time with its head coaching search and likely won’t move as quickly as Sacramento’s has.
Here’s more from Stein:
- A number of rival teams expect the Timberwolves to attempt to trade guard D’Angelo Russell this offseason, according to Stein. Russell, who is good friends with Karl-Anthony Towns, will be on an expiring $31.4MM contract in 2022/23 after struggling in Minnesota’s playoff series vs. Memphis.
- Mavericks team officials are expressing plenty of confidence behind the scenes that the team will be able to work out a new deal with free agent point guard Jalen Brunson this summer, says Stein. New York, Detroit, and Indiana have frequently been cited as potential suitors for Brunson.
- If Quin Snyder decides to leave the Jazz this spring, the Hornets would have interest in him for their head coaching position, league sources tell Stein. Charlotte is in the market for a replacement for James Borrego.
Poll: Phoenix Suns Vs. Dallas Mavericks
The Suns were the NBA’s most dominant team in 2021/22. Their 64 regular season wins were eight more than any other team compiled, and their +7.5 net rating ranked first in the league.
However, with Devin Booker banged up for part of their first-round series, it took the Suns six games to beat the upstart Pelicans, and they weren’t exactly blowout victories — Phoenix outscored New Orleans by just nine points across those six games.
While the Suns may have looked more susceptible to a playoff upset in the first round than they did for most of the season, one crucial stat carried over to the postseason. After registering a ridiculous +33.4 net rating in “clutch” situations during the regular season, Phoenix improved that number to +35.0 in the first round.
The Suns’ ability to score late in close games has been crucial all year, and could be a difference-maker as they look to make a deep playoff run. Having Booker back in the lineup will provide a huge boost as well. He missed three games with a hamstring strain, but returned to action on Thursday and has had three full days of rest before Game 1 of the team’s second-round series on Monday. Assuming he’s back to something resembling 100%, Phoenix will enter the Western Conference Semifinals at full strength.
The Suns’ second-round opponent will be a Mavericks team that has advanced beyond round one for the first time since Luka Doncic arrived in Dallas in 2018, having defeated the Jazz in round one. Like Booker, Doncic was unavailable due to a leg injury (calf strain) for three games in the first round, but the Mavs didn’t miss a beat without him, as Jalen Brunson took his game to another level by putting up 32.0 PPG and 5.3 APG in Doncic’s absence.
Brunson and Doncic, both healthy and ready to go for round two, will face more resistance against Phoenix than they did against Utah’s subpar perimeter defense. Defensive Player of the Year finalist Mikal Bridges has evolved into one of the league’s top shutdown defenders, and he’s flanked by a number of solid performers on that end, including Chris Paul and Jae Crowder. Doncic and Brunson are still capable of putting up big numbers, but they’ll have to work a lot harder to do so in round two.
Although Dallas finished the season 12 games back of Phoenix in the standings, the current iteration of the team looked as dangerous as anyone during the season’s final two months. From the time newly-acquired guard Spencer Dinwiddie made his Mavs debut on February 15 through the end of the regular season, no NBA team had a better record than Dallas (19-6).
The Mavs won’t enter their series vs. the Suns as favorites, but they’re an extremely dangerous team that should make life very difficult for the reigning Western Conference champs.
What do you think? Will the Suns make it back to the Western Conference Finals this season, or will the Mavericks pull off the upset? Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts and predictions!
Which team will win the series?
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Phoenix Suns in 6-7 games 46% (420)
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Dallas Mavericks in 6-7 games 31% (282)
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Phoenix Suns in 4-5 games 21% (192)
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Dallas Mavericks in 4-5 games 2% (19)
Total votes: 913
Western Notes: Doncic, Green, Payton II, Wolves
Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic acknowledged that it will be difficult to play against Suns Defensive Player of the Year finalist Mikal Bridges, writes Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. Dallas and Phoenix will open their second-round series on Monday night.
“They have Bridges,” Doncic said. “I know he’s going to be on me. He’s the best, in the top two guards, him and (Marcus) Smart. But it’s really tough against him. His defense is amazing. It really impresses me. But then on the offensive end, he improved so much that he’s a really amazing player.”
Bridges placed second in Defensive Player of the Year voting this season, trailing only Smart. Phoenix could have its forwards defend Dallas’ star backcourt (Bridges and Jae Crowder on Doncic and Jalen Brunson), or it could task Chris Paul with defending Brunson. While he’s still a good defender, Paul turns 37 years old later this week.
Here are some other notes from the Pacific Division:
- Warriors star Draymond Green was ejected in Game 1 against the Grizzlies on Sunday. Green committed a Flagrant 2 foul and riled up the crowd before exiting, as Kendra Andrews of ESPN tweets. The ejection decision was met with outrage from many fans, players and league observers. Players are automatically suspended by receiving four flagrant foul points in the playoffs, meaning Green would receive a one-game suspension with one more Flagrant 2 or two more Flagrant 1’s. He was famously suspended in Game 5 of the 2016 Finals for this same reason and later declared it cost the Warriors a title.
- Marc J. Spears of Andscape.com examines where Warriors guard Gary Payton II got his athleticism from. Payton attributes it to his mother, who participated in track, high jump and long jump. His father, of course, is recognized as one of the league’s all-time great defenders and a stellar athlete himself. Payton received his first playoff start against Memphis on Sunday, finishing with eight points and six rebounds in just over 23 minutes.
- The Timberwolves realize that progressing after this season isn’t a guarantee and growth isn’t always linear, Dave Campbell of The Associated Press writes. Minnesota gave the No. 2 seed Grizzlies a run for their money in round one, but they ultimately lost in six games. The team has a young nucleus of Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards and others that could be competitive for many years to come.
Southwest Notes: Hardaway, Brunson, Zion, Grizzlies
Mavericks swingman Tim Hardaway Jr. continues to recover from the surgically repaired fractured left foot that caused him to miss nearly half of the 2021/22 regular season and all of Dallas’ first-round 4-2 defeat of the Jazz. It certainly doesn’t sound like Hardaway will return in time for these playoffs — he has yet to be cleared to run, per Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).
“He’s shooting the ball, but from my eye, he hasn’t done any running or anything yet,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said in discussing Hardaway’s progress. “So that’s more of a medical question, but right now he’s out.”
Dallas has officially announced (Twitter link) that Hardaway will miss the first game of the Mavericks’ second-round matchup against the Suns. Across 42 healthy contests for the Dallas, the 6’5″ shooting guard out of Michigan averaged 14.2 PPG, 3.7 RPG and 2.2 APG this season, on .394/.336/.757 shooting splits.
There’s more out of the Southwest:
- A left calf strain to Mavericks All-Star Luka Doncic allowed his starting backcourt mate Jalen Brunson to step up his own offensive game, per Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. Brunson has earned rave reviews from his former Villanova teammate Mikal Bridges, whose Suns will face off against Brunson’s Mavericks in their upcoming second-round matchup starting Monday. “He’s been hooping all year,” Bridges enthused. “When Luka went out and he had to step up, he was ready for it. “I’m watching games and I could . . . just tell. I know what shots he’s going to make. I just know. I know how talented he is and how hard he works and how much of a dog he is.” While with Villanova, Bridges and Brunson won two NCAA titles.
- Pelicans team president David Griffin acknowledged that forthcoming contract extension discussions with 2021 All-Star forward Zion Williamson may not be easy, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com. The Pelicans will have the ability to offer Williamson a maximum extension worth up to 25% of the salary cap, with 8% yearly raises. “Obviously, that conversation is going to be one that will be a challenge,” Griffin said. “When it’s time to have that, we’ll have it. And right now what we’re focused on is him being healthy, and (being in) kind of elite condition to play basketball and we’ll start there.” Williamson recently indicated he hoped to remain with the Pelicans and get a deal done. Injuries have limited Williamson to just 85 healthy games across his three seasons of NBA action. The No. 1 overall pick out of Duke in 2019 has been quite productive when available, with career averages of 25.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3.2 APG and 0.9 APG.
- The Grizzlies, currently in the midst of their first playoff game against the Warriors in a 2-3 second-round matchup, might have a “death lineup” of their own, writes Chris Herrington of the Daily Memphian. All-Star point guard Ja Morant, breakout second-year shooting guard Desmond Bane, swingman Dillon Brooks, forward Brandon Clarke, and big man Jaren Jackson Jr. could give the Warriors’ ultra-small, shooting-heavy lineups plenty of trouble in their first-round matchup.