At the start of December, the Dallas Mavericks took on the Portland Trailblazers for the second night in a row and won a tough and extremely entertaining game 137-131. Dallas had an entirely new starting lineup: Kyrie Irving, Naji Marshall and Dereck Lively were on the bench this time alongside Klay Thompson, only to see Daniel Gafford go to the locker room four minutes into the game after taking an elbow to the face (fortunately his return was quick). On the bright side, Luka Doncic came back from a wrist sprain and looked like he hadn’t missed a minute.

After a somewhat sluggish first quarter in which they trailed by double digits, the Mavs caught up in the second quarter and took the lead at halftime. The first five shots of the third quarter (3 of 3 from three) were certainly helpful, but an 11-0 Portland run ensured the game quickly ended in a tie. Portland’s Anfernee Simons completely lost her mind in the frame, scoring 24 points on near-perfect shooting. Perhaps even more impressive than that was that the Mavs stayed the course and seemed genuinely unfazed. A stunning three-pointer from Quentin Grimes secured the Mavs’ 3-point lead early in the quarter. The game remained close in the fourth period, with the Mavs giving up the lead before finishing strong. Make no mistake, this was a huge victory. The Mavs were without several players, playing on the second night of a back-to-back game (away), and had to endure a three-point attack (matched shot for shot), but they played smart, smart basketball to secure victory win.

These teams will see each other a lot over the next five weeks, as all four regular season meetings between them will take place during this period. So it won’t be long before this game comes back. Let’s get to the notes!

Luka Doncic: A+

36 points / 7 rebounds / 13 assists / 3 steals / 0 blocks

Luka looked like he did nothing wrong in the opening, getting a steal and giving Jaden Hardy an alley-oop to open the game. The rest of the first quarter showed some rust, especially on the shooting front, but then he was red-hot in the second quarter en route to 20 first-half points while sniffing a triple-double in the process. Although he didn’t hit the triple-double, he had a fantastic game from the couch. 62.5% on 24 shots, including 4 of 10 from three. A few missed freebies and three turnovers (with at least one appearing to be due to a no-call foul) were the only real blemishes here, but Luka gets top marks for getting a sending off like that.

Jaden Hardy: A-

13 points / 3 rebounds / 1 assist / 1 steal / 0 blocks

Hardy’s shooting just hasn’t been clicking lately, and he doesn’t really make up for his lack of goal-scoring power by doing much else. Until he did. After an unforgettable first half, Hardy parried a bad pass, which he turned into an assist that sent him out of bounds. He then shot two three-pointers in just over a minute. Then he drank another one about a minute later. This was a bad half and an excellent half that together made a nice overall product. You’d probably want more from your starting shooting guard, but through 23 minutes and considering what his third quarter meant, Hardy improved significantly after a shaky first half.

Quentin Grimes: A++ (like PJ in a previous game, it’s really an A+ but we’re bumping it up to 11 for fun)

28 points / 5 rebounds / 3 assists / 5 steals / 0 blocks

If you didn’t watch the game and just looked at the score, you would know straight away that it was a clear A+. Grimes was 9 of 13 from the floor, including 5 of 7 from three games. Also five steals! Including one that essentially ended the game. If you were watching the game and didn’t look at the score, you would know immediately that it was a clear A+. It’s hard to pick the best part, but hitting three of four free throws to ice the game after bizarre free throws the night before showed a lot about who Grimes is. This was also his third straight 20-point game.

PJ Washington: A

14 points / 3 rebounds / 6 assists / 1 steal / 0 blocks

Washington’s play may not stand out in the stats, but his grade is rising for several reasons. Timely rebounds (although the total is lower overall) late in the game and a very good assist total certainly help. But 5 of 8 from the field and 4 of 6 from three plays, including a huge corner kick that eliminated the tie with 55 seconds left, really put it over the top. He also did a good job doing the dirty work defensively that isn’t visible in the box score.

Daniel Gafford: A-

19 points / 4 rebounds / 4 assists / 0 steals / 0 blocks

Midway through the second quarter, Gafford secured his double-digit scoring streak for another night (13 in a row). He converted well-earned free throws efficiently throughout the evening (5 of 7) and shot 63.6% from the floor. He was instrumental in the Mavs’ first-half success and turned heads for the Blazers for some time. Even though it wasn’t his best game, he didn’t do anything wrong, apart from good statistics and a generally chaotic 27 minutes of play.

Dwight Powell: B+

5 points / 2 rebounds / 1 assist / 0 steals / 0 blocks

Powell is on the receiving end of a whole lot of bullshit, much of which I suspect stems from a series of seasons in which he played big minutes as a primary center despite not being a primary center (if he even is a center at all). ). I personally felt that this left him with some underserved nodes, but whatever the case, I think most would at least admit that he is nothing more than a professional. Tonight was no different. After Lively went out and Gafford was hit with an elbow, Powell checked in and went to work. He never complains, generally plays smart and always gives 100% effort. I don’t think we could ask for too much more than he gave for 15 unexpected minutes.

Maxi glue: C-

2 points / 7 rebounds / 0 assists / 0 steals / 0 blocks

Maxi got a little more energy in this game (27 minutes) as the squad was depleted so to speak and he seemed more solid than the night before. He allowed a three-pointer in the first quarter but did everything he could to collapse the defense. He was actively involved in the non-statistical stuff, but also had one or two strange plays. In the second quarter, he passed the ball to the one Portland player standing next to three Dallas players, resulting in a layup for the Blazers. Maxi still looks a little out of shape, but a little more momentum in this case might be just what he needs to get going and get back into the swing of things. While his shooting was non-existent (0 of 5), the fact that he even attempted two three-pointers was a welcome sight.

Spencer Dinwiddie: A+

20 points / 1 rebound / 5 assists / 2 steals / 0 blocks

Dinwiddie may not have had an absolute A+ game in the stats, but he did so many things to get this win that I give him top marks. After committing four fouls in the first half, Anfernee Simons went crazy in the third quarter. Dinwiddie made a great play at the end of the third period, drawing the fifth foul on Simons and hitting both of the resulting free throws. He then dropped 14 points, including two free throws, with 42 seconds left in the fourth quarter, extending the Mavs’ lead to three. This was a huge turning point in the game. Dinwiddie had complained (correctly in all but one case) about Deni Avjida committing offensive fouls against him throughout the game. Avjida scored a goal in one such contested play moments before, and the foul Dinwiddie drew on him was initially ruled the other way. The advantage of replay overturned the decision, so instead of Portland Ball leading by one point, Dinwiddie went to the line and increased the lead to three points. This guy played like a total pro, combining big shots with very smart plays.

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