Name an NBA team with better vibes than the Mavs right now. You can’t do it.
What a difference a trade deadline makes.
The vibes are immaculate once more as the Dallas Mavericks (30-23) prepare to host the lowly Washington Wizards (9-43) at the American Airlines Center Monday on the second of a four-game homestand.
A win would extend the Mavericks’ current streak to five games with a home game against the San Antonio Spurs waiting on the horizon. The Mavs’ dispensed with the Wizards 130-117 on Nov. 14 in the two teams’ only other meeting this season behind 31 points from Tim Hardaway Jr. and 26 and 10 assists from Luka Dončić.
And even though the Mavs still aren’t restored to 100% full health just yet, they’ll have much more ammo at their disposal against the Wizards the second time around than they did in the first. First and foremost, Kyrie Irving (and Dončić and Maxi Kleber) are all listed as probable on the injury report. Trade deadline newcomers Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington proved to be immediate plug-and-play weapons in their first game with the Mavericks as well.
Dereck Lively II (broken nose) and Dante Exum (knee bursitis) are still out for the game against Washington. This is Lively’s seventh straight game out and Exum’s ninth.
Washington scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting and grabbed five rebounds in a nice debut while Gafford really raised some eyebrows in his first game with the team, a massive 146-11 blowout win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. He lived above the rim and looked like he’d been receiving lobs from Dončić for years on his way to 19 points and nine boards on 7-of-11 shooting. The Mavericks turned in one of their most impressive performances on the boards all season in the pair’s debut, out-rebounding the Thunder, 54-40.
It may end up being a laugher, but here are three things that make this game worth tuning into anyway.
A way-too-early Gafford Revenge Game
Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford (21) reacts during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at American Airlines Center.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Does the fact that Monday’s game is just his second game with the Mavericks make it too early to declare this a Daniel Gafford Revenge Game? We wouldn’t mind any manufactured excuse if it gives Gafford the juice like he had in his first game with the Mavericks.
Gafford showed off his great length and athleticism, springy hops, his fighting spirit to get to contested loose balls, body control in a crowded lane and a feathery soft touch inside, honed by four years of attacking the basket with that unique mix of skill and aggression. Gafford’s tenacity matched with his cerebral competency is a sweet thing to see in a Dallas big man.
Injuries push newcomers into the spotlight
The Mavs are down Lively and Exum — a post and a wing. Luckily enough, their trade deadline acquisitions were — wouldn’t you know it — pretty good finds at both post and wing. Joining the Mavs at this specific time presents them with a unique opportunity to be essential in the lineup right away.
There was by necessity no get-acquainted buffer where Gafford and Washington could be eased into the lineup and get a feel for how the team operates before diving into their role. Their first game was against one of the best teams in the NBA through 52 games, and both would have been playing high-leverage minutes if it came down to it. But it didn’t — which turned the newcomers’ first game in Dallas into an impromptu celebration of trade deadline bounty.
Gafford and Washington will be in…
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