Mavericks Are Just About Cooked Now
Coach Carlisle knows his Mavericks are outmanned.
The Thunder opened the 2016 Playoffs with a resounding 38-point win over the Mavericks. Point guard Russell Westbrook (24 points and 11 assists in 29 minutes) and Durant (23 points in 26 minutes) were productive as usual but Oklahoma City also received a strong performance from power forward Serge Ibaka, who had 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting to go with nine rebounds and three blocked shots. Ibaka has struggled recently and went 1-of-12 from the field in his final regular-season appearance but was a much different player in the assault of the Mavericks. Backup Oklahoma City C Enes Kanter also thrived in the opener with 16 points and 13 rebounds in 23 minutes. The Thunder are 5-0 against the Mavericks this season.
The Mavericks set 68 screens in Game 1 compared to 60 set by the Thunder. However, not a single Mavericks ball handler was able to generate more than 1.00 point-per-possession (PPP) on their collective screens. Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, and Randy Foye, on the other hand, all generated well over 1.00 PPP.
The Thunder tallied 8 post plays in their Game 1 victory, scoring 10 points directly from those posts and a total of 12 on those team possessions. The Mavericks threw up a goose egg on their 5 post ups, scoring no points on the play or the team possession.
Nowitzki was the only Maverick to score in double figures in Game 1. He was shut down by Serge Ibaka, going 1-6 from the field when guarded by Thunder’s big man. Nowitzki had much more luck against Nick Collison and Steven Adams.
The Thunder faced 22 drives from Maverick ball handlers. As a team, they only allowed 0.32 points-per-drive and 0.41 PPP on drive possessions.
Injured Mavericks Don’t Help
Dallas backup PF David Lee (foot) will likely sit out for the second-straight game. Point guard J.J. Barea has been one of the team’s better players this month but his availability is in jeopardy after he aggravated a groin injury during the second half of Game 1.
