The Dallas Mavericks defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 109-104 in New Orleans this evening. The Pelicans came out slow letting Dallas get into the lane and free up Dirk Nowitzki and Chandler Parsons. It seemed the Mavs had this game all the way, even when New Orleans made an exciting 3rd quarter run. Much of the night saw Jrue Holiday and Anthony Davis carry the load, but what was impressive was when New Orleans decided to put the ball in Tyreke Evans’ hands. When that happened things opened up.
In the final period Dallas closed things out, executing a number of very clever offensive sets. Dirk Nowitzki pretty much finished the proceedings with his patented mid-range shot to put the game beyond reach and give the Mavs the win.
Notes:
- Anthony Davis again played an effortless game. Midway through the third he had 25 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks. You almost had to double take because it didn’t seem he was playing that well. Night in and night out Davis will carry this team. Early in the game he didn’t really have things going offensively, but he was getting scrappy rebounds and effort plays to get his points. In the third he exploded catching fire from mid-range with some nice catch and shoot attempts.
- Eric Gordon had a brutal game. I mean it was anything but pretty: 0 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist and four turnovers. It seemed like there was no real way for him to get going and you could tell he was frustrated as he tried to pick his spots. The problem was that anything he tried just wasn’t working. In the long-term it’ll be interesting to see how Coach Williams sets up Gordon’s game. He invariably needs the ball in his hands, but so too does Evans and Holiday. This will be a sticking point for the Pels offense moving forward.
- Speaking of Evans he was a wrecking ball in the third quarter [[should Mylie Cyrus wrecking ball be played when Evans scores???]]. 16 pts, 3 ast, 5 reb, 1 steal all in the period (Dallas had 19 points by themselves). The most intriguing thing was witnessing his jump-shot. Tyreke hit 3 three’s on the night and a couple of mid-range jumpers. As David Fisher noted, “Evans’ shot on the catch and shoot is completely different than off the dribble. Balanced. Feet under him.” And it’s one of those perplexing aspects of his game. When he fades away he almost never makes it, but the second he starts shooting through his legs after a couple of dribbles it kind of works.
- Outside of Ryan Anderson in the first half the New Orleans bench didn’t really contribute much of anything. Rivers was confident to begin with but then kind of fell off. Not many played big minutes, which is probably more of the point here. With Gordon struggling it was kind of odd not to see more experimenting with Fredette and Rivers.
- The Mavericks defense can be really good at times. They were really giving the Pelicans problems with some of their sets.
- Dirk Nowitzki is still as good as ever. I mean, there’s just no stopping him sometimes. He looks so calm and relaxed, but angry at the same time.
- Monta Ellis was getting into the lane at will. From this, the Mavericks scored 62 points in the paint to New Orleans’ 46. Gordon was matched up on him for much of the evening which was quite surprising.
- This leads me to probably my biggest point: pick and roll defense. For much of the game it was evident that the Pelicans just couldn’t defend the most common offensive play in the NBA. Whether it was a big man not containing the ball, guards getting stuck behind screens, going over screens, not helping the helper or just simple communication errors, New Orleans just couldn’t contain the Mavs. Even Bryan Gates at half-time noted that they needed to do a better job of containing the guards. There was no single culprit, pretty much all of the Pelicans (even Anthony Davis) just couldn’t contain this set. Figuring this out will be a top priority early in the season.
- You know how Asik and Davis were getting a lot of those second chance points against the Magic the other night? Well Brandon Wright put a stop to that. He does the little things that coaches love by playing solid defense and making sure that when the opposition misses, it stays that way.
- The crowd really got into in the third. 14,500 strong it was really cool watching on TV seeing all you awesome fans make some noise to help the team get back into the game. More of this!
Next game is Monday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Tweet of the night:
Bet for tonight’s game: #Mavericks win – I wear a Dirk jersey for a day #Pelicans win – @bobrosepres draws a unibrow on his face for a day
— Mason Ginsberg (@MasonGinsberg) November 1, 2014
33 responses to “Pelicans and Mavs Post Game Observations”
Pelicans’ coach is very weak. The team has no offensive organization. Anthony Davis needs a more qualified coach to guide him. Hey, Benson! Bring us a coach!
15 mill ZERO POINTS!
WHY DID MONTY HAVE GORDON IN THE GAME IN THE FOURTH QUARTER WHEN HE WAS ICE COLD THE ENTIRE GAME?!
lottoni81
Did Monty go 0-6 with 4 turnovers (Gordon)? Have back to back possessions with a missed layup and a turnover at around the 8:00 minute mark in the 4th quarter, a critical point in the game (Rivers)? Have more turnovers in the 4th quarter than the first three quarters (team)? Lack defensive effort and intensity in the 1st half (team)?
I am so sick of Monty haters who can’t say anything specific. The Pelicans scored 104 points and lost by 5. The problems were small, like those listed above, not something huge (and untrue) like “no offensive organization”.
I am not a fan of Ryno playing with AD and Asik. Ryno struggles to get open and get in rhythm when he is guarded by a SF. At the end of the game, they wanted to get Ryan a 3 point look by when he had Parsons on him, he could not get open.
Richdatdude
And what guard on the bench was scoring tonight?
Excellent summary.
– Gordon is a problem. 0-6/0 pts and 4f ouls for 15 million a yr isnt cutting it. Dude is a starter on a bad team/bench player on a good team. i hope he opts out but he probably knows hes not that good so i doubt that
– tyreke had a great 3rd but awful 4th. hes just not a shooter and those offensive fouls were stupid.
– unibrow cant be an MVP candidate if his team doesnt improve. The cant choke in the clutch like they did
– this team has no bench (besides the underrated Ryno). Rivers, Fredette, Salmon just arent good players
– Im not a Monty hater but this team needs to upgrade. That starts with upgrading the talent then the coach. but ill be patient. lol
504ever lottoni81
I’m no Monty hater, but he does have some accountability for the loss. In my opinion we needed to run more plays designed to get Ryno open for 3-point shots and get AD touches in the paint. I saw none of the former and too few of the latter. I also pin some of the blame for lack of effort and intensity in the first half on Monty. Obtaining effort and intensity is his job.
Monty did get outcoached by Carlisle in the 4th, and will probably get outcoached by Popovich later in the season. However, those are two of the best unavailable coaches around. I see nobody available that comes close to desirable as a replacement for Monty, so I hope he grows into the job of being a playoff-caliber coach so we can eventually win some of these coaching match-ups.
No bench and Jimmer isn’t a “good player”? He led your pitiful team in scoring and shooting % when players where battling for rotation spots through 4 games? Even the bias Times complimented his play, until Rivers complained and Monty obliged.
Because he’s a really bad coach and plays his favorites. So much for a potential new Pelicans fan here. Disappointed in Tom Benson for tolerating this mess as I’ve been a Saints fan for decades.
Clueless – you demand “specifics” ? You must not know basic basketball.
One dimensional player who can’t play defense, create his own shot or a shot for others. The fact that he beat out others tells you how bad the bench is
ChrisDoster
Oh, you’re a Jimmerite here to flame to team because Jimmer didn’t get more playing time. That explains why you can’t articulate what Monty did wrong below, and why you rely on meaningless preseason stats and promote the lie that Rivers whined to Monty about playing time to support your idea that Jimmer is a good player ‘screwed’ by Monty.
You do know that Jimmer, who’s best skill by far is shooting, is 0-6 from the field so far this regular season?
When you have $16 million in salary cap tied up in a guy who gives you no production – what you have is no money left for a bench. Jimmer is quickly reminding everyone why he’s been a bust everywhere he’s been – no defense and not quick enough to get his shot off on offense. Salmon’s is so far past his prime that he’s a joke when out on the floor. This team has 5 guys (on occasion 6 if EG shows up) that can produce. Lets hope no one gets seriously hurt this year or we are looking at another sub 35 win season.
Gordon is not close to a pure catch-and-shoot 2; he needs to bang the ball to find his rhythm, so is a total mess with Jrue and Reke both better ball bangers. The solution has been obvious all along (maybe even to Monty): Play Gordon with the 2nd unit, ie, as much as possible without Reke. Meanwhile start Babbitt at the 3 – he is the pure catch-and-shoot wing guy we need with Reke, not a ball banger and, as much as possible, keep Ryno at the 4 or occasionally the 5, not the 3, where others have noted he’s guarded by quicker players. Alas, I don’t have solution to a back-up 3, but can see 3 guard rotation as long as it’s not Gordon and Reke — that leaves any three of Jrue, Rivers, Jimmer, and Gordon. Plus Miller also moves the ball, so may work for 5-10 minutes. Salmons needs to be waived!
Something to consider – This Pelicans team had yet to play even a decent offensive team. Not in the preseason, not against the Magic.
They got destroyed in the first half, in large part because they had to adjust to ball movement and speed they had literally never seen before.
Monty makes some adjustments and they hold one of the best offensive teams in the league to 43 points in the 2nd half.
All is not lost here folks. Its a process.
I’m new here but Austin Rivers sucks case close. The Pels game till the forth quarter was great then they self-destructed. This team still have a lot of growing up to do.
Jimmy Lee Dobbs Unless you ignore that the only reason they were in it was the Dirk went out early and the third while Asik, who was tracking him, remained in, and Dallas’ scoreless streak accounted for a 12 point swing. Which allowed the close 4th quarter to happen.
To say the game was close until and that the 4th was self-destruction is, to me, fallacious.
“MEANINGLESS PRESEASON STATS” Thank you sir. that’s what these Jimmer heads don’t seem to get. Guy had done nothing in real games yet and has had minutes to do so. let the Baylor days go please
504ever lottoni81 Sorry? Did you watch the crunch time? What I saw was a Mavericks running bright offense – with a screen – for Nowitzki scoring. Carlisle did his job. And in the end I saw Holiday or Evans shooting anyway and missing. Note the difference … These should be the small details that you referred to. Where was Monty when he saw his players throw the balls in the air? No offensive organization, just as it was last season. That’s why I repeat: We need a coach. How about Jerry Sloan?
What about Austin Rivers … Don’t forget that he is a Pelican only for being the son of a personal friend of Monty Williams. The criterion was not technical, but emotional. This is another detail that makes us lose games and that’s strongly related to incompetence of our coach. Monty Williams is an evil that must be cut out of New Orleans. Otherwise, we will never see the sun comes up in the playoffs again.
DonDP I believe you mean BYU and not Baylor. I apologize for @ChrisDoster. He’s been annoying other Jimmer fans for 3 years, because he has no respect for the fans of the teams Jimmer has played. He escalates fights. I think Jimmer will play better and prove his worth in the coming weeks. Players always regress to their means. Jimmer’s average performance last year, and the last two presasons, suggest he’s a 50 percent shooter. Will he go 0 for 6 again? I don’t know, but statistics suggest he’ll do that about 1.2 times in 82 games.
I think we should be encouraged that he got a steal, took a charge and blocked a shot. Even when his shot didn’t fall, he contributed, thats a great sign relative to his defense in the past.
Trading Gordon won’t happen, unless he was paired with Anthony Davis, which WON”T HAPPEN. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rivers is traded soon. Will it get us the SF of our dreams….I don’t think so.
Baylor? Yea so you’re the NBA expert? You’re team and coach a joke a Jimmer could help if not for the bias against “Baylor” players. Lmao
You call it “annoying” I call it defending as the kids from my hometown. He’s been abused and misused more than any first round draft choice I can recall in decades. Many agree with me and your comments simply indicate you’re just trying to fit in and play nice. Good for you.
Oh easy man, ole Ben will say you’re annoying Pelucan fans…lol
ChrisDoster Not fit in. Just showing some respect and bit of nuance. I think people defending Jimmer (like his brother) partially got him in Keith Smart’s doghouse.
I think Jimmer hasn’t been used in the right role yet. I hope he is here. I think his defense is overanalyzed as a result of comfirmation bias. The difference between an elite defensive player and a terrible one, is often getting scored on 1/3 of the time vs 1/2 of the time. 1/6 is all that seperates those too. So you can’t really judge a player on a single possession, or a single game, or even 5 games. We need stats to see past our biases.
Regarding this game, when a basketball game comes down to a 1-6 point defeat, people over-react. The thing is, because sports are zero game, the odds of winning and losing the game are 50/50 going into the last 3 minutes of a close game. Even recently published research finds that coaches overreact to close defeats with changing their lineup. Shouldn’t surprise that we overreact as well.
Question, do you people want to cheer for Jimmer when he does well? Then don’t insult their team or their fans. He’ll get his chance sooner or later. All the locals in Chicago were excited to have them, until you annoyed them into wanting him to go away.
I would suggest you ChrisDoster, not feel so defensive about Jimmer. He’s a fine player. He’s getting better. Sooner or later he’ll find the right role in the NBA and light it up like nobody’s business. Will he be an all-star like you think he will….he’ll need to improve his court vision and ball handling a lot.
lottoni81
So you are a Jimmerite, too, and a conspiracy theorist regarding Rivers playing over Jimmer.
Just wish you guys would be honest and say your axe to grind with anyone who doesn’t play or talk about Jimmer how you see fit is so big you’ll jump in against anyone anywhere over things that aren’t their fault.
What’s the big deal with fredette? He’s a non factor on this team. Lol. He’s not important enough to debate over. I don’t think he’ll last the whole yr
benbackstreet ChrisDoster Wow, appreciate your comments, but youre way off on the impact social media and blog comments might have on coaching decisions? First of all when TJ tweeted about how his brother was being treated, you actually think Keith “Smart” benched Jimmer because of that? Dont know your professional experience, or connections to Jimmer, the Bulls, professional basketball or the Pelicans, but you have your opinions and your observations…
If my comments about a great young man, who was exposed to the mess that is universally acknowledged as the “Kings” annoyed Bulls fans, they need to not feel “So defensive about Jimmer”, or a fan from his hometown comments.
Sorry man, I have every right to complain and rant about a player I know and follow. Guess you believe in the “P.C.” crap that is silencing free speech. Passion and sports go hand in hand, unless youre too young to understand.
As far as “insulting the teams fans”, you must no have followed the Kings blogs as many “Fans” ripped Jimmer to no end, regardless of what he did. Sorry Ben, the internet is the new “wild west”, and if I “annoy” or insult some “fan”, too bad as Jimmer has been beyond insulted and annoyed from the moment he was unfortunately drafted by the “Queens”. Opps, sorry Ben, I mean the “Kings”…LOL
callmened I would assume rational behavior in these Jimmerites.
Jimmy Lee Dobbs i agree. i thought rivers will be good but he sucks.
you cant expect to succeed when the starting SG shoots 0-6 and u have rivers and fredette as backups
LKL PREACH! thats exactly what i think
Let’s make this clear.
I will not be devastated by this loss and neither should any of the rest Pelican Nation.
The team that we played is only a few players off from the team that won a title in 2011. They have MUCH more experience and they are a West playoff team from last season that got better in the offseason.
The run in the 3rd quarter showed that this team will not give up. Last year, due to injuries we did not get the time together that the players needed for chemistry to develop. We are already off to a much better start this season than last.
Dallas is a formidable opponent and this game could have gone either way. Time will correct our mistakes.
No team has ever gone 82-0.
Baylor.. BYU I could care less… he hasn’t earned anything on this team
DonDP Actually, the phrase is: “I couldn’t care less.”
Sorry, pet peeve of mine. Carry on.