The Mavericks hosted the San Antonio Spurs for their home opener Saturday night, but couldn't send the crowd home happy, on the heels of a 122-106 final score
. Without the services of Cooper Flagg (shoulder) and Kyrie Irving (rest), the burden was on veterans Naji Marshall and P.J. Washington, along with newcomers like Zaccharie Risacher and Marcus Sasser, to show out against their intrastate rivals.
Let's get to the grades!
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Naji Marshall: B+
10 PTS / 4 REB / 5 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 21 MIN
Marshall was solid, especially stepping in as the starting point guard, but didn't log a whole lot of minutes when all was said and done. He put in a well rounded game with 4-of-8 shooting, even hitting his only three-point attempt, making the most of his somewhat limited minutes.
Max Christie: C
5 PTS / 5 REB / 1 AST / 1 STL / 2 BLK – 26 MIN
Christie drove early in the game, giving what I've been calling for – more than just camping out at the three-point line. He missed, but at least showed the versatility. Then, he camped out at the three-point line the rest of the game. He finished 2-of-9 overall and only 1-of-5 from deep. With the play of Sasser and versatility of Risacher, Christie may be in danger of losing minutes if this keeps up.
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Zaccharie Risacher: B+
11 PTS / 4 REB / 2 AST / 1 STL / 2 BLK – 32 MIN
Risacher is all energy all the time. His offensive game is streaky to say the least, but he is fast, interested in defending and seemingly gets taller every time he takes the court. Much of his value showed up outside the box score Saturday night, but he did bring defensive intensity that was needed in an otherwise high scoring game. A pull up three and fastbreak layup displayed what he can do offensively. If he can get a bit more consistent on that end of the floor, he's going to bring a lot to the team this season. Saturday night ended on the better end of the spectrum, with 4-of-8 shooting and 1-of-3 from deep.
P.J. Washington: B
12 PTS / 4 REB / 2 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 36 MIN
Washington started well and had a good night overall, but it felt as though he disappeared a bit as the game went on. He still finished on a highly efficient 6-of-12 from the floor, but missed all three of his three-point attempts.
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Daniel Gafford: B+
12 PTS / 9 REB / 2 AST / 3 STL / 2 BLK – 23 MIN
Gafford shook off whatever spell he was under in the first game of the season and looked more locked in. He still struggled on the boards and committed too many fouls early, but generally avoided bone-headed plays that plagued him a few nights ago. A steal at half court that he took about 50 feet for a thunderous dunk was a reminder of what he can bring at his best. He followed that up with an alley-oop slam and another dunk off an offensive rebound with Victor Wembanyama draped on his back.
Marcus Sasser: A-
12 PTS / 3 REB / 5 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 27 MIN
Sasser is proving to be every bit the shooter we thought he could be. He connected on 5-of-9 from the floor, including 2-of-5 from downtown. He was tied with Marshall and Walter Clayton, Jr. for the team lead in assists. Sasser is bringing exactly what the Mavs need from their bench unit, playing within himself and engaging on both ends of the floor.
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Sergio De Larrea: A+
21 PTS / 5 REB / 4 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 32 MIN
De Larrea looked significantly more comfortable just three games into his NBA tenure. In the first half alone, he banked in two nearly identical floaters and finished a reverse layup under the rim off a nice pass. Those were just the first half highlights. He scored 13 points over the first 24 minutes, shooting 75% and hitting his only three-point attempt. The second half was no different. After a few awkward moments in the first two games of the season, De Larrea looked like an experienced NBA veteran. He finished 9-of-15 to lead the team in scoring. This was basically a flawless game for the young player and it affords Dallas the much-needed guard depth that they were unsure of coming into the season.
Final Thoughts
The Mavericks looked very well connected despite missing a floor general in Irving and their best player in Flagg. Rebounds continue to haunt Dallas. They gave up far too many offensive boards that resulted in additional second-chance points for the Spurs, but the game was much closer than the final score indicates, at least until the waning minutes of the night.
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