“Doncic is a MAGICIAN” – ESPN reacts to Luka drops Triple-Double to lead Mavericks beat Jazz 115-105

“Doncic is a MAGICIAN” – ESPN reacts to Luka drops Triple-Double to lead Mavericks beat Jazz 115-105

Welcome to Mavs live on Valley Sports presented by Frontier the map simply had to win this game tonight in Utah they knew it and their two superstars took care of it in the second half Luca donic with his 19th triple double of the year it was passing in the first it was

Scoring in the second Kyrie joined the three party with all four of his in the second half big scoring nights for both lot of help from others and a defense that showed up when it mattered and let’s enjoy it while we can the Mavs have jumped to sixth in the Western

Conference hi they’re Dana Larson and Devin Harris with you and the Mavericks may not finish the night in six the Sacramento Kings with a lead right now as they play on in their game however you just cannot simply stress enough how important it was that the Mavs won this

Game in Utah tonight it was it was a big win but it kind of started the way we talked about trying to beat a team twice we saw this Utah team really steep up in that first half you know having a lead up until pretty much the third quarter

And that that’s how hard it is to beat these teams two times in a row they played a lot better than they did the other night but the Mavs hung tough really made some adjustments at halftime they locked in defensively and they didn’t shoot well in the first half but

They found a rhythm in that second half yeah the Mavs had lost six of their last seven games there including that really ugly loss January 1 first so it is not a slam dunk when you go to Salt Lake City and you can sense though that this team

Understands the urgency right now with which they are playing and the opportunities in front of them to beat teams and Bank wins when you need it right now as tough as things are in the standings and there are two guys who you can always look to despite first halfes

Where the the uh shots were not falling what’s the line that we always hear harp and and mark well say if they don’t get you early they’re going to get you later yeah so they did not have a rhythm in the first half they not shoot well in

That first half but they had other guys step up Tim Hardway junor with a big first half but at some point you know Luc is going to start make shots and you know how Kyrie can be in that fourth quarter and LCA did a phenomenal job of

Really passing the ball in that first half really setting up his teammates until he found that rhythm in the in the second half we’ seen the live here to gaford and just you know paint points is always going to be something that he gets to but you know at some point he’s

Going to find rhythm in that in that step back jump shot and it’s going to come at some point we just saw a lot of that in the third quarter but another triple double and uh not a great shooting percentage two of 11 from three but he he he contributed in other ways

Tonight a lot of rebounds a lot of assists in the first half yeah always had 10 assists in the first half the Mavericks as a team had 20 that was the most assists in the first half of a game this season we saw a lot of him uh

Looking for the likes of Gafford at The Rim it was nice also uh to see Tim Hardway Jr had all 13 of his points early on he was kind of that early first half scoring Punch Yeah they they kind of ride him and see how the shooting is

Going that kind of determines what his minutes are going to look like but got into a good Rhythm early on got a lot of good looks and and knocked them down and and they needed that to keep the game close and and in reach gave up a ton of

Points in that first quarter but were able to hang tough and really you know keep it at Bay until halftime you saw the three-point shooting come around enough in this second half guys like PJ Washington Jr got a couple to fall uh they haven’t needed the threes at the

Same clip where are we at and how you feel about this where you’re not relying on it but there’s also is there a little bit of a concern that is a little bit a little bit but it’s not needed right now and I feel like if they’re figuring out

Other ways to win games when they’re not shooting the ball well from three which is going to be imperative come come you know playoff time but at some point they’re going to need to hit uh more than you know 30 you know 28% from from three in order to stay consistent and

Try to win games especially when the game slows down in the playoffs but it’s good that they’re finding other ways you know defensively points in the paint all that’s going to come into play playoff time so it’s great that they’re getting experience with that right now it is

Strange to see a three-point percentage at 28 for the Mavs they average right now uh 36.9% and that has been dropping here a little bit in these last couple of games and yet the the winds have not been dropping Mavericks have now won eight of their last nine games let’s head back

Out to Salt Lake City to hear from Jason kid I thought the group after the first quarter we you know held them under 25 points there um that first quarter was kind of like a shoot around um they were shooting we were shooting um and so I thought uh our physicality started to

Come in in that second quarter and then after halftime after we talked about it I thought the guys did a really good job us I think it was Zero Second Chance points there in the second half so being able to get the misses and then I thought on the offensive end just

Trusting each other I thought U we had some great looks at three Timmy PJ um and so just the trust that they missed some early but again in that second half they went to them and PJ made some big threes for us Timmy made some big shots

For us so just the the trust that everybody has and in that locker room you know what everyone’s just talking about we can make a couple threes how easy the game can become and so um again we talked about Utah they fought the they you know this is a hard place to to

Win and I thought the guys did a great job of executing down the stretch well and as you indicated in the second half I think Utah shot 37% and marking only one point in the fourth quarter did you guys do anything differently rotation wise in the second half or just tightening your principles

Well I think just uh understanding you know where he’s at and making him put the ball on the floor he’s he’s one of the best at being able to catch and shoot uh behind the three-point line um but I think again there the physicality understanding where the game is being

Called and and how you you know have to play at this time of the year I thought we were we were really good with our physicality uh off the ball um and then again keeping them off the free throw line I thought that was one of the big

Things there um in the second and third and also in the fourth quarter is just keeping them off the free throw line do you have to say anything to these guys now with these two games coming up inside no you know I think it’s a game

In front of us and um as we talked about starting off the trip this was step one game one um um we can say we can we maybe passed now it’s uh both teams coming off a backto back um understanding Sacramento is one of the best teams in the league um tough place

To play so this is a great test for us and so um we’ll look at what we need to clean up uh as we go forward and then um we’ll get ready for Sacramento you and we’ll discuss those two huge games coming up here in just a

Little bit but first uh the things to clean up defensively got off to a rough start as he said it’s it was like a shoot around out there uh gave up 41 points and they were shooting 54% they did really really tighten the screws though and what did you see and and how

They went about doing that uh just not giving up any early shots no Second Chance points in in the second half a little bit more physical and and we saw guys like Gafford you know protect the paint and I think you know when you got

A guy like that who can you know really anchor your defense along with the the physicality of that he brings on a night toight basis that that’s going to Anchor and you know got Luca taking charges you know the activity from a you know deflection standpoint creating Steals

And transition buckets and the ability to rebound the basketball all those things are are big for a defense and kind of build you into you know getting stops and gaffard really has brought such a physicality to the it’s it’s his game certainly and he uses that size so

Well it’s difficult also though you’ve got to do it without fouling because you heard Jason kid talk about we didn’t want to put them on the line speaking of Lines gafford’s line was impressive once again tonight he only missed one shot that’s about his his usual right 13

Points 11 boards five assists five blocks two steals what was your favorite part of his night uh I mean if you look at the assist they’re using him more uh in in a high post situation they’re setting back screens with the likes of Luca and Kyrie which open up you know

With the intention to get open up wide open layups that’s where you get the assist from and also the blocks I mean this is a team that used to give up a ton of paint points when you get beat off the the initial dribble penetration normally that’s a layup now that’s no

Longer the case with the likes of Gafford and Lively protecting the paint and we’re seeing him you know block shots out to the first and second row and and usually a scream to follow that that’s what I love the energy that that he brings and to really set that tone

Defensively that’s right the scream the landlord the nicknames we love every little bit of the energy and effort and excitement that Daniel gaffard is bringing to the Mavericks much more on the way step one is I got to luck get away from First Blood I’ll give it my all our Dragon Lane Tower is under attack our Slayer Lane Tower is under attack you have been defeated come hi and they’re off hey over here our Slayer Lane Tower is under attack an enemy has been defeated where in the speed force are we executed how many

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Bath our SL Lane Tower is under attack an enemy has been defeated double kill dominated you have defeated an enemy how many fingers the iron defense line has disappeared send in the ballista where in the speed force are we an ally has been defeated shut down can’t be

Late your team has destroyed our Dragon Tower is under attack sorry sorry legendary one cycl coming right up double kill ultimate our Slayer lanane Tower is under attack defeated your tower has been destroyed can’t be late here they legendary ah double Kill your team has destroyed a tower chos Reigns on here they come shut down Your team has destroyed a tower and they’re off an enemy has been defeated okay double kill here they come we’re in the speed Force Army our Dragon Lane Tower is under attack here they come your tower has been destroyed let’s dial it up to 11 two legendary you have defeated an

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Up you have been defeated an enemy has been defeated an ally has been defeated legendary double kill triple kill quad kill Ace nice assisting your team has destroyed a tower and they’re off legendary hey over here nice assist an enemy has been defeated legendary double

Kill I’ll give it my all get up to speed face legendary ah here they come you have defeated an enemy double kill get away triple kill one kill an ally has been defeated kill victory

“Doncic is a MAGICIAN” – ESPN reacts to Luka drops Triple-Double to lead Mavericks beat Jazz 115-105