Dallas Mavericks’ Game 1 loss to Utah Jazz falls squarely on head coach Jason Kidd
The Dallas Mavericks lost Game 1 when Luka Doncic grabbed his calf in Game 82.
When Doncic clutched his calf in Game 82 one week ago in the regular-season finale that set the Mavs up for playoff failure.
He had little reason to be on the floor in that game, and that he sustained the injury falls on Mavericks coach Jason Kidd.
It was simply horrible luck, but in the current climate of today’s NBA where star players sit just to avoid an injury, Kidd has to wear this one.
As expected, the Mavs ruled Doncic out for Game 1 against the Utah Jazz on Saturday morning.
As expected, the Jazz defeated the Mavs on Saturday afternoon in the opening-round playoff game.
The Mavs were game, and played like a scrappy little No. 12 seed in an NCAA Tournament game, but without Luka they’re cooked in a seven-game series with the Jazz.
On Saturday afternoon, the Jazz defeated the Mavericks 99-93.
Saturday was the first time the Mavs hosted a Game 1 of an NBA playoff series since 2011; they planned to win their first home playoff game at the American Airlines Center for the first time since April 26, 2015.
Game 2 is set for 7:30 on Monday night.
If Luka can’t go in Game 2, don’t plan on this home playoff winless streak ending.
It’s one thing for the Mavs to win some regular-season games without Luka, which they did.
It’s another thing for the Mavs to win a playoff series without Luka, which they won’t.
Utah is too good for a Mavs team without Luka Doncic to defeat in a seven-game series. They might get one or two wins. They are not winning four.
He led the team in minutes, points, rebounds, assists and steals. No NBA team is winning four playoff games in a series without that player.
Saturday’s matchup exposed the most concerning characteristics of the Mavs in this series; they’re small, and if they are not hitting outside shots they are in a pile of panic.
The Mavs hit 9 of 32 3-point attempts. The Jazz out-rebounded the Mavericks, 53-34.
“We lost by six, and I missed six free throws,” Mavs guard Spencer Dinwiddie said. “We had our chances to win and we didn’t.”
The Mavericks missed eight free throws, and this was a game they could have won.
They lost for a reason.
With Luka, the Mavs can beat the Jazz.
Without Luka, it’s not as close as a few missed free throws.
They cut a double-digit second-half deficit to one point with 2:05 remaining in the game when forward Maxi Kleber hit a corner 3-pointer.
The Mavs failed to get a defensive rebound on the next possession, and were not good enough.
The Mavs made multiple runs at the Jazz in the second half to get the lead, and never did.
Jazz center Rudy Gobert took one shot, and he dominated the game. He finished with 17 rebounds, three blocks, and affected the Mavericks’ ability to generate anything near the rim.
Everything the Mavs did offensively was jump shots, or contested shots near the basket.
The Mavs can’t “go big”; Kidd decided a while ago that he’s just not going to play center Boban Marjanovic big minutes.
The Mavs are a guard-oriented team built around their 6-foot-8 Euro step-back Magic, which works when Luka isn’t on the bench in street clothes.
With Spencer Dinwiddie and Jalen Brunson carrying the team, the Mavs led for most of the first half because Utah All-Star Donovan Mitchell was non-existent.
When Mitchell showed up after halftime, the lack of Luka was painful.
Mitchell scored 19 points in the third quarter, and finished with 32. Forward Bojan Bogdanovic killed the Mavs all day, and finished with 26 points.
The Mavericks held the Jazz 14 points under their regular-season scoring average, but that was the regular season.
Scoring always goes down in the playoffs.
“This could be 2000 basketball where teams don’t score over 100 points,” Kidd said after the game.
Could be.
And the Mavs could win a game or two in this series without Luka.
If he’s on the bench, they’re cooked.
This story was originally published April 16, 2022 at 3:56 PM.
