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#2 The Mavs team works as a whole
Dallas' entire team came to play today. While the starters have usually struggled, the bench players used to check in the game with the knowledge that they'd be playing themselves right into a hole. But today was different.
The starters as a whole had a +8 rating overall. Dallas had a very bright start to the game as they forced Harden into three fouls in the very first quarter.
DeAndre Jordan knew his role, and did it impressively, pulling down 12 points and 20 rebounds today. His energy helped Dallas close out multiple Rockets runs of varying intensity in the second half.
Rookie Jalen Brunson chipped in 14 points on 7 of 9 shooting and 3 assists to go with 3 steals and a breakaway dunk. He could be the real deal, a steal in this draft.
J.J. Barea contributed with 9 points in 18 minutes off the bench, and the team rallied to beat last season's Conference finalists.
