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The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Brooklyn Nets 115-98 to halt the latter's eight-game winning streak, with Luka Doncic leading the way for the visitors. The third-year guard had a mano-a-mano duel with James Harden in the first half, with neither star giving an inch.
Eventually, the Mavericks pulled away in the fourth quarter as Doncic won his head-to-head battle with Harden. Here are our 5 hits and flops from the exciting Dallas Mavericks-Brooklyn Nets match:
Hit: Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
After putting on a show in the first half, Luka Doncic had 19 points and six assists. The Dallas Mavericks led by just four points at halftime, but Doncic would carry his team to victory by excellently orchestrating the Mavs offense.
Whether it was scoring or drawing the defense to him for the kick-out to shooters, Doncic made the right play nearly every time.
The Brooklyn Nets gave up almost as soon as Doncic made a three with 9:57 to go in the game. He finished with 27 points, six rebounds, seven assists and two steals.
Flop: Coach Steve Nash (Brooklyn Nets)
Although he didn’t have Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash had his team fighting hard to win the game.
So it was surprising to see that he didn’t even try to win the match by inserting James Harden in the early stages of the fourth quarter. The Dallas Mavericks were ahead by 13 points after a Doncic three. It was baffling to see Harden just cheering from the bench, looking like he was done for the night with more than half a quarter of basketball left to be played.
Nash may have been managing Harden’s minutes, but this was a bad look for basketball as a competitive sport.
Hit: James Harden (Brooklyn Nets)
James Harden was sensational in the first half as he scored 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field for the Brooklyn Nets.
He scored only four points and shot a horrendous 1-of-6 from the field in the third quarter as Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle found a way to stymie the former MVP. Had he been on the floor in the fourth quarter, Harden could have made a difference and help cut the lead down to a manageable number.
Harden finished with 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Despite his poor third quarter, he was undoubtedly the best Brooklyn Nets player on display.
Flop: Joe Harris (Brooklyn Nets)
The NBA’s leading 3-point shooter didn’t have a good shooting night against the Dallas Mavericks. Joe Harris, a 50.9 percent shooter from behind the arc, shot just 3-of-8 from the field for nine points. The Brooklyn Nets needed more from him with Kyrie Irving out, but the veteran guard from Virginia was just off against the Mavs.
Hit: Kristaps Porzingis (Dallas Mavericks)
Scoring 10 points in the third quarter, Kristaps Porzingis led the Dallas Mavericks to a 12-point lead heading into the fourth. He played just 26 minutes, but that was all he needed to make an impact that would decide the game’s outcome.
Porzingis had 18 points, four rebounds, one steal and three blocks. He made timely defensive stops that gave the Mavericks an eight to four advantage in swats over the Brooklyn Nets.
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