The Mavericks entered the night looking for answers on offense after a disheartening loss Saturday. Jalen Brunson wasted no time being the solution.
In the first quarter, less than four minutes into the game, Brunson took his first 25 ft 3-pointer to give the Mavericks an 8-4 lead. On the following two possessions, Brunson hit back-to-back 25 ft 3-pointers, much to the adulation from the crowd. On the next possession, he hit a jumper in the face of Royce O’Neal and had American Airlines Centers rocking and the Mavericks bench on the court. By the end of the quarter, he scored 18 of the Mavericks 24 points. His first quarter dominance was a prelude to the historic night that was to come.
He wasn’t alone on this record setting night. Maxi Kleber broke out of his shooting slump by making eight 3-pointers. His 3-pointer with 4:21 in the fourth quarter, gave the Mavericks 99-98 lead. He was everything the Mavericks needed to seal the win.
Much like the Mavericks reliance on Luka Doncic to make their offense flow, Utah Jazz dependence on Gobert to cover their defense limitations was highlighted. Gobert’s willingness to guard the paint was proven costly against Kleber. In their Game 1 loss, the Mavericks couldn’t knock down their 3-pointers nor give Gobert the temptation to move away from the paint, thus making his job to clog and hover around the rim much easier. Tables turned in Game 2, as with each 3-point attempt made, Gobert had to press up on the screen and step away from paint. But even Gobert’s attempt to hedge the screen wasn’t enough to stop the Mavericks guards from easily getting by Utah’s perimeter defenders. Brunson blew by defenders with and without help from screens. He made the right decisions once he got in the paint by either making a floater or hitting the open man in the corner for a 3-pointer.
The Mavericks showed resolved when Utah made a run by counterattacking with their punches. Brunson controlled the pace of the game and was methodical by attacking the defenders rather than reacting, similar to their injured All-Star Luka Doncic. Their win tonight outlined the formula they need to win more games.
Brunson and Kleber served as two-man tandem that gave the Mavericks the 110-104 win and helped even the series 1-1. They needed all of Brunson’s 41 points and Kleber’s 25 points to help avoid going 0-2.
Tonight they answered those questions and will have to do the same on the road in what will be a rowdy crowd awaiting in Utah.
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