Smith isn’t best point guard (yet), but he got better of Ball
Mavs’ rising star wins rookie battle but not the game.
This Saturday matinee DALLAS — game at American Airlines Center between the Mavericks and Lakers had virtually nothing at stake, but packed some intriguing subplots.
There was the rookie point guard battle, Dennis Smith Jr. vs. Lonzo Ball.
There was Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle early-week criticism of ESPN for giving Ball’s father, LaVar, carte blanche and a supersized megaphone to criticize Lakers coach Luke Walton.
And there was Lakers forward Julius Randle returning to his hometown amid speculation that the Mavericks might be a landing spot if the Lakers decide to trade him.
In summary, Smith outplayed Ball, Randle had a big afternoon, the Mavericks lost a 10-point lead in the final nine minutes of regulation and Los Angeles pulled out a 107-101 overtime victory that ended its 14-game losing streak to Dallas.
“When you shoot 37 percent and don’t have your defensive edge there the entire game, it’s going to be hard to win an NBA game against a quality team,” Carlisle said.
Many would question putting the Lakers (15-27) in that category, but Los Angeles undeniably is stocked with talented young players who appear to be finding their way, as evidenced by the Lakers’ season-high fourgame winning streak.
In the first regular-season battle of the Lakers’ No. 2 overall pick Ball and No. 9 pick Smith, Smith posted better offensive numbers though Ball’s all-around game arguably was better.
Smith scored 17 of his team-high 23 points in the first half. He also finished with three assists, two rebounds and three turnovers while playing a season-high 39 minutes, with J.J. Barea aggravating a previous groin injury and playing only eight second-half minutes.
Ball scored only nine points on 4-of-13 shooting, but he also posted seven assists, seven rebounds and had zero turnovers in 43 minutes.
“Zo, he was just out there being Zo,” Smith said. “He’s cool. He’s chilling.” Meaning what, exactly? “It means he’s got a cool demeanor,” Smith said. “He’s been like that since 10th grade. Zo is Zo.”
Smith said he wasn’t as offensively assertive in the second half as he was in the first, when he shot 6 of 11 from the field and helped the Mavericks overcome yet another sluggish start — a 26-15 deficit — to take a 52-46 halftime lead.
With Barea shooting 1 of 9 and clearly laboring, Carlisle subbed Smith for Barea with 7:55 left in regulation and Dallas leading, 80-75.
Smith played the rest of regulation and all but 18 seconds of overtime. As he pointed out afterward, that represents progress because he’s sometimes been on the bench down the stretch of close games. And there have been a lot of close games. Dallas fell to 7-22 in so-called “clutch games” — that is, when the margin is five points or less in the final five minutes.
“He’s earning the minutes,” Carlisle said of Smith. “It’s a very precise game, and when you have the ball that much you are going to be in situations where you have to make decisions and make plays — and he’s learning a lot about those kinds of things.
“These young guys need to play together and need to figure some of this stuff out. This is an important experience for them, and we’re trying to win.”
Smith had one assist and scored only one basket in the last 7:55 of regulation, but it was a big basket, a drive and reverse layup that pulled Dallas within 94-93 with 14 seconds left. After the Lakers’ Jordan Clarkson missed one of two free throws, Harrison Barnes forced overtime on a banker with five seconds left.
In overtime, Randle scored four of his team-high 23 points and the Lakers pulled away.
“I’ve learned a whole lot,” Smith said. “Certain things I can probably show you better than tell you, but I’ve done a tremendous amount of growing.”
On Saturday he was the best rookie point guard on the floor, but for Dallas, again, that wasn’t quite good enough.