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CLEVELAND — Dallas Mavericks coach Dusty May said Saturday that his team needs to handle runs better than it did in Thursday’s 133-94 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves when it faces the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. He also warned against discounting the players a short-handed Cleveland team will put on the floor.
“We’re looking more at how can we improve from the Minnesota game as far as weathering storms, defending at a high level when the shots are dropping, and then generate a little bit more rhythm and offense off the pass,” May said.
Minnesota outscored Dallas 36-17 in the third quarter Thursday and pushed its lead to 44 points in the fourth. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Mavericks, who shot 37% from the field and fell to 7-5. It was Minnesota’s seventh straight win over Dallas.
Cleveland arrives on the second night of a back-to-back. The Federal Aviation Administration’s nationwide ground stop Friday kept the team in Miami overnight, The Associated Press reported.
The Cavaliers are without Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and Peyton Watson, among others, and are 6-7. Tyrese Proctor, Jaylon Tyson, and Craig Porter Jr. are not on Cleveland’s injury report. May said the situation reminded him of Thursday’s game at Minnesota, where the Timberwolves played without Anthony Edwards.
“Obviously, the personnel is different, but when you look around the league, there’s so many good players, and what separates the teams that are winning from the teams that aren’t is usually a small margin,” May explained. “We have a lot of respect for the guys that are playing. Those guys, they’re gonna roll out a big-time shooting lineup.”
“Obviously, you look at the way Proctor and some of these guys are shooting the ball, and then it just gives more opportunity,” May continued. “It’s a lot like Minnesota. They’re without Ant, but it’s given a lot of really quality players more opportunity, bigger role. And so we can’t take anything away from the guys we’re playing.”
Kyrie Irving Back In Cleveland On 2016 Anniversary Night
Saturday is the second of three 10th Anniversary Celebration theme nights the Cavaliers are holding this season for their 2016 championship team, according to a team release. The first came Nov. 7 against the New York Knicks, and the third is set for Dec. 12 against the Golden State Warriors.
Cleveland drafted Kyrie Irving first overall in 2011. His three-pointer with 53 seconds left in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals broke an 89-89 tie at Oracle Arena, and the Cavaliers held on for a 93-89 win to finish a comeback from a 3-1 series deficit against Golden State.
Irving is still one of the best guards in the league in the Mavericks’ estimation. May said the way Irving prepares and takes care of his body is something few players get to see up close.
“A number of things,” May said. “Obviously he’s still a really, really good player. He’s still, in our opinion, one of the best guards in the league. And just the way he attacks each day as far as the preparation, how he takes care of his body, the amount of work that he puts into being a good player is something that I think will have a residual effect throughout our team, because very rarely do you get to witness firsthand guys that do it at the highest level as far as those intangibles.”
“It’s crazy to think about,” May added. “That was 10 years ago when he hit that right wing three that everyone kind of remembers as one of the shots that go down in history.”
Irving had 10 points at Minnesota. Cooper Flagg, who scored 43 against Indiana in his previous game, was held to 12. When opponents blitz the two and get physical before they catch the ball, Irving and Flagg are left absorbing pressure at the top of the floor while their teammates get into position, May said.
“I don’t want to put it all on the other guys because, and yes, they have to do a better job screening,” May said. “But also, those guys have to embrace the challenge of how hard they’re going to have to work just to get in scoring position. When you’re playing against the best teams, we can’t walk to our spots and just think we’re going to get the ball because of the attention and also the help behind them. I mean, I think the awareness that the other teams have for where they are at all times, and so as a group, we have to get into our offense quicker.”
“We have to initiate offense quicker, and so our guards are up top taking on fire while they wait on everybody else to get into actions,” May detailed. “Then those guys have to do a better job of either getting their guys into screens or becoming a screener and using that leverage against the other team. And so it’s a cumulative effort. All of us have to do a better job to get those guys in scoring position on their spots.”
Dusty May On Zaccharie Risacher, Caleb Martin, And Max Christie
Zaccharie Risacher scored 22 points off the bench at Minnesota. Dallas acquired Risacher, the first overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, in a three-team trade with Atlanta and Oklahoma City this offseason. May said Risacher has focused on becoming a disruptive defender, and the Mavericks want to invest in him.
“Obviously his line showed that he made some shots, but his activity, his rebounding, his ability to run the floor,” May said. “He’s getting better in a lot of areas. Defensively, he’s really focused on becoming more of a lockdown, disruptive defender, and he did all of those things as well or better than he normally does. He’s just showing incremental growth, and he’s someone that we want to invest in because of those qualities.”
“And then the shots, the nights the shots go in, it’s an added bonus,” May continued. “But he’s a good shooter, and we’ve talked about it. The water’s going to find its level. He’ll end up shooting a good percentage, but it’s all the other things. He outran their team a couple times, got easy baskets, and those are the ones that really jump out.”
Caleb Martin is available Saturday with a splint on his right thumb. Martin has been playing with the starters, and his point-of-attack defense is as good as anyone’s on the roster in May’s view.
“A little bit of everything,” May said. “It’s not as if we’re saying that we want you to do this or do that. He’s got to be a connector. We’ve got to be able to adjust the way the game, how we’re being guarded. Each game’s going to look different. Each possession’s going to look different. So it’s finding matchup advantages, finding solutions to problems. But his defense on and off the ball, I think his point-of-attack defense is as good as anyone we have. He’s as disruptive as anyone we have one pass away, in the gaps.”
“And so he brings a number of things, and we decided to look at several different guys in that spot,” May added. “And the last couple games he’s played well, and we foresee something that could be really good in time, but we’re still trying to figure ourselves out as well.”
Max Christie is out with a left ankle sprain after being listed as doubtful on the league’s injury report earlier Saturday. The job May has laid out for him is to defend at a high level, rebound, play near mistake-free basketball, and take the open looks.
“You look across the league, and there’s certain guys right now they’re shooting 55%, and they’re not going to shoot 55% when the dust settles in a couple months, and then there’s other guys that are shooting 20%, and they’re not going to be shooting 20%,” May said. “So it’s just staying with your process of being more focused on making an impact on the game, on your team. If he defends at a high level, he rebounds, he plays near mistake-free basketball, the shots, it’s his job to take the open shots and good looks, and we’re confident they’ll drop. It’s unfortunate he sprained his ankle. I thought he played well in that setting.”
“Someone that, no matter what, is going to try to do the right thing every possession, regardless of being up 10 or down 20, definitely carries some weight,” May noted. “I thought he played well, and we’re anxious to get him back in the near future.”
Morez Johnson Jr., the ninth overall pick in June’s draft, is available after being listed as probable with a left shin contusion. Tarik Biberović (right heel bursitis), Sergio De Larrea (right knee sprain), and Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery) are also out for Dallas.
Tip-off at Rocket Arena is set for 6:30 p.m. CT. The Mavericks visit the Boston Celtics on Sunday at 5 p.m. CT.
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