He may be 37 with an obscene amount of miles on his legs, but Dirk Nowitzki can still put the Mavericks on his back. Dallas' 103-93 road win Sunday night over the Lakers proved that Dirk's guile and feathery shooting stroke still live. As long as they do, the Mavericks will as well.
The ageless Dirk Nowitzki completely embarrassed the Lakers
The Mavericks’ star turned back the clock in a sizzling shooting performance against the Lakers. If he keeps playing this well, the Mavericks can continue to surprise teams.
Nowitzki hit 10 of his 13 shots from the field for 25 points and added nine rebounds, and the clinic started early on. Dirk played the classics early and often. The spot-up three pointer from the top of the key. The one-legged fadeaway that we now see mimicked all over the league. The jumper off the pick-and-pop. It didn’t matter who the Lakers put on him.
It’s here that Nowitzki’s genius was on full display. One his greatest strengths has always been the ability to dominate a game without having to dominate the ball. His decision making has always been quick and impeccable, with an adroit understanding of how to manipulate angles and spacing.
Lots of players can shoot, especially in today’s game. What’s always separated Nowitzki from the rest has been his combination of skills and smarts.
The Lakers tried slowing him down by the slotting the more athletic Julius Randle onto him. In theory, that's a good plan. Randle is quick enough to stay with Dirk and big enough to bother him, or so the thinking goes. The problem is that Randle doesn't usually guard a seven-footer who knows how to create space for a three-pointer by flashing off an off-ball screen.
All night, Nowitzki used his off-ball movement to bend and destroy the Lakers defense. He ran Randle into screens on the block in order to create switches, and then promptly took advantage.
There were even times where he anticipated upcoming Lakers’ defensive rotations before the Lakers’ players did.
But as long as Dirk is around, Dallas is going to be a tough out. He might not be able to carry the Mavericks all season, but there will still be games like Sunday night where the future Hall of Famer is clearly the best player on the court.
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