Mavericks fall to Warriors in Summer League opener

Tobi Lawal and Sergio De Larrea early struggles against the Warriors

The opening minutes of the game featured both teams feeling one another out, with the Warriors taking an early lead by attacking the rim and glass. Tobi Lawal spent early minutes on Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, playing solid defense against the bigger player. Sergio De Larrea scored his first points via a free throw only to exit the contest for Vsevolod Ishchenko after an off-ball collision with a Warrior. Following a timeout, the Warriors pushed past Dallas and threatened to take a double-digit lead. A Morez Johnson looseball putback followed by a dunk through a dish from De Larrea closed the lead to two, but Dallas trailed 24-20 after one quarter of basketball.

Morez Johnson and the Mavericks’ second-half shooting deficit

The Warriors opened the second quarter with a 9-0 run featuring consistent rim pressure. Dallas called a timeout after the Warriors pushed the lead up to 16 just over three minutes into the frame. Johnson kept the Mavericks in it, and a flashy Nembhard lay-up cut the lead to 10 around the three-minute mark. However, the Warriors closed the half hard, lighting the Mavericks up from three while Dallas could not hit a shot. The Mavericks shot just 3 of 19 from three in the half to the Warriors’ six of nine. By the halftime break, Dallas trailed 59-39.

The second half did not get better for Dallas in the short term. The Warriors continued to hit shots from outside, and Dallas was not able to make much of a dent in the scoreboard. Poor shooting plagued Dallas in the third as well, and the Mavericks entered the final frame down 79-66.

LJ Cryer and Morez Johnson Jr. performance statistics

De Larrea opened the fourth for the Mavericks with some fireworks, dishing a nice ally-oop to Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu. Feisty playmaking from Ishchenko in the quarter kept the game exciting, but the Mavericks simply could not finish good looks. Following a timeout at the 5:30 mark, Johnson finished a drive and got the foul and free throw, which cut the lead to 10 for the first time since the second quarter. Dallas followed that up with a John Poulakidas three and a Johnson dunk to cut the deficit to five. The Maverick run continued with an Ishchenko basket, but LJ Cryer hit back-to-back buckets to give the Warriors breathing room with under three minutes to go. The Mavericks were not able to get over the hump.

Morez Johnson Jr., the ninth overall selection in June’s NBA Draft, finished with 27 points on 17 shots, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks. Warriors player LJ Crier scored 25 for the victors, while rookie Yaxel Lendeborg scored 21 to go along with 10 rebounds and six assists.

Vsevolod Ishchenko contract status with the Dallas Mavericks

Regarding the Mavericks’ shooting, the team took 38 threes while the Warriors took just 20. The Warriors hit 10 of those attempts (50%), while the Mavericks hit just nine (24%). Sergio De Larrea finished his first summer league game with nine points, six rebounds, and five assists. He committed one turnover but shot three of 14 from the floor, including just one of nine from beyond the arc. His handle in the first half was described as incredibly loose, as De Larrea was often too upright, with his dribble nearly out of control at times. However, his second half was noted as being much more confident than the first.

The Mavericks remain in evaluation mode regarding Vsevolod Ishchenko, a sharpshooter from Russia taken with the 56th overall pick. The team has not signed Ishchenko to any contract yet.

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