'One of Those Wilt Nights!’ Mavs' Daniel Gafford Dominant in Win vs. Jazz
Few players have been more impactful since the trade deadline than Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford.
Gafford continued his dominant stretch for the Mavs on Thursday, scoring 24 points on 10-11 shooting with seven rebounds in their 113-97 win over the Utah Jazz at the American Airlines Center. With his efficient night around the paint, Gafford has shot 86.9 percent (60-69) from the field in his last nine games. In that stretch, the Mavs (41-29) have gone 7-2 and are now the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference.
Mavs head coach Jason Kidd compared Gafford's performance, to Hall-of-Fame center Wilt Chamberlain. Gafford nearly broke Chamberlain's record of 35 straight shots made, but his streak was snapped at 33 on March 14 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"It was like one of those Wilt [Chamberlain] nights, 10-for-11," Kidd said. "I'm trying to figure out which shot he missed. I don't know which one they credited him for a miss; that's tough at home. But I think again, that's what he brings. The quarterbacks love finding him. He has great hands, his ability to finish in traffic is something that we haven't had."
Gafford made 10 dunks, leading the Mavs to a team-record 18 dunks against the Jazz. The ability to finish emphatically around the rim is something Gafford noted can impact the entire team on both ends of the court.
“I think it’s contagious," Gafford said. "It brings energy in the building; you get the crowd into it. It just kind of feeds into the offensive side and then we get stops on the other end too. [They] pretty much put more fuel to the fire. We just come out and keep doing the same thing over and over again. Can’t get bored with it.”
Mavs guard Kyrie Irving lauded the effort of Gafford and rookie center Dereck Lively II, who had six points and five rebounds against Utah, noting how their ability to go above the rim can help their offense avoid falling into slumps during the game. Irving also had high praise for Gafford, noting how fortunate the Mavs are to have a center with his abilities.
"It is a true luxury that I don’t take for granted, having a ‘big’ like that," Irving said. "And also, D-Live [Derrick Lively II], and have lob threats like that where any time you get stagnant in the paint, you can just throw it around the rim and they’ll go get it.”
Gafford has been instrumental in the team's improvement in scoring in the paint. In the Mavs' last seven games, they have averaged 58.57 points in the paint per game, which is well above their average of 47.8 per game. Dallas hasn't scored less than 50 points in the paint in a game in that stretch.
The addition of Gafford and P.J. Washington at the trade deadline has changed the complexion of a Dallas team with its sights set on a deep playoff run. Rather than being a team that has to rely on Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving's heroics, they've proven they can win with their defense or ability to score in the paint. Those improvements have led to the Mavs going 12-6 since acquiring Gafford and Washington.
With Dallas getting hot at the right time, Kidd noted the growth of his team and how they're beginning to gel and have picked things up defensively. If the Mavs can continue to win in different ways, they'll be a dangerous out for anyone in the playoffs.
"Sometimes we want it to happen overnight," Kidd said. "It's March and we're playing on both sides of the ball. We're not shooting the 3 as well as we would like but we're still getting wide-open looks, guys are still taking them. Everybody's trust, the chemistry we've built -- now it's about being tested."
