CHICAGO – Never in his wildest dreams did Daniel Gafford think he would one day convert 28 consecutive field goals during his career.
NBA career.
But that’s exactly what the Dallas Mavericks center did, capped by his 9-for-9 performance from the field in Monday’s 127-92 blowout win over the Chicago Bulls. Gafford’s performance is the most efficient by a player since the NBA’s play-by-play era began during the 1997–98 season, and is just seven consecutive field goals made of the NBA’s all-time record of 35 in a row set by Wilt Chamberlain from February 17 to 28, 1967.
In a way, Gafford treated the rim like it was some sort of Christmas present. He has gone four straight games without missing a field goal and has no plans to miss a field goal anytime soon.
“For me, like I said on the radio – which is certainly my philosophy – it’s about being consistent and having the mindset of just wanting to finish everything, no matter if there’s has someone in front of you or if there’s no one in front of you,” Gafford said. “At the end of the day, I either dunk it or I put it in the rim.
Gafford admitted he never made 28 shots in a row in practice. This is what makes his success so mind-boggling.
“I just want to keep moving forward,” Gafford said. “As I tell people, any distinction around my name is a good thing for me.
“But at the end of the day, I just want to win. Just participate, go out and have fun with the game.”
Here are the three takeaways from the Mavs’ 35-point win over the Bulls.
POWER PLAY INSIDE TWO: What Derek Lively II and Daniel Gafford combined to accomplish against the Bulls was nothing short of astonishing. The Mavs’ team centers combined to score 42 points, grab 14 rebounds and block four shots while shooting a phenomenal 20 of 21 from the field for 95.2 percent.
Lively finished the game making 11 of 12 shots and scoring 22 points, while Gafford was a perfect 9 of 9 from the floor and had 20 points. Gafford and Lively are the first pair of teammates to each score 20 or more points while shooting a combined 95 percent from the field or better since New York’s Wilson Chandler and Nate Robinson accomplished the same feat during a match in Memphis on November 12, 2008.
AN ALMOST PERFECT GAME FOR MAVS: The Mavs were as close as possible to delivering a perfect game Monday against the Bulls.
Almost everything that could go wrong for the Bulls has gone wrong.
Dallas gave the Bulls their most lopsided game of the season. And Chicago’s 72 points are the fewest the Mavs have allowed in a game this season.
The Mavs, who committed just six turnovers, held an insurmountable 44-16 lead after the first quarter as they led wire-to-wire and at one point held a 37-point advantage. Things were so bad for the Bulls that one of their starting guards, Ayo Dosunmu, had a plus/minus of 22 – after the first quarter.
LUKA ALWAYS STRICT: Okay, that 30-point triple-double streak that Mavs guard Luka Dončić had ended when he scored just 27 points in the win over the Bulls. He also had 12 rebounds and 14 assists, which helped him achieve another triple-double.
That’s seven consecutive 20-point triple-doubles for Dončić, tying him with Oscar Robertson (1961) and Michael Jordan (1989) for the most consecutive 20-point triple-doubles in NBA history, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
With six three-pointers against the Bulls, Dončić also passed Jason Terry and moved into second place on the all-time list for most three-pointers made in Mavs history. Dončić has now converted 1,141 three-pointers compared to Terry’s 1,140.
Dirk Nowitzki holds the Mavs all-time record for three-pointers made with 1,982.
X: @DwainPrice
