PORTLAND, Ore. -- Dennis Smith Jr. has had a terrific half of a rookie season. And he might be coming off his most forceful game yet.
When he scored 10 of the Mavericks' 12 points in a furious rally at Denver to pull within 103-102 with 10 seconds to go, it was an impressive run of crunch-time execution and flat-out athletic plays.
When Smith lined up his defender and got by him into the paint, then rose up before 7-footer Nikola Jokic could get position, finishing with a huge one-handed dunk, it was exactly what Rick Carlisle envisions for the 20-year-old.