Yes, four of Ian Mahinmi's six buckets and 10 of his career-high 17 points came during a full fourth quarter of garbage time, but that shouldn't diminish the level of energy and hustle he provided in just under10 minutes of court time during the first three quarters.
The third-string center in his first season with the Dallas Mavericks moved up to backup with starter Tyson Chandler ill and out of the lineup. Mahinmi, playing in his 23rd game of the season, was easily one of the hardest-working Mavs in Saturday's ugly 89-70 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Through three quarters he grabbed five rebounds, including four on the offensive end, and scored seven points on 2-of-2 shooting. He he made made 3-of-4 free throws, tying him with Shawn Marion for most trips to the line.
When the dust settled on the Mavs' fourth consecutive defeat by double digits, Mahinmi, after a series of dunks, had a career-high and team-high 17 points on 6-of-6 shooting and six rebounds.
"Mahinmi played great and he’s gotten better,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of the third-year Frenchman. "You can tell the work he’s put in on his outside shot, on his driving to the basket and those kinds of things. It’s really paying off, and he gave us great energy. So I love the way he played."
Mahinmi's athleticism is as obvious as his work ethic. He remains a raw talent offensively and isn't a great rebounder, although he's extremely active around the glass. With each opportunity he seems to take another step forward. It brings into question his chances for increased playing opportunities on a more regular basis at a time when the Mavs need hustlers and scrappers.
But that would mean further cutting into backup Brendan Haywood's already diminishing playing time.
Through three quarters Saturday, Haywood logged 26 minutes, 34 seconds -- about 15 minutes more than Mahinmi -- yet their numbers were comparable. Haywood had five points on 2-of-3 shooting, six rebounds (three offensive) and one blocked shot. He missed 1-of-4 free throws and is now 23-of-75 on the season (30.7 percent).
Haywood played 21 minutes Friday night at San Antonio with Chandler sick and going just 16 minutes. Otherwise, Carlisle has not played Haywood more than 18 minutes since Dec. 17, a span of 12 games. Meanwhile, Chandler had endured 30 or more minutes in 10 of 13 games prior to the San Antonio game.
Carlisle has talked of ideally keeping Chandler below 30 minutes. That would suggest that there could be minutes to be earned at the backup center position.