Spencer Dinwiddie still validated after Dallas Mavs loss to Wizards

Ahead of the Dallas Mavericks’ 135-103 loss to the Washington Wizards, much of the attention was focused on Kristaps Porzingis facing his former team for the first time since being traded.

Like Porzingis, Spencer Dinwiddie was also playing against his former team. The end result for him was far from a statement game, however. His 16-game double-digit performance streak came to an end as he finished with eight points, two rebounds and one assist in 23 minutes.

In Dinwiddie’s NBA career, he played against a few former teams. Whether facing the Detroit Pistons after becoming a member of the Brooklyn Nets, or facing the Nets after signing with the Wizards, he was not in uncharted territory on Friday.

“It wasn’t like Brooklyn where I spent five years, where I grew up a lot, where I built a house,” Dinwiddie said. “I was here for a few months. Certainly more than any other game, sure, but not to the degree of something I experienced too.”

Dinwiddie said comments were made about the wizarding locker room that validated his point. He doesn’t care what a 30-point loss in a head-to-head shows when a larger sample is available to tell a fuller story.

“I said what I said about the organization,” Dinwiddie said. “I know they’ve since made comments about their own dressing room that kind of validated what I said about the situation. Everything about their situation is their situation.

“After a 30-point win for their side, of course, it’ll be pretty easy to say ‘this and the third’ but at the end of the day, that basketball streak after the All-Star break kind of validated that. I said. … Like (Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson said), are we beating a dead horse? Or are we gonna let them in the offseason and let them go to the playoffs and keep rocking?”

Dinwiddie continued: “We’ve had about 20 games since the All-Star break and a sixth of their play and feedback has validated everything I’ve said. The same way our play has validated what I’ve said. said with a the game being an anomaly. That’s just what it is man.”

Dinwiddie’s time in Washington was not without its ups and downs. The team got off to a 10-3 start to the season, and many began to congratulate the organization on the successful trade of Russell Westbrook to the Los Angeles Lakers.

For Dinwiddie, it started well but quickly changed for the worse. After the trade to the Mavericks, he explained how his role changed from scorer to playmaker to get more shots from players like Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

“When the role changed and they wanted me to spend more – they felt like I was scoring a lot – I did. I eased off about to score because that’s how they felt – the team had to get [Kyle Kuzma] and [Kentavious Caldwell-Pope] and these guys blows. I said, ‘Look, I’ve already been paid. It’s about trying to get the shots you need, whatever,” Dinwiddie said.

There are no regrets for the Wizards either, given they were eager to part ways with Dinwiddie and are excited about the long-term prospects they share with Porzingis. Meanwhile, the Mavericks received a significant boost in Dinwiddie’s skill set.

Dinwiddie is averaging 16.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 19 appearances with the Mavericks. He filled an important sixth-man role, filling in amid injuries in the starting backcourt, and even started alongside Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson when needed.

The Mavericks will be looking to bounce back from their loss to the Wizards when they face defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.