The Finishing Lineup Started
We have seen this lineup finish many games, but this was the first time all season it started one. If I were Monty Williams, it would be the only starting lineup I consider the rest of the season.
In fact, I would put the Rubio-Booker-Oubre-Bridges-Ayton lineup against most teams in the league and feel really good about my chances. They play so well together and complement each other’s skills beautifully.
First, this lineup allows the best defender on the team, Mikal Bridges to guard the opposing team’s best player. In Tuesday night’s case, he matched up on Luka Doncic to start both halves and did good job disrupting his rhythm, even forcing a few turnovers.
Offensively, whether it is Dario Saric or Mikal Bridges in the lineup, they are the fifth scoring optio on the floor. With Bridges, that fits his game perfectly. While he is capable of going on scoring runs, his primary buckets are of the garbage and/or hustle variety; perfect for the fifth scoring option.
Dario, on the other hand, needs some plays run for him, which is why it works out so well when he is part of the second unit. For a bench that has struggled putting up points, inserting Dario into the backup role gives the second string a legit scoring threat, unlike what they get with Mikal Bridges.
On Tuesday, Saric had eight points, all of which came before the game was out of hand.
It will be interesting to see if Monty rides this lineup like has at the end of close games, or if he considered this a lineup purely based on how his team matched up with the Mavericks.