On the second night of a back-to-back, as well as the second game in a five-game road trip, the Washington Wizards couldn’t get anything to go their way against the retooled Dallas Mavericks.

Paul Pierce did what he could, putting up nine points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, but the game turned into a rout quickly, and Paul played just seven minutes in the second half while the Wiz cut their losses and looked ahead to the next few games.

Washington Wizards v Dallas Mavericks

No. 34 connected on two of his three attempts from downtown, while the rest of Washington combined to shoot just 2-of-9 from three-point range, which wasn’t nearly enough for the Wizards Tuesday night, who fell 114-87 to drop to 22-9.

After the team’s second loss to the Mavericks of the season, Paul tried to explain why the Wizards have struggled against Dallas.

“It’s not about Dirk

[Nowitzki], this team is built on their depth and there are a lot of guys that can contribute,” The Truth told reporters. “It’s not the Dirk of about four or five years ago, when he could dominate you throughout the game. He still has those moments, but this team is built around their depth, a lot of guys and a number of ways they can beat you the way they move the ball, and they’re scoring 110 points per game. They move the ball well and they spread the offense out very nicely.”

One of the few positive takeaways for the Wizards is their continued health and chemistry. Reserve small forward Martell Webster played his first game of the season after returning from offseason back surgery, making the roster complete for the first time this year. Between Webster’s absence, Bradley Beal missing the first nine games with a broken wrist and Nene missing time throughout the year with various ailments, the Wizards are just now starting to see what their team is capable of when together.

Between reincorporating Webster into the lineup and the lack of rest coming off a draining win the night before in Houston, Washington seemed tired and lost for much of the game. The Truth wouldn’t accept any excuses, however, and he said after the game that the Wizards can’t have games like the one they did on Tuesday night.

“Every team has their back-to-backs,” Paul said. “The great teams in this league win those types of games. Tonight was just about concentration. Twenty-plus turnovers? That’s not us. We’ve got to do a better job in that department.”

Washington Wizards v Dallas Mavericks

The Wizards held strong through the first quarter, as Paul hit a three and totaled four points. Meanwhile, John Wall and Marcin Gortat each added six, and the Wiz hung within three, 27-24, at the end of one.

However, the Mavs buried Washington under a 36-point barrage in the second quarter—a hole the Wizards simply couldn’t dig out of.

As Paul said earlier in the season, there is something to learn from every game, whether it’s a win or a loss. Behind his veteran leadership, the Wizards should be able to take some positives out of the loss and move on, and it certainly makes it easier that Washington is still in third place and just a game and a half out of first place in the Eastern Conference.

But No. 34 and the rest of the Wizards all mentioned the turnovers as one of the biggest problems for them in the game, and ball security is something that has been a problem for them for much of the season.

Washington turned it over 23 times, resulting in 33 points for Dallas. Conversely, the Mavs committed just seven turnovers, which the Wizards turned into only six points. Wizards point guard John Wall told reporters that the team was able to keep the game close in the first quarter, but the turnovers ultimately doomed them.

“We weren’t really turning the ball over too much in the first quarter, we were pushing the ball as much as possible,” Wall said. “In the second quarter we started turning it over a lot and they started getting fast break after fast break after fast break.”

Despite the brutal loss, Paul got a chance to see his former Boston Celtics teammate Rajon Rondo on his new team. Rondo won this matchup, but more showdowns between the two seem inevitable.

NEXT UP

The Wizards have two days off as they travel to Oklahoma City for a Friday night matchup with the Thunder in game three of the five-game road trip. Paul will have his hands full being matched up against reigning NBA MVP Kevin Durant, who is expected to play after missing the past six games with a sprained ankle.

The game will be broadcast locally on Comcast Sports Net and is scheduled for an 8 p.m. ET tip off.

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