Mavericks' Christian Wood is checking off every box as a starter, including more committed effort on defense
In the final seconds of overtime during a matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers last week, Christian Wood came up with a game-saving block on LeBron James to extend the contest to a second overtime, where the Mavericks pulled out a win. Wood finished that game with five blocks to go along with 24 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. The scoring is nothing new. It's the primary reason why the Mavericks traded for him. But the improved defense, well, that's turning some heads. "I definitely wanted to prove [people wrong], and had something to prove," Wood told CBS Sports. "I think I had a couple games where I was just over two or three blocks a game and I was definitely feeling good about that, just proving people wrong. That was big for me." Wood, in his seventh NBA season, is now playing for his seventh NBA team -- and the Mavs are the first winning team he's been with as a pro. H...