The Mavericks were 0-3 this past week and remain in 12th place in the West. They lost three road games to Orlando (115-114), Boston (120-100), and Toronto (122-92). Cooper Flagg (foot) returned and led the team in scoring with 17 points per game. Marvin Bagley (neck) also made his return.
Grade: C
The Mavericks have lost 17 of their last 19 games, dating back to January 24th. That is two wins in 46 days. At this point, they are doing all they can to stay in games, but against really good teams, like Boston
and Toronto, they are outmatched. Cooper Flagg’s return was awesome, and he reminded everyone watching what he does to the competitiveness of this team. Unfortunately, with no real point guard and Ryan Nembhard strangely out of the rotation, Dallas is not going to be able to score enough on a nightly basis.
Klay Thompson is lighting it up in a “Chris Paul hits big three to cut lead to 42” kind of way. Naji Marshall and P.J. Washington exist and play basketball for the Mavericks. There isn’t much to say about this team right now in a big picture sense. Most nights they are bad, some quarters they are fun, and every game feels like an uphill battle. When you lose so much, it is easy to lose the plot. A few wins down the stretch would help with morale going into next season. This week, they play in Atlanta and Memphis before a home-and-home with Cleveland over the weekend.
Straight A’s: Daniel Gafford
Daniel Gafford averaged 16.5 points and 12 rebounds in the two games he played. He shot 10-of-10 against Toronto and was just a minus-8 in a 30-point loss. He came into the season with an ankle injury and has slowly looked more like the guy they got two years ago as the season wears on. Some of his quick bounce is back, and he looks forceful inside. With the uncertainty of Dereck Lively’s health, a good version of Gafford would greatly benefit this team next season.
Currently Failing: Max Christie
Max Christie may not be the worst player in the league right now, but he should hope the worst player doesn’t retire. Christie shot 26.9 percent from the field over the last three games, which is held up by a 31.6 percent mark from three. He made just one of his seven two-point shots, had six assists to five turnovers, and did not record a steal or block. I still believe in Max Christie as a long-term piece, but he did not help my case this week.
Extra Credit: Cooper Flagg
There are many reasons to love Cooper Flagg, but my favorite is his ability to time blocks perfectly. He has been great on the defensive end all year, and his unteachable talent to make big plays came up huge for Dallas against the Magic, even though they came up short:
Each of these four rejections felt pivotal in a close game. Having a defensive anchor like that on the wing allows for Dallas to do whatever they want on that end. It will be exciting to see this on display in a year where winning is the priority.
