The Dallas Mavericks (2-2) picked up their second win of the season Monday night, closing strong to beat the Miami Heat (0-4) 113-109 in a game that turned into a late showcase for Cooper Flagg. Flagg was the best player on the floor for Dallas, finishing with 29 points, 11 assists, six rebounds, four steals, and two blocks on 12-of-23 shooting while completely taking over in crunch time. P.J. Washington added 20 points and nine rebounds, Kyrie Irving finished with 18 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Walter
Clayton Jr. gave Dallas a huge lift off the bench with 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Giannis Antetokounmpo led Miami with a monster triple-double, finishing with 29 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists, while Davion Mitchell added 21 points. Dallas trailed 84-83 entering the fourth, but Flagg and Clayton powered the Mavericks through the final period as the defense tightened and Dallas made just enough late plays to secure the 113-109 win.
Dallas opened the game playing some of its best basketball when Cooper Flagg was involved. P.J. Washington got the Mavericks on the board at the line, and Flagg quickly took control as a playmaker, finding Kyrie Irving for a layup, Max Christie for a three, Daniel Gafford for a floater, and Morez Johnson Jr. for a jumper. He finished the first quarter with five assists, and Dallas looked fluid whenever the offense ran through him. Washington knocked down a three, Flagg turned a steal into a Kyrie three, and Gafford created extra possessions on the glass. The problem started when the bench came in. Ball movement disappeared, Zaccharie Risacher struggled badly, Marcus Sasser couldn’t get anything going, and Morez picked up two quick fouls. Risacher went 0-of-5 in the quarter, including a block by Bam Adebayo, while Dallas shot just 29.6 percent despite getting decent looks. Miami stayed ahead behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, Andrew Wiggins, and a late Tim Hardaway Jr. three, taking a 27-23 lead after one.
The second quarter started with a Christie three, but Bobby Portis Jr. immediately caught fire for Miami, hitting three threes in the opening minutes and helping push the Heat lead to nine. Morez had a nice stretch, including a strong pivot move and a smart pass to Kyrie on a backdoor cut, but Dallas’ offense stalled after Sergio de Larrea went down and walked off slowly. Kyrie struggled for much of the period before finally getting a shot to fall, while Giannis started taking over by attacking Washington and Morez. Things got heated when Gafford fouled Giannis hard, and Portis got in his face, earning a technical for Gafford. Walter Clayton Jr. then gave Dallas a much-needed spark, hitting a floater and later a three, while Flagg continued attacking and creating. Gafford delivered one of the half’s biggest plays by blocking Giannis at the rim, and Dallas slowly worked its way back into the game. Flagg hit a deep three, Washington knocked down another, and the Mavericks went into halftime trailing just 53-52. Flagg already had 13 points, eight assists and three steals at the break.
Flagg opened the third with a tough turnaround jumper, a shot he’s getting more comfortable with, but the quarter quickly became the Giannis show. Klay Thompson finally found his shot with back-to-back threes, then Giannis threw down an absurd dunk over Gafford before adding a three and an and-one. He had already reached a triple-double before the quarter ended and was doing everything he could to keep Miami in control. Dallas stalled offensively at times, but Kyrie, Flagg and Clayton kept them within striking distance. Clayton hit another three, while Washington continued making important defensive plays, including forcing a jump ball against Giannis. As Giannis slowed down late in the period, Dallas tightened defensively and pushed the pace. Risacher hit a floater, Washington knocked down a three, and Kyrie buried a jumper at the buzzer, turning what had looked like a potential double-digit deficit into an 84-83 game heading into the fourth.
The fourth quarter started unevenly. Dru Smith hit a three, Christie answered with one of his own, but Dallas struggled to find consistent offense. Risacher finally knocked down a three after an extremely rough shooting night, and then Clayton once again gave the Mavericks life. He attacked for a tough layup, stole the ball, and converted an and-one in transition to put Dallas back in front. After another ugly stretch, Flagg took over. He got to the rim for a tough finish, Clayton added another floater, and Dallas started playing some of its best defense of the night. Risacher got a huge block on Giannis, and Flagg turned another stop into a difficult and-one that gave the Mavericks a two-possession lead.
Miami answered out of a timeout, but Flagg immediately responded with a floater and never really gave control back. From there, the game was his. He hit tough shots, created offense when Dallas desperately needed it, and was everywhere defensively. Flagg finished with 29 points, 11 assists, six rebounds, four steals, and two blocks on 12-of-23 shooting, completely taking over in crunch time to lead Dallas to a 113-109 win.
Flagg planted
It is hard to overstate how good Cooper Flagg was, considering he was just 72 hours removed from a shoulder strain.
Flagg finished with 29 points, 11 assists, six rebounds, four steals, and two blocks on 12-of-23 shooting, and the numbers still do not fully capture how much he controlled the game. He was impactful from the opening quarter, when Dallas played its best basketball through him as a passer, and that never changed. He consistently made the right read, got downhill, found shooters and cutters, and created transition opportunities with his defense.
Then the fourth quarter happened.
Dallas needed someone to take over, and Flagg did. He got to the rim, hit difficult shots, created offense out of nothing, and made plays defensively when the game tightened. Miami kept answering, but Flagg never let the Mavericks lose control. Every time Dallas needed a bucket, a stop, or just something to calm the game down, he seemed to be involved.
That is what stood out most. This was not just a 29-point game. Flagg looked like the best player on the floor down the stretch and dictated how the final few minutes played out.
The Walter Clayton Jr. game
Walter Clayton Jr. finally got a real opportunity, and he absolutely made the most of it.
Clayton finished with 15 points, four rebounds, and four assists on 6-of-7 shooting, going 2-of-2 from three in just 17 minutes. More importantly, his minutes actually mattered. Dallas struggled to generate offense in stretches, especially in the third quarter, and Clayton became the guy who kept the Mavericks within striking distance.
He hit a three when Dallas needed one, got into the lane for floaters, and played with the kind of confidence you usually do not see from someone getting his first meaningful run. His biggest stretch came in the fourth, when he hit a tough driving layup, stole the ball, and then converted an and-one in transition to swing the game back toward Dallas.
It never felt forced, either. Clayton was not hijacking possessions or trying to prove something. He was just making plays within the offense, pushing when the opportunity was there and giving the Mavericks another real creator.
For a team that has spent the early part of the season searching for dependable guard play outside of Kyrie Irving, that performance matters.
This team just plays hard
More than anything, this game felt like a Dusty May win.
Dallas faced a veteran Miami team with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins, and plenty of experience, but the Mavericks matched their physicality all night. They flew to loose balls, crashed the glass, rotated defensively, and made Miami work for everything.
The rebounding numbers tell part of the story. Dallas finished with 52 rebounds compared to Miami’s 61, but the Mavericks grabbed 13 offensive rebounds and kept creating second and third chances despite giving up plenty of size. Miami controlled the raw rebounding total, but Dallas never looked physically overwhelmed.
The defensive effort down the stretch was even more impressive.
May went to his zone, and it worked because the players executed it with incredible energy. Dallas was constantly rotating, closing gaps, helping at the rim, and recovering back to shooters. P.J. Washington was especially good defensively, Risacher made multiple plays around the basket despite his offensive struggles, and Flagg was everywhere.
The system only works if everyone is willing to move, communicate, and cover for each other, and Dallas did that late. Miami still had Giannis pressuring the defense, but the Mavericks made every possession difficult and forced enough mistakes to give themselves a chance.
There will be nights when the offense looks ugly. Some nights the shooting disappears. But if this team consistently plays with this level of effort, it will be hard to put away.
