The Dallas Mavericks got a 118-115 win over the visiting Pelicans in a chippy NBA Cup game on Friday night. Cooper Flagg showed that the Mavs just might have a go-to player, dropping a career high 29 points
while making a number of big plays down the stretch.
Let’s get to the grades!
Brandon Williams: C+
5 PTS / 5 REB / 12 AST / 1 STL / 2 BLK – 28 MIN
Williams again had an inexplicably bad shooting night, going 1-for12 from the field and 1-for-7 from three. Over the past two games, he’s gone a nearly impossible 3-for-23 from the floor. Despite the poor shooting night, Williams still made an impact on the game with a ridiculous 12 assists and a huge blocked shot on Jose Alvarado’s fourth-quarter 3-point attempt. His six turnovers are almost as shocking as his shooting and make a big dent in the otherwise stellar assist total.
Max Christie: A
23 PTS / 3 REB / 0 AST / 1 STL / 1 BLK – 32 MIN
Christie had an excellent game, scoring a new career-high in points in a Mavericks uniform, on 7-for-12 from the floor and 5-for-9 from beyond the arc. He hit all four of his free throws, including an absolutely critical pair in the closing minutes. Christie made smart plays when the Mavericks needed them and didn’t make any catastrophic mistakes, which, on this team, goes a long way.
Cooper Flagg: A+
29 PTS / 7 REB / 5 AST / 2 STL / 0 BLK – 32 MIN
Friday night’s win was something of a coming-out party for Flagg, not necessarily because it was his clear-cut best NBA game (that’s debatable), but because he was an insane 12-for-19 from the floor for a career-high 29 points. Although he bricked all four of his three-point attempts, the grade soars because of how he played down the stretch. He was the clear go-to guy for the Mavs and showed his teammates and the world that he’s more than capable of handling that role. He made big plays on both ends of the floor, getting the better of Derik Queen on a play where Flagg was clearly seeking a measure of revenge for an earlier play where Queen flexed on him after scoring.
P.J. Washington: A+
24 PTS / 9 REB / 1 AST / 1 STL / 3 BLK – 37 MIN
Washington’s only real problem in this game was turning the ball over four times. He shot 8-for-14 from the floor and 5-for-8 from downtown. Unlike Williams, Washington bounced back from last game’s shooting performance in a big way. He had a huge fourth-quarter quarter 3-pointer, and you could just see he was at his best. Washington stood on business all night and capped it off by securing a big rebound to finish off the game.
Final Thoughts
Make no mistake, this was a game between two struggling teams, but there was plenty of subtext to make it fun. Flagg and Queen know each other from their pre-NBA days, so it was no surprise when Queen flexed a bit after bullying through Flagg on a drive. For Mavericks fans, it was quite exciting to see Flagg take it right back to him for a 3-point play a few minutes later.
With losses piling up in the wake of Nico Harrison’s ouster, it was nice to see some vintage play from the Mavericks’ indispensable men. Guys like Washington and Naji Marshall getting under the skin of their opponent gave life to a team trying to find its new identity (though Marshall could have been smarter than to intentionally walk right into Jeremiah Fears and getting called for a technical foul late in the fourth quarter). Flagg stepped up as the go-to player, and his teammates fed off his energy all night, and that’s at least a medium-sized step in the right direction for this team.
At the expense of ending on a down note, one has to wonder how things could have turned out if D’Angelo Russell played. I want to be clear, I am not accusing Russell of anything here, however he has often made himself the go-to guy in the clutch, leaving Flagg without touches. That may not be intentional, but it is nonetheless the reality often enough. This is obviously going to be Flagg’s team going forward, and there is no better time than now to give him the reins, especially if he plays the way he did tonight.
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