The Mavericks got smoked Sunday night again, losing 122-92 to the Toronto Raptors. The Mavericks were led by Cooper Flaggs ‘ 17-point, eight-rebound, six-assist, one-turnover game, and a dominant 21 and 10 rebound double-double by Daniel Gafford on 10-for-10 shooting. The Raptors pulled the Mavericks apart, with eight of their players finishing with double digits. The best game of their night was had by RJ Barrett, who had 31 points on just six missed shots on 19 attempts.
Dallas struggled to find
an offensive rhythm for most of the first half as Toronto steadily built control of the game. The Mavericks leaned heavily on Daniel Gafford early, who kept them afloat by going a perfect 6-for-6 from the field for 13 points while adding six rebounds, finishing lobs, and cleaning up misses while the rest of the offense sputtered. Cooper Flagg still impacted the game despite the scoring struggles, collecting 4 assists and 3 blocks in the half, while Naji Marshall provided a brief spark with a few early baskets. Outside of those contributions, Dallas’ perimeter shooting was the Mavericks’ problem, as the Mavericks shot just 2-of-14 from three and 40.5 percent overall in the half.
The second half never really turned into much of a game as Toronto maintained firm control from start to finish. The Raptors quickly pushed the lead deeper into double digits early in the third quarter behind steady scoring from RJ Barrett and interior finishes from Jakob Poeltl. At the same time, Dallas struggled to generate any consistent offense outside of Daniel Gafford’s finishes and the occasional Daniel Gafford finishes and occasional shots from Cooper Flagg and Khris Middleton. Let’s get to the stats.
1: Made Max Christie shot
Max Christie had one of the roughest performances of the Mavericks’ season in this loss; it’s impossible to ignore how much it hurt the offense. In 25 minutes, Christie went just 1-for-11 from the field (9.1%) and 0-for-7 from three, finishing with only 2 points while somehow committing more turnovers (2) than both made shots (1) and assists (1). The struggles were not just missed jumpers, either. Dallas desperately needed guard creation with the offense already sputtering, and Christie repeatedly stalled possessions with forced pull-ups, empty drives, and careless mistakes. When your starting guard logs heavy minutes and produces little efficiency or playmaking, the offense has nowhere to go. The Mavericks finished the night shooting 39.8% from the field and just 5-for-30 from three, and Christie’s brutal shooting night is part of why the offense never found rhythm.
The bigger concern is that this was not some random off-night. Christie has been trending downward for several games now. Over the past week, he has bounced between inefficient shooting nights and low-impact stat lines, including a 4-for-15 night against Charlotte, 2-for-6 against Orlando, and several games hovering around the low teens in scoring with inconsistent playmaking. For a guard expected to stabilize the offense, the assist-to-turnover numbers have been particularly frustrating, and the shooting volatility makes it even harder to justify the minutes. At some point, Dallas has to be honest about roster priorities around Cooper Flagg, and that likely means emphasizing guards who can reliably create offense and space the floor. If this stretch is any indication, Christie is starting to look very expendable heading into the offseason, especially for a team that desperately needs better guard play and offensive stability.
0: Daniel Gafford missed shots
Daniel Gafford was one of the few Mavericks who actually showed up in this one, turning in one of his best performances in weeks. Gafford finished a perfect 10-for-10 from the field for 21 points, adding 11 rebounds, three assists, and a block in just over 23 minutes. Nearly all of his scoring came in the ways that make him valuable: rolling hard to the rim, finishing lobs, and cleaning up misses around the basket. While the Mavericks’ perimeter offense struggled, Gafford’s rim pressure and activity on the glass kept Dallas from completely disappearing offensively for stretches.
Watching him dominate the paint like that almost felt like a little advertisement. You could almost imagine a few Raptors fans in the building thinking how nice it would be to have a hyper-efficient rim runner like that coming off the bench for a playoff push. Jokes aside, this is the version of Gafford the Mavericks need to see more often down the stretch. Dallas gave him a contract extension in the fall and clearly valued him on the roster moving forward, but his play since then has been inconsistent. Whether the long-term plan is to keep him or eventually move him, the Mavericks need him to stack efficient games like this to rebuild his trade value and live up to the extension, because when he plays with this kind of energy and efficiency, he still looks like a legitimately impactful center.
