The Dallas Mavericks locked up with the Utah Jazz in a high-scoring affair Monday night. Going without Anthony Davis, Dallas welcomed back Daniel Gafford for a bit of help down low. The Mavs unfortunately
came unraveled in the final minutes of regulation, losing 140-133 in overtime.
Let’s get to the grades!
Ryan Nembhard: B+
14 PTS / 4 REB / 11 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 38 MIN
Nembhard looked like the version of himself that turned heads for a few weeks, bouncing back nicely from his last outing. His impossibly low turnover propensity ballooned a bit against Utah (four), but that was the only real mark on a very solid night that netted him a double-double.
Naji Marshall: B+
15 PTS / 3 REB / 1 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 36 MIN
Marshall remains the coolest guy on the floor. His nonchalance belies how much he does on the defensive end, and he does a terrific job of getting his without hardly a play being run for him. His “chill factor” was on full display when the ball got tossed to him, noticed the dwindling shot clock, and tossed up a three that was nothing but net to contribute to his 58.3% shooting on 12 shots.
Cooper Flagg: A+
42 PTS / 7 REB / 6 AST / 1 STL / 2 BLK – 42 MIN
Turnovers were a bit of a problem (4 total), as were a few too many missed free throws, but Flagg generally had himself a field day. A career high in points (before OT) was the real story, as was how he went about doing it. Flagg was the clear star for the Mavs, controlling the game, relentlessly driving (he shot 20 free throws) and hitting 13-for-27 from the floor. There is a sour note in the loss, but this is arguably Flagg’s best game yet, and certainly his highest scoring output (which came when the Mavs were missing 20-plus points from Anthony Davis).
P.J. Washington: A
25 PTS / 13 REB / 0 AST / 0 STL / 1 BLK – 39 MIN
I’m not sure it’s reasonable to ask for much more from Washington. He clanged a couple of free throws and even a single assist or steal would have been nice, but this was basically Washington at his best. He had a few savvy leak-outs that led to nice dunks, drained half of his 20 shots and led the team in rebounding. Efforts like this (and really, almost everyone’s effort for the most part), that make the loss sting a bit more.
Daniel Gafford: N/A
2 PTS / 2 REB / 2 AST / 1 STL / 1 BLK – 13 MIN
Gafford was on a minutes restriction in his first game back, so there isn’t much to warrant a grade. For limited time on the floor, he had himself a fine game, although his timing was a bit off, resulting in him committing 3 fouls.
Max Christie: B
8 PTS / 5 REB / 3 AST / 0 STL / 1 BLK – 28 MIN
Christie was quietly productive as he gave way to both Flagg and Washington who themselves had great games. Christie did well with what he got, though his shot was a touch off (2-for-5 with; missed both of his three-point attempts). Nailing clutch free throws to tie the game with seconds remaining was a grade-bump, especially for a guy who wasn’t necessarily featured much prior.
Klay Thompson: B
12 PTS / 2 REB / 0 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 21 MIN
Thompson did a nice job when you look at his stats, but the game was a bit of a mix. He hit big shots earlier in the game, but couldn’t nail one during some critical moments later in the night. 4-for-9 from deep is hard to complain about, but it just felt like something was lacking.
Final Thoughts
Dallas was well on their way to another win, even despite being undermanned. Unfortunately, they just ran out of gas at the very end. Individual players had great games and this could have been a feel-good game to build on, but the Mavs will instead have to look at a few things that could have been better before they move on to their next game.
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