The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Brooklyn Nets 113-105 Monday night in Dallas, snapping a two-game losing streak and bouncing back from one of their more dispiriting efforts of the season Saturday night against Chicago.
Cooper Flagg led Dallas with 28 points, while Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. led all scorers with 29 points. Dallas took an early 5-4 lead in the first quarter and the Nets never had the lead for the rest of the game, in a reversal from Saturday where the Mavericks trailed throughout
against the Bulls.
This was a much more lively and energetic game. The Mavericks scored well in transition, hustled on defense, and made a ton of shots. It doesn’t mean that much, the Nets are not good, but it was important stabilizer after the Mavericks had two recent disappointing losses.
Here are the three numbers were noticed.
2,800: Career 3-pointers for Klay Thompson
With 8:50 left in the fourth quarter, Thompson drilled a three giving him 2,800 for his career. He’s the fifth player in NBA history to reach that mark, and Thompson now is five more made threes away from passing Damian Lillard for fourth place on the all-time list.
It was a special night for Thompson overall — he had 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from three, and while Flagg and Naji Marshall were more dominant scorers, you could argue Thompson’s floor gravity was the MVP of the night. Dallas made 15 three pointers and still scored a healthy 44 points in the paint, as the Nets could not keep up with Thompson’s off-ball movement.
The overall numbers don’t reflect this, but the eye-test is saying Thompson’s spacing and shooting is still hugely vital for this Mavericks team. Dallas is top-1o in paint points per game, drivers per game, and field goal percentage on drives. They’re doing this despite being one of the worst three point shooting teams in the league. How are they still getting to the basket and scoring at the rim? Thompson’s gravity makes a big difference.
Multiple times in this game Thompson drew the attention of two Nets defenders, typically coming off a screen from the wing or a pin down to pop out from the top of the key. That left Brooklyn’s backline vulnerable and if the Mavericks didn’t score in the paint, they kept the Nets in rotation and found quality three point looks. Dallas was 15-of-34 from three, one of their best marks of the season.
14: Combined rebounds, assists, blocks, steals for Cooper Flagg
Against the Bulls on Sunday, Flagg looked a little shell-shocked and despondent. It led to one of his worst games of the season, with little to show for his anemic activity left. Good news: Flagg was back to his high-motor self, humming across the court both on offense and defense.
While his team-high 27 points will get the headlines, his secondary stats told the story of a guy bouncing back with the right level of disposition. Flagg only had five combined rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals against the Bulls. He almost tripled that number against the Nets.
Flagg was everywhere. He was a blur in transition and got himself about four to six free points simply because he was playing harder than anyone else on the floor. There was a two-handed transition dunk in the second half where when Max Christie made the pass ahead, the TV broadcast did not have Flagg in the frame and I genuinely wondered who the hell Christie was throwing the ball too, since no way any Maverick got down the floor that fast after the live-ball turnover. Turns out Flagg did get down the floor and he jammed it. When Flagg is playing with this unrivaled energy, the Mavericks look much better.
10: Rebounds for Dwight Powell
Shoutout to the longest tenured Maverick Dwight Powell for filling in with the Mavericks front court shorthanded and putting in an admirable performance. Powell played a game-high 35 minutes and had a team-high 10 rebounds, to go along with three assists and five points.
With all of the Mavericks main centers injured, Powell filled in as a spot-starter and played well. He might be the best screener on the team, and it doesn’t feel like a coincidence that Thompson seems to shoot better when he shares the court with Powell.
In a bit of a mud fight game like this, with two bad teams squaring off, Powell’s veteran intangibles are unmatched. It was fun to see him do stuff, and I’m glad his effort level was rewarded with a win.
