The Dallas Mavericks got blown out at home Monday night, losing 124-94 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Dallas.
Cooper Flagg had a game to forget, as he couldn’t buy a bucket for the entire game. But it wasn’t just him that struggled. Almost every Mavericks was off, besides Brandon Williams.
The Mavericks were soundly outplayed in the first quarter, with the Timberwolves playing with playoff-like intensity. Flagg missed his first four shots, and was heavily bothered by Rudy Gobert’s rim protection.
The Timberwolves three point shooting carried their offensive output, and as usual the Mavericks did not respond in kind.
Flagg was able to get his first bucket on a beautiful cut to the rim, with a great pass from Brandon Williams. He followed it up with a great block on Gobert; although, he wasn’t able to hit the pullup jump-shot over the French big man. The Mavericks offense continued to struggle the rest of the quarter, with the lack of any three point shooters ruining the spacing.
The Timberwolves began to build a cushion in the third quarter, with the Mavericks having zero response to the early Minnesota run. Minnesota’s transition offense was especially crisp, with the Minnesota guards taking advantage of the Mavericks mistakes.
The overall difference in talent felt massive, and with the Timberwolves playing with playoff intensity, the Mavericks had no answer. The fourth quarter was mainly a formality, with the Timberwolves continuing the second half demolition of the Mavericks.
Cooper Flagg’s shot diet has to change
Flagg was pretty horrendous against the Timberwolves, as the pressure and physicality seemed to throw him of his rhythm.
It also didn’t help that he seemed absolutely terrified to shoot from behind-the-arc.
A microcosm of this issue came early in the second quarter, with Flagg settling for a terrible mid range jumper instead of an uncontested three. Obviously it doesn’t really matter for this season, but going forward it has to change, or Flagg’s scoring potential is capped.
It isn’t even the percentage that worries me, but rather the complete lack of confidence he feels in his shot. The Timberwolves perfectly exploited this, as they routinely gave him plenty of room in his isolation or pick-and-roll reps.
Hopefully an offseason of work can help the 19 year-old find his confidence, make-or-miss.
The Mavericks aren’t close… yet
A game like this truly illustrates the massive gap between a real deal contender, and the Dallas Mavericks.
While the Mavericks were without both Naji Marshall and P.J. Washington, it wouldn’t have mattered. The difference in execution, talent and intensity between the two teams was stark.
This game also showed how to build a great team around a slashing superstar wing, with Anthony Edwards not even being needed in this contest.
The Timberwolves three point shooting and point of attack defense are both elite, while the Mavericks have massive holes in both areas.
Hopefully the Mavericks realize this, and seek to actually address this in the offseason.
