The Dallas Mavericks (4-2) picked up a huge 116-111 win over the Houston Rockets (5-1) on Friday night in their first NBA Cup game of the season. The road to victory was paved with a slew of clutch plays, with Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving and Daniel Gafford leading the way when it mattered most. The NBA defines the “clutch” as the final five minutes of a game when the score is within five or fewer points. Here we break down that exact scenario from the huge win Friday.
4:21: Tie score, 96-96
The Mavericks entered the clutch
with a three-point lead. They forced two stops around a Rockets’ offensive rebound but could not convert on the other end. Again they forced a stop, but yielded another offensive rebound to the Rockets, setting up Fred Van Vleet for a game tying three-point shot.
3:28: Mavs up four, 100-96
Flagg began asserting his clutch-time dominance with an immediate answer to Van Vleet’s three-pointer. At the 4:07 mark, Flagg hit a floater for his 25th point of the night. After a stop and a rebound, Flagg was at it again with a finger roll that was counted as a score after being goaltended.
2:26 Tie score, 100-100
Zaccharie Risacher committed a shooting foul on the following possessing, giving Kevin Durant a chance to drain two free throws. After an Irving missed three-pointer, Van Vleet connected on a bucket to once again tie the score.
1:40 Mavs up 105-100
With the score tied, it was Irving’s turn to respond. Off a Flagg assist, Irving broke the 30-point threshold with a nice 16-foot shot to put the Mavericks up by two points. Caleb Martin committed a shooting foul on Durant, but the 82.7% free throw shooter missed both attempts. Then it was Flagg’s turn to join Irving as a 30-point scorer as he hit a floater, was fouled and connected on the free throw to extend the lead to five points.
1:18 Mavs up five, 107-102
Durant hit a shot to quiet the excitement for a moment, but Irving was not deterred. Dribbling up the court, Irving surprising launched a three-point attempt only seven seconds later. The shot was errant, setting up Gafford for an offensive rebound and put-back. Above the rim, his mini hook shot was on a downward trajectory as soon as it left his hand, warranting a goal tending call on Clint Capela to sustain the five-point lead.
1:00 Mavs up two, 107-105
The next sequence of events may find you shining up your tinfoil hat. On a Rockets’ inbounds pass, Durant cut to the rim, then thrust himself backwards onto Caleb Martin who grabbed a handful of Durant’s jersey. The play was reviewed by officials to determine if it was an away-from-the-play foul (a foul committed on court prior to the ball being inbounded, which gives the offended team a free throw and the ball). Replay seemed to clearly show the contact was initiated and followed-through on by Durant, with Martin grabbing him to brace his fall after absorbing contact, but somehow this was not a factor in the review. Instead, Durant hit the free throw and then immediately connected on a jump shot after the inbound. This turn of events could have been foreboding; just a season ago it may have been. The Mavericks were flying high with a five-point lead, but a questionable call made it a one-possession game in a matter of seconds.
0:24 Mavs up four, 109-105
Following the strange away-from-the-ball foul, things got more tenuous. P.J. Washington got sped up, prompting him to pass the ball toward Irving at half court. The pass was off the mark and Amen Thompson collected in stride heading for what would have been a game-tying layup. Irving stepped in for a charge! What again seemed an obvious call, especially due to Thompson’s unquestionable arm extension push-off, was challenged by the Rockets who had nothing to lose in doing so. Improbably, the charge was overturned on the basis Irving did not have legal guarding position prior to Thompson’s slightly lowered shoulder and arm extension. If karma is your thing, the Mavs were beneficiaries of a “ball don’t lie” moment, as Thompson missed both free throws he received by way of the overturned charge. Flagg had enough at this point, extending the game to a two-possession affair with a slick turnaround jumper for a four-point lead.
0:11 Mavs up three, 111-108
Following Flagg’s heroics, the Mavs were a stop away from all but ending the game, but Jabari Smith nailed a three from the top of the arc to bring the Rockets within one point. With an obvious free throw shooting contest ready to ensue, the Mavericks got the ball to Gafford who was fouled by Durant for a trip to the foul line. Surely, the Mavs did not want to put Gafford in this position, but the Rockets’ on-ball defense after the Mavs inbounded left them no choice. Gafford was unfazed. He calmly stroked both free throws to give Dallas a three-point lead.
0:06 Mavs up three, 113-110
We learned that Dusty May is inclined to foul the opponent when the Mavs are up by three points with mere second remaining, rather than give the opposition a chance to attempt a three-point shot for the tie. Flagg fouled Durant who hit both free throws to cut the Mavericks’ lead to one point. The Rockets had to return the favor, fouling Irving on the other end. Irving hit both of his free throws to maintain the three-point advantage after the exchange.
0:04 Mavs up three, 114-111
With the three-point advantage, Dallas once again fouled to prevent a Rockets’ three-point attempt. This time, Thompson split his pair, hitting the first and intentionally missing the second. Thompson got the rebound off his own miss, but it was because he entered the lane well before the ball hit the rim, resulting in a lane violation and turnover. On the next possession, the Mavs got a measure of away-from-the-ball revenge. Marcus Smart mauled Flagg before the ball was inbounded, giving Flagg the chance to increase the lead to three points, which he calmly did by hitting his free throw.
0:00 Mavs win 116-111
Irving was fouled once again, giving him a trip to the line. The veteran leader put the game out of reach and ended the free throw shooting train by once again hitting both of his attempts to extend the lead to five, leaving the Rockets with no further options. As he iced the game, Irving was serenaded with chants of “MVP” from the home crowd.
In the clutch, Flagg scored 10 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting and 2-of-2 from the line. Irving had six points despite missing two three-point attempts. He hit one shot from inside the arc and drained all four of his free throws. This was a dynamic performance by the pair, showing just how poised beyond his years Flagg is and how important Irving is to the success of the team. Flagg was perfect, answering the bell every time with big plays. Irving, while slightly less than perfect, had it where it counted. Giving himself up for what likely should have been a charge and hitting free throws that effectively ended the game demonstrated how lethal the duo can be. Not to be forgotten, Gafford got in on the fun with an offensive rebound off one of Irving’s missed three-pointers and a putback for two points. He then hit two free throws that were absolutely critical in the win.
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