The Dallas Mavericks played a late game against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. Dallas was looking for a win after having lost the last four to the Kings and managed to stop the slide with a 100-98
victory.
Let’s get to the grades!
Cooper Flagg: B+
20 PTS / 8 REB / 6 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 35 MIN
So, the Flagg-as-point-guard experiment wasn’t just a one-off against Houston. Of interest was how much better Flagg played when Anthony Davis was not on the floor with him. Flagg scored nine points almost instantly after Davis went to the bench, then didn’t score again (in the first half) after Davis checked back in. Otherwise he had a solid game with some clutch play when it mattered most.
Max Christie: C-
11 PTS / 3 REB / 2 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 36 MIN
Christie has been something of a revelation of late. Bringing a more versatile game has been extremely enjoyable to watch and is starting to make me feel like he could be a meaningful part of the future alongside Flagg. He actively rebounds, doesn’t exclusively live at the three-point line, and makes some good drives which often result in fouls. His shooting was nowhere near as hot as we’ve seen, and this was unfortunately the worst game he’s had in recent days, yet he somehow still showed flashes rather than disappearing at the three-point line.
Naji Marshall: B-
15 PTS / 7 REB / 1 AST / 2 STL / 0 BLK – 32 MIN
Marshall had a strange game, with his first shot attempt coming with about three minutes remaining in the first half, after he had already turned it over twice. The best description of his game was “meh” in the first half, then quite solid in the second half with good shooting and a couple of nice putbacks, a bone-headed turnover, a game-tying three pointer with two minutes remaining, and then two bricked free throws in the waning seconds that could have iced things. Strange indeed.
Daniel Gafford: B+
10 PTS / 13 REB / 0 AST / 1 STL / 1 BLK – 22 MIN
Gafford probably had the consistently best game of anyone on the team. It was nothing especially flashy, but he hit his shots (5-for-8), rebounded well and generally had a positive impact, earning all of his double-figure rebounds.
Anthony Davis: C-
19 PTS / 16 REB / 2 AST / 0 STL / 2 BLK – 36 MIN
Davis was a mixed bag. As the biggest big man on the court most of the game, he bullied on offense early. Defensively, he allowed a handful of three-pointers to hoist right in his face (though covering wings will do that) and easily could have had a few more rebounds – token box outs and mistimed jumps were too frequent. An early double-double wasn’t enough to help his grade, especially after his offense disappeared and after a stretch where he missed three straight shots that derailed a Mavs’ run in the third quarter. 7-for-23 overall sunk his grade.
Brandon Williams: A-
18 PTS / 2 REB / 2 AST / 2 STL / 0 BLK – 27 MIN
Williams had a couple of nice plays and even a few nice defensive efforts that earned him steals. His turnovers and fouls hurt, though he had a great sequence of grabbing a hard-fought rebound, then scoring and drawing an and-one to tie the game. With a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, he stroked a shot to put the Mavs up by two. Then he canned a three-pointer with 30 seconds remaining to put the Mavs up two again. 7-for-13 from the floor and being a huge reason the Mavs won gives Williams a grade boost.
Klay Thompson: D
6 PTS / 2 REB / 0 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 27 MIN
Klay could not find his shot. Thursday is a new game. That is all.
Final Thoughts
After watching this game, I’m somewhat hopeful that the Mavs are quietly tanking. To get this badly outplayed by an eight-win team is concerning, unless they were ok with taking an L. Yes, I realize the Mavs won, but with six players in double-figure scoring and trailing the majority of the game only to pull out a two-point victory (that came down to a Kings miss at the buzzer), there are some questions. For now, we take the win and look forward to Thursday.
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