The Dallas Mavericks (4-2) put on a great show and got a 116-111 win
over the Houston Rockets (5-1) on Friday night. The victory is the second time in as many games that the Mavericks handed a previously undefeated team their first loss of the season. Led by Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving, the Mavs demonstrated a degree of fun that was difficult to come by last season. This team is proving to be a fun, competitive bunch that is buying into Dusty May's system and playing for each other.
Let's get to the grades!
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Kyrie Irving: A+
35 PTS / 4 REB / 9 AST / 35 MIN
Irving, in only his fourth played game back from a lengthy injury, looked utterly elite. He drained 12-of-19 shots, including a smoking 5-of-8 from downtown. He led all players in assists (no one on either team closer than three assists of his total) and drained two free throws to ice the game. This is easily his best game since returning and it was coupled with an amazing performance from Cooper Flagg. Those two playing at this level is a scary proposition for the rest of the league.
Max Christie: D
2 PTS / 1 REB / 2 STL / 18 MIN
Irving and Flagg didn't leave a lot on the table and Christie didn't get an abundance of minutes, but there was almost nothing positive about his game Friday night. He was the only starter with a negative plus/minus and only hit 1-of-4 shots, missing both of his three-point attempts.
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Cooper Flagg: A+
33 PTS / 9 REB / 6 AST / 2 STL / 1 BLK / 39 MIN
Let's get the negatives out of the way first: Flagg had three turnovers and three fouls. Done. He shot 13-of-19 despite missing all four of his three-point attempts, hit 7-of-10 from the charity stripe and simply could not be denied all night. Particularly in the closing moments, Flagg showed he is a player well beyond his years. He put Dallas up three points after connecting on a free throw earned from an away from the ball foul, setting Irving up to hit two free throws of his own on the next possession to ice the game.
P.J. Washington: B-
3 PTS / 10 REB / 1 AST / 34 MIN
Washington is looking every bit the player he was when he was first traded to Dallas. That means he sometimes has a bad shooting night (1-of-8), yet rather than being a total negative, he remained locked in in other ways. He led the Mavs' in rebounds as the only player with a double-digit total and affected the game in enough ways that don't show up in the numbers, that Dusty May gave him a lot of playing time. This wasn't Washington at his best, but this was him engaged in a way that we didn't always consistently see last season.
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Daniel Gafford: A+
18 PTS / 7 REB / 2 AST / 2 BLK / 29 MIN
Gafford was close to top marks purely from his box score and his 6-of-7 shooting. If there was any doubt, he put it to rest in the final minutes of the game. After contesting a shot and landing on Kevin Durant's foot and twisting his ankle, Gafford hobbled off the court and into the back. Minutes later, he was impossibly back on the court. Minutes after that, he calmly drilled two free throws to extend the Mavs' lead to three points. Gafford may have been the last guy on the court Dallas wanted shooting those clutch free throws, but he was the one we got and he delivered in a big way.
Zaccharie Risacher: B+
12 PTS / 6 REB / 3 AST / 3 STL / 1 BLK / 28 MIN
Risacher showed that his hot shooting from last game wasn't a fluke, connecting on 4-of-9 shots overall. Better still, he hit 3-of-6 from deep. His newfound offense is not coming at the expense of his defensive effort. The "Cyborg" displayed his endless motor yet again, and his long reach netted him a team-high three steals.
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Caleb Martin: Gold Star
8 PTS / 25 MIN
We're giving Martin an honorable mention for Friday night's performance. He did nothing but score and foul (five) according to the box score, but his 3-of-5 shooting (2-of-3 from beyond the arc) kept the offense flowing when he was in the game. This also gives us the opportunity to recognize how much better he is than last season. Whether that is due to health, Dusty May's influence, or a combination of both, Martin is proving to be serviceable in a way he wasn't in recent history, and it's a welcome sight (and helpful addition) to what the Mavs are trying to accomplish.
Final Thoughts
Flagg and Irving were an insane duo. Combined, they shot 25-of-38 and score 68 points. They also combined for 13 rebounds and 15 assists. It was an unbelievable display – two players dominating within the flow of the game while still getting teammates involved. Gafford was so locked in that he returned to the court mere moments after being helped off it due to an ankle injury, then knocked down two absolutely clutch free throws. This is a fun team that is playing for each other and buying into a selfless team-first approach.
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