P.J. Washington, with his hands behind his head, stared at the American Airlines Center videoboard in disbelief.
It was the lasting image of yet another close game for the Dallas Mavericks as the officials wiped away a potential game-tying layup by Brandon Williams by calling an offensive foul.
Wednesday’s two-point loss to the New York Knicks was the latest Mavericks game decided in clutch time.
Of Dallas’ 16 games this season, 12 were decided in the final few minutes, tying the Philadelphia 76ers for most clutch games this season. Clutch is defined as the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score is within five points.
Mavericks
Dallas has been on the losing side of most of those games, with a 3-9 record. D’Angelo Russell, who scored 14 of his 23 points in the third quarter of Wednesday’s loss, said the lack of success is because there’s a difference between teams who have an established identity, such as the Knicks, as opposed to those still searching for theirs, such as the Mavericks.
“You watch good teams not do anything special to win games and watch teams like us do something out of the ordinary that dictates a win or a loss,” Russell said. “It’s not something that’s crazy. It’s just that they know their formula. They know their recipe. They know what it takes and we’re figuring it out.”
It’s not lost on the Mavericks that they have been without their best two players, Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, for most of the season. Their championship experience and playmaking ability can change the outcome of a game when it slows down and every play is pivotal.
One potential benefit of Dallas playing a dozen clutch games is rookie forward Cooper Flagg receiving an expedited lesson in being the team’s closer. The 18-year-old missed Wednesday’s game because of an illness, but the Mavericks have run the offense through Flagg in several clutch-time scenarios this season.
Flagg ranks 13th in the NBA in clutch points (25), with notable names such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (56), Cade Cunningham (37) and Devin Booker (32) included in the top five.
A few significant moments in Flagg’s first 15 games show he could become a go-to scorer. His go-ahead layup over Giannis Antetokounmpo to give the Mavericks a brief lead against the Milwaukee Bucks. His layup over Nic Batum to tie the score against the LA Clippers last week in a game that went to double overtime.
“That’s the No. 1 pick,” Russell said. “His gravity takes a lot. … Guys are coming out trying to stop him. That allows other guys to step up and be aggressive. Without him, other guys have to step up.”
Flagg will return to the lineup Friday against the New Orleans Pelicans, the first of back-to-back games as Memphis visits American Airlines Center on Saturday. The series is a two-game grace period before the Mavericks’ schedule gets tougher with road games next week against the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers.
At this rate, the Mavericks will be among the league’s leaders in clutch games, but the experience should help with continuity, especially with Flagg and Davis in the lineup.
”We’re going to win some. We’re going to lose some,“ Russell said. ”That’s the beauty of 82 games. It’s a lot of figuring out to do.”
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