The Dallas Mavericks are about to play their 12th home game of the season, and it’s just game 17 of the year. The amount of home games they’ve played so far this year is a little crazy, which makes it even crazier that they’re just 4-12.
They’re hosting the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night, a team they’ve already lost one game to this season. And the Pelicans just got Zion Williamson back from an eight-game absence. They didn’t even have him in the first matchup and still beat the Mavs.
Cooper Flagg missed his first career game on Wednesday night against the New York Knicks, a heartbreaking 113-11 loss, as he was downgraded due to an illness. He’s also been dealing with a thumb injury, but the illness is what kept him out. For Friday’s game against the Pelicans, he’s been upgraded to available, so he’ll return from his one-game absence unless he catches another illness.
Flagg has been much better since they finally took him away from playing point guard. Even if the Mavs’ point guard rotation is arguably the worst in the NBA, Flagg is just much more comfortable on the wing. Since November 5th, he’s averaging 17.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 3.4 APG while shooting above 50% from the floor.