The Mavericks hit a new low Tuesday, but Cooper Flagg reached yet another high.
Dallas suffered a 110-100 loss to the shorthanded Boston Celtics on national television and increased their longest losing streak of the season.
Lost in the minutiae of defeat was another spectacular performance by Flagg, who finished with 36 points, nine rebounds and six assists to lead the Mavericks in his first game against his favorite childhood team.
Tuesday’s primetime rematch of the 2024 NBA Finals was a grand opportunity for the Mavericks to showcase what they have to offer teams looking to add to their roster ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline.
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Instead, they dropped their fifth straight game to the shorthanded Celtics, who reportedly made a significant trade just hours before tip-off.
Boston acquired center Nikola Vucevic from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for guard Anfernee Simons, according to a report by ESPN, in an attempt to add depth to their frontcourt. Jaylen Brown continued his All-Star level of play with 33 points and 11 rebounds, while Payton Pritchard added 26 points and seven assists off the bench.
The Mavericks have just a day and a half until Thursday’s 3 p.m. deadline and despite the loss, there were several players who proved their value and others who had underwhelming showings on the NBC broadcast.
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Daniel Gafford overcame yet another re-aggravation of his lingering right ankle sprain and finished with a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds against the Celtics, who the Mavericks reportedly hoped could be a trade suitor for the veteran big man.
Caleb Martin, who started in place of PJ Washington, was another possible trade candidate with a formidable performance. He finished with 13 points, six rebounds and three assists, marking his fourth time since January of reaching double figures.
Flagg showed why he’s earned three consecutive Rookie of the Month awards by producing his third straight game with at least 30 points to become the first teenager in NBA history to accomplish the feat. He’s averaging 39.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists and 1.3 blocks over his last three outings.
The efficiency is what stands out the most as the 19-year-old rookie has connected on 57.7% of his field goals, 46.2% from 3-point range and 85.2% of his free throws.
“I’m just proud of myself for staying confident, staying poised,” Flagg said.” I never doubted myself … I just let all of that pass. I might’ve fallen down a bit, but I just got back up stronger.”
Flagg would’ve been in a prime position to record his first career-triple-double, but fell short one rebound and four assists, mainly because the Mavericks struggled on offense.
Dallas was cold yet again from beyond the arc, finishing 9 of 32 from 3-point range. Four players who Dallas could theoretically trade fell short in that department.
Max Christie, Naji Marshall, Klay Thompson and Jaden Hardy combined for 5 of 19 on 3-point field goals. An inability to make shots was the primary reason for the 10-point loss, according to Mavericks coach Jason Kidd.
With 2 minutes and 47 seconds left, Kidd pulled the plug on his starters and conceded the matchup to Boston.
Before the game, Kidd addressed the uneasiness that comes with the trade deadline and intimated that it’s part of playing in the NBA.
“That’s in the small print of the contract,” Kidd said. “Sometimes we don’t look at that or read that, but that’s just being a pro…There was a trade in the (Celtics) locker room. You have to do your job. The guys in that locker room, they play hard. They play for each other.”
Four trades were reportedly finalized on Tuesday, highlighted by Memphis and Utah’s blockbuster deal that sent Jaren Jackson Jr. to Salt Lake City. The Mavericks have yet to pull the trigger on a trade despite their 12th place status in the West, but anything could happen over the next day and a half.
“Those guys in that locker room are professionals that understand you could be traded after the game, before the game or during the game,” Kidd said. “We’ve seen it all.”
Marshall, who finished with nine points, eight rebounds and three assists, reportedly said he’d love to play with Flagg for the entirety of his career, which Kidd pointed out in his pregame news conference.
“You see Naji has come out to say he loves playing for the Mavs, but he could be traded, right?
“And that’s just the nature of the business. Sometimes it gets in the way.”
The Mavericks could look different by the time they return to American Airlines Center for Thursday night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs.
On Twitter/X: @MikeACurtis2
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