To paraphrase a former Mavericks general manager who, if fans had their wish, shall go nameless, perhaps we’re starting to see the vision.
Not Nico Harrison’s vision, exactly, but a rendition of what the Mavericks could become with a healthy and productive Anthony Davis.
Add a surging Cooper Flagg and undrafted rookie Ryan Nembhard thriving as a starter and the result is a season-best three-game winning streak, the latest triumph being Wednesday’s 118-108 victory over Miami in American Airlines Center.
In his third game back since missing 14 games with a left calf strain, Davis contributed 17 points and 17 rebounds as the Mavericks (8-15) overcame an early 8-point deficit, with Flagg (22 points) committing three fouls in the opening 4:15.
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“A lot different,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said of facing Dallas with Davis, unlike nine days earlier when these teams met in Miami. “He’s a Hall of Fame player.
“Look, that’s basically what’s happened with their team. They haven’t been able to fully realize what it could look like with all their guys healthy and in the right spots. Anthony Davis was one of the most important – if not the most important piece – to that puzzle.”
A 5-foot-11 puzzle piece no one envisioned becoming this important is Nembhard, playing on a two-way contract.
Coming off his spectacular 28-point, 10-assist, zero-turnover performance in Dallas’ Monday night victory at Denver, Nembhard had 15 points, one turnover and a career-high 13 assists against a Miami team (14-8) that entered the night third in the East.
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Of course the assist total was a career high. The kid has only played in 10 NBA games.
Two-time NBA champion coach Spoelstra knows all about Nembhard and his brother Andrew, both of whom played at Gonzaga under coach Mark Few, a fellow Olympic team assistant with Spoelstra in 2024.
“I don’t want to hear from Mark Few anymore about any of the Nembhards,” Spoelstra said with a laugh. “I think he’s been vying for the Nembhards forever, hounding me to get one of them on our team.
“He’s a Gonzaga guy and you’ve got to love those competitive guys, the Mark Few guys and he’s one of them. Just super competitive. We love those stories – two-way guys that have a breakthrough. But he’s doing it with a competitive spirit, for sure.”
Just nine days earlier in Miami, the Heat slogged out a 106-102 win over Dallas – Miami’s second-lowest scoring output of the season.
The Heat entered Wednesday night as the NBA’s second-highest scoring team (124.3); Dallas 28th (111.1).
But this is a much different Mavericks team than the one the Heat faced in Miami. Nembhard moved into the starting lineup after that Miami game, and in the four games since Dallas has scored 119, 114, 131 and 118 points.
After trailing by as much as 17 points in the third quarter, Miami pulled within 110-106 with 2:54 left, but baskets by Davis and Flagg extended Dallas’ lead for good.
Coach Jason Kidd can’t help but notice the closeness between fellow rookies Flagg and Nembhard, both of whom are Montverde Academy products.
“The chemistry that they have for one another, I think sometimes rookies, when you have two or three, they all cheer for each other,” Kidd said. “They all want the other one to be successful.
“And I think we talk about Cooper’s ability to score, but I think something that’s not talked about is just he’s cheering for his teammates, and that he cheers for Ryan. He wants Ryan to be successful. And you can see that and hear that on the floor. So those two have a relationship, and they both want each other to be successful.”
Flagg a day earlier was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month, and despite Wednesday’s early foul trouble, he looked the part against the Heat.
“I think we’re just meshing together,” Flagg said. “Guys are trying to figure out their roles, and those roles are kind of getting defined and everybody’s kind of sacrificing and putting the team first.”
Mavericks center Daniel Gafford exits game vs. Heat after aggravating right ankle injuryWednesday’s TV/Radio listings (Dec. 3)
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