Brandon Williams had his best game since returning from a concussion during the Mavericks’ latest home loss.
Monday’s 124-94 setback to the Minnesota Timberwolves marked 13 consecutive losses at American Airlines Center for the Mavericks, but Williams showed a diverse offering of his growth as a point guard with 15 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
Williams is primarily known as a scorer who’s able to use his speed to get downhill and finish at the rim, but the fourth-year guard’s playmaking was on full display in the second quarter. He tied a career-quarter high with six assists during that period, offering the Mavericks a different skill set after he spent the first quarter scoring 11 in that frame.
“B-Will’s speed is one of the best in the league,” Kidd said during his pregame news conference, “and his ability to score. But I think he is also starting to find his teammates and set the table. Coming down the stretch in Portland [on Friday], he made some really key passes. … His development running the team has grown here.”
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Williams’ role has been expanded throughout his three-year tenure in Dallas, especially this season since Kyrie Irving is sidelined to recover from ACL surgery.
A concussion suffered in a loss to New Orleans on March 16 caused Williams to miss three games, but he returned during the team’s two-game road trip in Denver and Portland — where he started his career as a rookie in the 2021-22 season. He had 11 points and six assists in the loss to Denver and helped the Mavericks snap a five-game losing streak with 10 points and five assists in a win over his former team.
Williams is averaging 3.8 assists per game this season, nearly matching his career-high of 3.9 helpers during his rookie season with the Trail Blazers. That number has jumped to 4.4 assists per game since the All-Star break.
The Mavericks were well within striking distance on Monday, trailing by just 12 points after the first quarter and Williams’ intentional effort to get his teammates involved in the second quarter allowed them to temporarily compete with the Timberwolves, who were led by Plano native Julius Randle, Anthony Edwards and Ayo Dosunmu.
While Williams shined, Cooper Flagg produced an uncharacteristic showing with just 12 points on 5 of 19 shooting. Both of Flagg’s lone field goals in the first half were a direct result of passes from Williams. Just two minutes into the second quarter, the Mavericks rookie tipped a rebound toward Williams and sprinted down the floor. Williams read the defense and threaded a one-handed pass through three Wolves players, including Rudy Gobert. Flagg handled the rest and threw down a two-handed slam for his first field goal of the game.
Just before the quarter ended, Williams found his teenage teammate yet again as he led a three-on-one fastbreak before making a backwards pass to the Rookie of the Year candidate and Flagg flushed another emphatic dunk.
Williams was the first guard off the bench on Monday after Ryan Nembhard, but Kidd rode the hot hand by starting the third quarter with his speedy guard. Daniel Gafford led the Mavericks with 21 points and eight rebounds. He reached 4,000 career points with a dunk at the 8:48 mark of the fourth quarter, which was fitting because No. 21 entered the game needing exactly 21 points to achieve the new scoring milestone.
With 13 straight in the loss column in front of their home fans, the Mavericks are on their longest losing streak since the 1993-94 season when they played at Reunion Arena. That season, the Mavericks had double-digit home losing streaks of 12 and 19 games.
With 16 losses in their last 21 games, the Mavericks are limping to the finish line. They have just seven games left, which includes three more opportunities at American Airlines Center to make sure their home losing streak doesn’t extend into the 2026-27 season.
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