The Dallas Mavericks needed overtime yet again to decide their latest game at American Airlines Center on Sunday night.
Daniel Gafford kissed the sky after rattling in two free throws to give the Mavericks a three-point lead in the final two minutes of overtime. Two possessions later, he muscled his way into the paint for a layup that put the Mavericks in a position to secure a much-needed win at home.
Those two plays allowed the Mavericks to be on the right side of overtime as they salvaged the end of their four-game homestand with a 138-133 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The victory snapped a three-game losing streak and Dallas improved to 4-10 while claiming its first win over a Western Conference opponent.
Mavericks
Gafford finished with a season-high 20 points with six rebounds, while making 8 of 10 from the free throw line. He began overtime with a strong finish through contact from Blazers forward Toumani Camara, allowing the Mavericks to punch first in the extra period.
“I just loved how we stayed calm and finished out the game way better than we did in any other one when we’ve lost a close one like this,” Gafford said. “There were some lapses where we made mistakes, but we learned from it on the fly and we implemented that into the next possession. That helped us out a lot.”
It is unclear if Gafford will be able to travel with the team for Monday’s game in Minnesota after he re-aggravated his right ankle injury during overtime of Sunday’s game.
“It’s not the best, but I’m an Arkansas boy. We just gonna put this in mud and get back to it the next day,” Gafford said. “Every day is an important day. Whether I’m there or not, just making sure I’m doing everything I can to motivate the team. … Whether if I’m away from the team or with the team. We’ll see.”
Cooper Flagg was imperative in the Mavericks’ double-overtime loss to the LA Clippers and added more experience in clutch situations with his latest game. He led the Mavericks with 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Flagg’s jump-hook over Blazers forward Deni Avdija gave the Mavericks a two-point lead with 1:56 left in overtime.
Flagg also split a pair of free throws to tie the score at 118 with 51.7 seconds left in regulation shortly before his opportunity to give the Mavericks the go-ahead lead on the next possession. The Mavericks rookie missed a midrange jumper, and Avdija had an opportunity to win the game but couldn’t connect on a sidestep 3-pointer, resulting in an extra five minutes.
The Mavericks’ four home games since Monday have resulted in two consecutive overtime contests, a two-point loss to Milwaukee and a loss to Phoenix that was a one-possession game with less than two minutes left. Flagg discussed his comfort during close games.
“I think it’s just the experience of being in those moments,” Flagg said. “Just learning. It’s so many different situations that you can be in and going through it with your guys and your teammates, that’s huge for us just having those experiences and repping it out, and I think we’re starting to figure it out a little bit.”
Flagg was dormant for the first half. The Mavericks rookie scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half and overtime, including 10 in the third quarter, after attempting just three shots in the first half.
“Sticking with it,” Flagg said. “It’s not always going to be perfect. It’s not always going to be pretty but just finding some better spots. I credit my teammates for just getting me the ball in some good spots. I was just able to go out and make some plays.”
After trailing by as many as 12, the Mavericks went on a 19-8 run in the fourth quarter. Momentum shifted into their favor when P.J. Washington received the ball with 0.5 seconds on the shot clock and launched a 3-pointer from the top of the key that swished through the net to give the Mavericks a two-point lead. It was the most crucial of Washington’s five triples that helped him score 21 points in his return from a one game-absence because of a left shoulder strain.
One possession later, Max Christie drained a timely corner 3-pointer. He finished with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists. Klay Thompson scored 19 points off the bench and knocked down five 3-pointers. Brandon Williams had 15 points and six assists.
The Blazers were without Jrue Holiday, who was a late scratch after having gone through a pregame workout because of left calf soreness. Shaedon Sharpe led the Blazers with a game-high 36 points with four rebounds and six assists. Avdija added 29 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Jerami Grant had 26 points with five rebounds.
Anthony Davis, wearing a Green Bay Packers jersey to honor his favorite NFL team, could only watch as his teammates captured their second win without him in the lineup. The Mavericks big man is set to miss the next 7-10 days as he continues to recover a left calf strain.
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The Mavericks won’t have time to savor their first win since last Saturday. They’ll fly to Minnesota late Sunday night to play the Timberwolves on Monday — the second leg of a back-to-back.
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Mavericks to reevaluate Anthony Davis’ left calf strain in 7-10 days: ‘He wants to play’Mavs’ Cooper Flagg opens up on struggles at PG position: ‘I don’t know if I was ready’
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