‘It’s Always Special’: Dallas Mavericks Show Fight In Anthony Davis’ Return As Cooper Flagg And Luka Dončić Take Center Stage In Los Angeles”

The Dallas Mavericks finally looked closer to the version they imagined when they traded for Anthony Davis. They had their star big man back on the floor, Cooper Flagg flirted with a triple-double, Ryan Nembhard delivered one of his best outings of the season and the turnover issues that have plagued them all month calmed down.

They still walked out of Crypto.com Arena with a 129–119 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night — and a 5–15 record — but the performance felt different.

The Lakers led 28–22 after the first quarter, but Dallas answered with a 40-point second period behind sharper spacing and ball movement. The Mavericks went into halftime up 62–60, then watched the Lakers respond with a 38–32 third quarter to reclaim control. Dallas briefly took a one-point lead in the fourth, only for Los Angeles to close with a 31–25 edge behind shot-making from Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves.

Dončić finished with 35 points, 11 assists and four rebounds. Reaves added 38 points on 12-of-15 shooting. According to the Lakers, Dončić and Reaves became the fourth pair of Lakers teammates since 2000 to each score at least 35 points in the same game, joining Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal (five times), Anthony Davis and LeBron James (twice) and Davis and Rui Hachimura (once).

The Lakers moved to 14–4 overall and 4–0 in NBA Cup group play, earning a home quarterfinal date with the San Antonio Spurs. The Mavericks dropped to 5–15 but left with evidence that their structure is stabilizing as Davis ramps up.

Luka Dončić Leads Closing Push and Reflects on Facing Dallas Mavericks

From the opening possession, Dončić dictated how Dallas had to defend. Jason Kidd sent an aggressive blitz nearly at half court on the first play of the game, and Los Angeles turned it into an early three.

“Yeah, obviously I accept it and kind of knew it was coming,” Dončić said. “I always say if I get blitzed, I did my job. You play four-on-three. That’s the best way you can play. So I always accept that. And I think in the second half, we did a way better job than the first.”

Dončić operated out of those coverages all night, using the extra attention to set up Reaves, Deandre Ayton and shooters spaced around the arc. When the Mavericks briefly took the lead in the fourth quarter, Dončić answered with drives and playmaking that pulled Dallas’ defense in multiple directions.

He also connected the performance to a larger theme for Los Angeles: balance and ball movement.

“I think in the last two games, we made our shots,” Dončić said. “When we share the ball and play how we need to, we get a lot of good shots, and that’s what we did today. The first half was so-so, but there was a major difference in the second half. Everybody was sharing the ball, everybody was getting good looks.”

Asked about Reaves’ reputation as one of the league’s top scorers in the fourth quarter, Dončić did not hesitate.

“He’s playing like one of the best basketball players in this league,” Dončić said. “The way he scores, the way he makes plays for others… it’s very good. I’m just happy he’s on my team, and that’s probably the last compliment I’ll give.”

He later expanded on how Reaves has carried that level throughout the season.

“He’s been amazing for us the whole season,” Dončić said. “Since the start till now, he’s been amazing. He’ll keep doing what he does. Sometimes I need to get him more looks. But the way he plays on both ends has been amazing and I really appreciate him.”

The matchup with Dallas still carries personal meaning for Dončić more than a full season after the blockbuster trade that sent him to Los Angeles and Davis to the Mavericks.

“I would say it’s a little bit easier now,” Dončić said. “But games against Dallas always have some special meaning to me. I still have a lot of friends there. It’s important, it’s fun, and it’s always special. Like I say, it’ll always be special for me.”

Dončić also made clear how much he values the NBA Cup format after helping the Lakers run the table in group play.

“Yeah, I like it a lot,” he said. “Back in Spain, I used to play this cup in February, but it’s the same concept. So I welcome that and I like the cup a lot.”

Anthony Davis Returns for Dallas Mavericks and Tries to Reset the Season

For Dallas, Friday was less about a single game and more about getting Davis back on the floor. The 10-time All-Star had been out since Oct. 29 with a calf strain and was placed on a minutes restriction in his return. He finished with 12 points, five rebounds, five assists and three blocks in 28 minutes, shooting 6-of-10 from the field.

Kidd said he liked what he saw from Davis in his first game back.

“Yeah, I thought he was good for his first game back,” Kidd said. “[We will] try to get the rhythm and try to get the flow of just being with those guys on the floor. I thought he was good on both ends. As we go forward and continue, as we talked about to stacking good minutes, he did that.”

The Lakers trapped Davis early, forcing him to lean on his passing. He responded by finding shooters and cutters out of double-teams and resisting the temptation to force shots in traffic.

“We weren’t really trying to force anything,” Davis said. “I mean, they were kind of double team and every time I caught the ball, so as soon as I catch it and turn around, there was two guys in my face. We’re just trying to make the right play, you know, with the pass. They just let the shots come to me when I had the opportunity to score. But, you know, the rhythm’s gonna get there. Especially the way we play, you know, moving the basketball and then I’ll have my times where I’m able to iso and get shots.”

Davis admitted the minutes restriction made the night challenging, particularly when he had to sit in the fourth quarter with the game still within reach.

“Yeah. Um, yeah, it was tough,” Davis said. “I don’t know. It was tough for sure.”

The bigger picture, he emphasized, is where the Mavericks can go from here. Dallas fell to 5–15, but Davis referenced a past turnaround as a reminder of how quickly a season can change.

“Um, no, we’re still playing, you know, fun basketball,” Davis said. “We’re trying to, you know, compete. We are competing, we’re playing for each other, playing together. I remember when Brooklyn started off 5-20 and ended up with a 4-seed. Remember that? You don’t remember that. So not saying we’re comparing ourselves to that, we’re gonna start 5-20, but we know we just keep competing, you know?

“You know, we’re getting great looks and making great plays. Just a couple plays here and there that, you know, usually, you know, hurt us. So, just keep playing, keep fighting, and then we… you know, positive attitude. We feel like we’re right there. We just gotta keep on even a certain chemistry.”

Davis also focused on his growing chemistry with Flagg, which had to be rebuilt on the fly after he missed a month of action.

“Um… you know, we start off in training camp, you know, you know, he likes to ask questions and talk about where I like the ball, where he likes the ball, and we’re still trying to figure, you know, each other out,” Davis said. “We had that rhythm at the start of the season before I went down. Then I had one practice and then came straight into a game. So just about talking on the floor and getting that chemistry with all the guys again. I think we did a good job of communicating, and just kind of learning everybody again while being on the floor. We’ll continue to work on those things and get better.”

Physically, Davis said the extra time off — including the period when he badly wanted to return sooner — ultimately put him in a better position now.

“Anytime you get extra time, obviously you let your body heal,” he said. “I felt ready. I had to do some more tests and everything which took more days, and I feel better now. Like I said, anytime you get another week or 7–10 days to let your body heal, you can strengthen things and then you come back stronger.”

He also framed the double-teams as a sign of respect, not frustration.

“I mean, I look at it as double teams as a sign of respect, you know?” Davis said. “They wanna take the ball out your hand because they know you can beat ’em. So I never looked at it as a bad thing. Now it’s just about making the right plays outta double team, which I think I did and found the right guys. We had good looks.”

Cooper Flagg Shows Poise and Playmaking for Dallas Mavericks

If Davis’ return was the headline for Dallas, Flagg’s performance was the most encouraging subplot. The No. 1 overall pick closed with 13 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds in 36 minutes, committing only one turnover while navigating a defense led by James and Dončić.

Flagg described his approach as rooted in confidence and reading the game.

“Uh, yeah, I think just, you know, being confident,” Flagg said. “I thought we got to our spots and spaced the floor well. Got to a lot of good actions and just finding guys in the right spot.”

Kidd emphasized how Davis’ presence makes the game easier for Flagg and how the rookie has handled different roles early in the season.

“Yeah, you look at the stat sheet, he almost had a triple double tonight,” Kidd said. “Understanding having someone like AD back will make the game easier for him. Being able to find AD… I thought he has some great passes, some high-low or great high-low to PJ. He understands how to play the game the right way. And so for that, when you have more talent on the floor, it just helps. And with AD back, that helps him.”

Kidd also pointed back to the stretch where Flagg played as a de facto point guard against elite perimeter defenders.

“Yeah, I think when you look at his ability to go against the best wing defender, you know, the Thompson twins, you know others, Dillon Brooks, the pressure that he was under playing the point guard position, his calmness, his understanding his basketball IQ is extremely high,” Kidd said. “Being able to play-make will only help him when he’s got the, you know, not those types of guys on him. And so, again, tonight he was really good for us. You know, when you look at it, he only had one turnover with 11 assists. And so he can do a lot of things on the floor and he showed that tonight.”

Flagg said having Nembhard, Brandon Williams, and D’Angelo Russell available as ball-handlers changes his responsibilities and lets him lean more into secondary creation. Russell did not play, but the presence of traditional guards allowed Kidd to shift Flagg’s usage.

“It feels good, you know, having guys like Ryan, B-Will, D-Lo out there,” Flagg said. “Guys that can, you know, run the show and get us into good actions, get organized. And, you know, I have a good connection with Ryan. Obviously, we’re rookies together this year, so, you know, it’s been cool to kind of go through it with him and I feel like we have a good connection out there, and he likes to find me, and I just like, we play well together. So I like playing with Ryan for sure.”

Flagg also talked through his development as a playmaker and how his scoring gravity feeds his passing.

“Yeah, I think it’s, you know, obviously, I love finding my teammates open, getting them in good spots,” Flagg said. “And I think that comes with, you know, being aggressive as well. And, you know, scoring the ball at times, you know, you’re gonna draw help, I’m gonna draw people getting outta position. So just knowing, you know, picking spots when you want to find your teammates or when it’s time to kind of attack downhill.”

Defensively and physically, Flagg admitted the league’s strength has forced him to adjust, but said he trusts the work he has put in.

“Playing physical myself,” Flagg said. “You have to just be ready to handle it and kind of dish back the same level of physicality. And obviously, I’ve been in the weight room. All summer long was in the weight room. So just trusting all that work. Not being discouraged, you know, there’s some guys that, you know, been out here for a long time, a lot older than me, got a lot more hours in the weight room, but end of the day you just gotta trust it, you know, and just try and be as physical as possible and just play through it at the end of the day.”

Even in a loss, Flagg said the experience of sharing the floor with Davis again meant a lot.

“It felt great,” he said. “I’m excited to have him back out there with us. He is a great teammate and a great leader. It felt great to have him back out there.”

Ryan Nembhard Seizes Starting Opportunity for Dallas Mavericks

Kidd turned to Nembhard as the starting point guard, moving Williams to a reserve role and giving Russell a DNP-CD. Nembhard responded with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-5 from three, plus four assists and only two turnovers in 23 minutes.

He said the Lakers’ coverage dictated how aggressive he needed to be.

“They weren’t really guarding me,” Nembhard said. “They was trying to play off me and stand those gaps for AD and double him and make it tough on him. So a lot of open shots presented themselves and I’m just trying to be aggressive, get my teammates involved, and take advantage of the opportunity.”

Nembhard found out about his start earlier in the day.

“They told me this morning at shootaround,” he said. Asked about his reaction, he added: “Just ready to go, you know? Gotta be professional, gotta be ready to go.”

He framed each outing as another layer of education in how to run an NBA team.

“Yeah. I think every time you step on the court it’s a learning experience,” Nembhard said. “Obviously, my first year and just trying to understand the game a little bit more, understand where I could get to my spots and how I could affect the game. Obviously I got a lot of great players around me that I get the ball to and they’ll do the rest. So just trying to be aggressive.”

When asked what will help the Mavericks’ offense get on track, he went back to principles.

“Play with pace,” Nembhard said. “Get good corner shots. Keep touching the paint, keep getting sprayed, and obviously get our best players the ball.”

His confidence, he said, comes from his routine.

“Yeah. I think it’s just my work,” Nembhard said. “I think I’m real consistent with my work and just getting in every day and making sure I get my reps up and being a professional. So I got a lot of confidence in my game and I’m getting the opportunity to show.”

On the other end, he did not sugarcoat how difficult it is to deal with Dončić and Reaves in the same game.

“It’s tough,” Nembhard said. “Guys are great players. They’ve been doing it all year at a high level. Tough coverage.”

He also admitted there is still a human element to playing in Los Angeles against players he grew up watching.

“Nah, it’s been great, man,” Nembhard said. “Obviously you got a bunch of guys on our team who are high level guys, All-Stars, won championships, so I’m kind of getting used to that over here. And it’s nice to go against people you look up to growing up and get a chance to share the floor with them. So it was cool.”

Los Angeles Lakers Lean on Habits, Cup Momentum and Supporting Cast

While the focus in Dallas is on progress and trying to climb out of an early hole, the Lakers’ night was about continuing to build on habits that have them near the top of the league.

Head coach JJ Redick praised how Dončić, Reaves and James managed the game against a Dallas team that now has Davis back in the middle.

“Overall for our team, those two guys, LeBron [James] as well of course, they’re going to initiate and they’re going to play off-ball to get on-ball,” Redick said. “They’re going to sometimes draw two [defenders]. [They put] Luka [Dončić] behind halfcourt on the first play of the game. There’s a responsibility there to make good decisions. I thought for the most part, Luka, AR and LeBron with his passing as well. It was a great game for all three of them making good decisions.

“The game, although it maybe felt differently as a viewer, the game to me was like a very simple game in that the guys that don’t normally make threes for them, made some threes. We had too many turnovers in the first half. And then in the second half, we stopped turning the ball over. Their guys kept making threes until the very end, basically. And we were able to get enough stops.”

Redick underlined that producing an offensive rating near 138 against what he described as the “number two defense in the league” with Davis back said a lot about the group’s execution.

“To come away from that game… essentially a 138.0 offensive rating against the number two defense in the league [with them] getting AD back, I think it says a lot about our guys’ ability to execute, pass to each other and make shots,” he said. “So, I liked most of everything we did all night.”

Los Angeles also viewed the win as another step in a larger NBA Cup pursuit, even if players were quick to say the focus remains on daily habits. Reaves acknowledged the stakes while also mentioning what the extra games mean to staffers.

“Yeah, just, um. No, it’s— I mean, we wanna win the games regardless if they’re the cup or not, have the best record that you can,” Reaves said. “But it’s this opportunity to, you know, go win a couple more dollars. It’s big for— yeah, coaching staff, beer guys. So just giving them opportunity to get a couple more dollars in the bucket.”

Ayton, who finished with 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting and eight rebounds, highlighted the togetherness he has seen from the Lakers during the tournament.

“I’m seeing— I don’t know. Togetherness is the main point to be honest,” Ayton said. “You know, there’s times where you discombobulated a little bit. Momentum might be turned down, a little deflated from certain plays, certain shots, certain calls. But I think we had a little togetherness in the second half where, you know, we locked in on the defensive end and got some stops and, you know, we didn’t let the way how they were scoring on the break and, you know, them scoring off our turnovers really affect us. So I’ll say throughout these tournament games has been togetherness for sure.”

James framed the night as another example of executing the game plan and staying steady when challenged.

“We have our game plan. We execute,” James said. “And there’s gonna be times where the game doesn’t go as planned, but we just gotta stay even keel. We gotta stay calm, understand the next possession is the most important. And we was tested tonight. Those guys hit some shots. We was tested at one point— even took the lead at one point, you know, late in the game. But let’s keep our composure, let’s continue to execute, let’s get the defensive stops. Let’s get shots at the goal. And when we do that, we’re very good.”

Dallas Mavericks Search for Traction but See a Path Forward

For Dallas, Friday’s loss was familiar in one sense — the team again played well enough to be in position late and could not finish. But it was also different because of how coherent the performance felt with Davis back, Flagg running much of the offense, Nembhard seizing his opportunity, and the group protecting the ball at a season-best level.

Kidd pointed to the turnover number — 11 — as a key positive.

“Yeah, it’s probably a season low for us,” Kidd said. “We’re in the twenties normally, so to be able to get, you know, take care of the ball, to get shots tonight is huge against the Lakers, but anybody in this league. But, you know, to be able to have only 11 turnovers tonight and not 20 or 23, that helps. And so hopefully we can build on that.”

Flagg echoed that sentiment.

“Yeah, I think just kind of playing a little smarter, being more organized,” Flagg said. “As we’ve kind of got more familiar with each other and you kind of figure guys out pretty quickly. And so I think especially for me, it’s just figuring guys out, playing with better pace like I talked about earlier. And a lot of that stuff kind of contributes to turnovers and so… so that would help for sure.”

The Mavericks still allowed 59 percent shooting and 18 made threes, and they again saw a late lead disappear. But they also left Los Angeles with a clearer picture of who they are when Davis is available, Flagg is empowered to create, Nembhard is aggressive and the ball is taken care of.

Dallas is back on the floor Saturday without Davis, who will rest on the second night of the back-to-back as his ramp-up continues. The record remains 5–15, but Davis’ message reflected the way the Mavericks framed the night.

“We’re trying to, you know, compete,” Davis said. “We are competing, we’re playing for each other, playing together… just keep playing, keep fighting, and then we… you know, positive attitude. We feel like we’re right there.”

The Mavericks return to action on Saturday against the LA Clippers with a 9:00 p.m. CST tipoff at Intuit Dome.

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