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‘The Game Finds You’: Conversation With Daniel Gafford Helped Unlock Cooper Flagg’s Second-Half Surge Against Portland Trail Blazers

Grant AfsethNovember 17, 2025November 17, 2025no comment

Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks, NBA, Portland Trail Blazers

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

Before Cooper Flagg delivered one of the most composed second halves of his young NBA career, before he powered the Dallas Mavericks’ 138–133 overtime win over the Portland Trail Blazers with poise beyond his 18 years, he spent most of the first two quarters fighting frustration.

Flagg attempted just three shots in the first half. Portland’s physicality, length and rebounding advantage crowded the lane and forced him into rushed decisions. He walked into the locker room visibly irritated as Dallas trailed 61–57, and that frustration didn’t go unnoticed.

Daniel Gafford, in his sixth NBA season and in the midst of his own impactful performance, approached the rookie with the calm of a veteran who has seen every side of an NBA night. Gafford has averaged 10.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks in nine games this season, anchoring Dallas’ interior presence while offering leadership to a young roster.

Gafford said the halftime moment was simple but necessary.

“He was frustrated at halftime,” Gafford said. “I told him to slow down — it’ll come to him. The game finds you.”

It wasn’t a lecture. It wasn’t raised voices. It was a player who knows what it’s like to feel the game speeding up too fast — reassuring a teenager who is still learning what it means to be a focal point of an offense and a nightly defensive assignment.

Flagg said the conversation changed his approach, and the results showed almost immediately.

Cooper Flagg’s Second-Half Surge and Growing Role as a Closer

Flagg responded exactly the way Dallas hoped he would. Nineteen of his 21 points came after halftime, part of a season-long pattern: he is averaging 8.3 points with a 23.9% usage rate in the second half of games, compared to 6.6 points and a 17.4% usage rate in first halves. He has averaged 15.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 14 games this season, and he has elevated those numbers to 19.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists over his last four.

Jason Kidd said the Mavericks are encouraging Flagg to let the game come to him even as the coaching staff and fan base increasingly look to him to close games.

“He’s seeing a lot of defenders. His patience is one of his strong points,” Kidd said. “He doesn’t force things as much as people want him to, and he doesn’t shoot bad shots. He plays the game the right way.”

Kidd added that trusting Flagg late in games is already becoming part of the team’s identity.

“Cooper has delivered each time he’s had the ball,” Kidd said. “Two seconds on the clock, he’s under control. He’s growing quickly in those moments.”

His third-quarter surge against Portland kept Dallas attached, and his fourth-quarter assertiveness shifted the momentum of the game entirely.

A Veteran’s Message Sparks Cooper Flagg’s Breakthrough

Flagg said his mindset entering the third quarter was noticeably different.

“I just wanted to get downhill,” he said. “Once you settle in, the reads start to slow down. I trusted what the game was giving me.”

The Trail Blazers’ decision to close the game without Donovan Clingan — their most effective shot-blocker and offensive rebounder — gave Flagg and the Mavericks a clear opening. Clingan had seven offensive rebounds, but Portland went small late, removing rim protection and allowing Dallas to attack with size and speed.

Flagg said that adjustment shaped his late-game decision-making.

“Late in games, you have to get in the paint,” Flagg said. “They didn’t have shot-blocking on the floor, so we used our size.”

Dallas capitalized immediately. Flagg operated with more space, finding angles at the rim and creating plays for others. His assertiveness continued into overtime, where he delivered one of the defining sequences of the game — grabbing a defensive rebound over Shaedon Sharpe and launching a full-court outlet to a sprinting P.J. Washington for a two-handed dunk.

“We love to turn defense into offense,” Flagg said. “We get a steal or rebound, and I saw him running. Made a heads-up play and threw it down there.”

Gafford said those are the kinds of plays that show the rookie’s growth is accelerating.

“When he talks, it’s contagious,” Gafford said. “He made big plays, got stops. That’s what you want to see.”

A Pivotal Example of Veteran Leadership

Gafford’s halftime reset wasn’t planned. It was instinct — the kind of connection that forms between players who depend on each other nightly.

“Sometimes it’s just about calming down and letting the game come to you,” Gafford said. “That’s all he needed.”

For Dallas, that moment helped fuel one of the team’s most resilient wins of the season. For Flagg, it may become one of the foundational lessons of his rookie year — the reminder that even when the first half feels lost, the second half offers a chance to rewrite everything.

And for Gafford, it was simply one teammate helping another.

“He’s growing,” Gafford said. “And when he grows, we grow.”

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Grant Afseth

Senior Writer

Grant Afseth is a Senior Writer for DallasHoopsJournal.com, where he leads in-depth coverage of the Mavericks, Wings, and more. Between a focus on the latest news, closer looks at games, front office strategy, and more, Afseth provides objective coverage. Afseth contributes broader NBA coverage across platforms and has been cited in national outlets for his reporting and analysis. With nearly a decade of journalism experience, Afseth has covered the NBA and WNBA for multiple major outlets, including Athlon Sports, BallIsLife, Sportskeeda, and RG.org. He previously reported on the Indiana Pacers for CNHI’s Kokomo Tribune and the Mavericks for FanNation.

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