Cooper Flagg Challenges Dallas Mavericks To Get ‘On The Same Page’ Against Orlando Magic

DALLAS — Cooper Flagg watched the Milwaukee Bucks attempt 54 three-pointers on Tuesday night. He was not going to pretend the number did not matter.

“A lot of stuff, but I think just helping each other out, rotating,” Flagg said after the Dallas Mavericks lost 123-99 at Fiserv Forum. “Obviously, we gotta guard the three-point line better. But it starts with just guarding your man, keeping him in front so that we don’t have to get into a lot of rotations.”

The Bucks converted 20 of those 54 attempts. Two nights earlier, the Minnesota Timberwolves had similar success from deep in the Mavericks’ loss. The Mavericks have now allowed 120 or more points in 12 of their last 14 games, and as the team returns home to host the Orlando Magic on Friday at American Airlines Center, Flagg’s message was direct: the defensive habits that have plagued this team all season have to change, starting now.

The Magic present a similar test. Orlando’s offense is built around Paolo Banchero, who is averaging 22.4 points per game, and Desmond Bane, who is shooting 39 percent from 3-point range while averaging 20.4 points per game since being acquired via trade. Jason Kidd identified free-throw rate as the key variable to contain heading into tip-off.

“Their ability to get to the free-throw line — that’s something we have to limit,” Kidd said Friday. “They’re a right-handed team. When you look at Paolo and those guys, if you let them get to their strengths, they’re going to hurt you. We have to rebound the ball. For us, we’ve got to play fast. We have to rebound and get into transition and hopefully take advantage of that.”

Dallas guard Brandon Williams, who scouted Orlando from the bench during the teams’ first meeting last month, knows what is coming.

“They’re a pretty physical team,” Williams said Friday at practice. “You can see how they defend ball screens, especially with their guards and their bigs. They’ve got size with guys like Paolo, so it’s going to be a tough matchup. We’ve just got to be ready to compete.”

Cooper Flagg and the Learning Curve of a Brutal Stretch

The back-to-back against Minnesota and Milwaukee offered Flagg a condensed version of what awaits him in coming seasons. Teams have begun assigning taller defenders to him as the season winds down, and the officiating standard has tightened in ways he was candid about after Tuesday’s game.

“Yeah, I think they definitely started to let more stuff go,” Flagg said. “It gets more physical and obviously you’ve heard that, I’ve heard that — you know that’s to be expected. So it’s not really a surprise. You just gotta find ways to play through it.”

His response to that physicality on Tuesday was notable. One night after managing just 12 points on 5-of-19 shooting against Minnesota, he posted 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 steals against Milwaukee — more assertive, more physical on the glass, and more willing to create for others even when his own shot was not falling consistently. Kidd acknowledged the improvement directly.

“I thought his response was well,” Kidd said. “He had some great looks that just didn’t go down. Again, being able to rebound the ball, he is starting to see bigger players. They’re putting bigs on him now, so for us it’s to help him navigate through that.”

Flagg’s own prescription for breaking through those matchups was characteristically straightforward.

“Just gotta use my advantages, find mismatches, and still find ways to attack,” Flagg said. “You gotta dribble, and it gets easier to develop and be confident.”

The team-wide shooting struggles are a separate, more complicated problem. Dallas has lacked rhythm for weeks, and Flagg did not shy away from the root of it.

“It’s tough. We just don’t have any rhythm,” Flagg said. “At the end of the day, it’s tough when nobody is in good flow, good rhythm, guys aren’t on the same page. I think it’s gonna be tough unless we get guys healthy, get guys on the same page, and get organized. It’s not gonna happen overnight, so it’s gonna take a lot of coming together, fighting for each other, and growing in a lot of areas.”

Jason Kidd Finds Reason for Optimism in Depleted Roster

Dallas arrived in Milwaukee without Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Dereck Lively II, Marvin Bagley III, Caleb Martin, P.J. Washington, and Naji Marshall — and then lost Daniel Gafford to a right shoulder stinger in the second quarter. The team played the final three quarters with Moussa Cissé, Tyler Smith, and Dwight Powell rotating in the frontcourt.

Despite the lopsided final score, Kidd found threads worth pulling on.

“Only being down at halftime by 10, we talked about it against Minnesota — I think we were down 14 and we let the game get away, and the same thing happened tonight in that second half,” Kidd said. “We get a little frustrated because we’ve missed some shots that we normally have made, and we have to be a little bit better on the defensive end. We gave up 20 threes where they attempted 54 of them, so we have to be better there. But I thought early on we were moving the ball. The more that we moved the ball, the better shots we got.”

Kidd also highlighted the team’s defensive activity as a genuine positive. Dallas forced 10 steals on the night, a number that stood out given the depleted roster and back-to-back fatigue.

“I thought we were active, being able to come up with some steals and then play in transition — that’s something we’ve been successful with,” Kidd said. “On a back-to-back, to be active like that shows there’s improvement.”

Injuries have made consistency nearly impossible to sustain, and Kidd was candid about the toll that reality has taken on the group’s continuity.

“When you look at health, it’s been very inconsistent,” Kidd said Friday. “If it’s not an injury, it’s an illness. Naji was playing some of his best basketball — we lose him to illness, but he’s back. P.J. was playing well — we lose him to illness, and he’s not back yet.”

Still, Kidd pointed to individual growth as evidence the group has not stopped competing. Max Christie, who went 1-of-12 from the field in Milwaukee, received a direct message from his coach postgame.

“I told Christie I was proud of him to keep shooting,” Kidd said. “He was one-for-12. In the past, maybe he stops at one-for-six, but that’s growth. We need him to shoot — he’s one of our scorers.”

Brandon Williams and Moussa Cissé Step Up

With Gafford unavailable for the final three quarters in Milwaukee, Cissé delivered the most consequential reserve performance of his season. The rookie center finished with 8 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks in 22 minutes, and Kidd singled him out without hesitation.

“His competitiveness, he plays hard on both ends,” Kidd said. “With Gafford being out, I thought he did a good job picking up the slack.”

Flagg echoed the praise.

“Moussa always brings great energy,” Flagg said. “He’s just been big for us all year, coming in and playing with incredible energy. He’s been somebody that we can rely on in that aspect throughout the year.”

Williams started the second half and finished with 18 points and 6 assists — one of the cleaner offensive performances on the night. Kidd used his postgame remarks to publicly recognize a growth arc that has been building all season.

“At the start of the season, he was just a scorer, and now he’s one that I think can set the table and run a team,” Kidd said. “Being able to run the pick-and-roll with a big or with Cooper — his speed, being able to get to the rim and cause a problem — not just scoring, but now he’s starting to find his teammates. You can see he’s taking a big jump in being able to do that.”

Dallas Mavericks Injury Report Heading Into Friday

The injury situation in Dallas heading into Friday remains severe. Irving continues to recover from left knee surgery, and Lively remains out following right foot surgery. Bagley III is listed as doubtful with a left shoulder impingement, Martin is doubtful with a right plantar fascia strain, and Washington is doubtful due to illness. Gafford, whose shoulder stinger in Milwaukee raised immediate concern, does not appear on the injury report and is expected to be available.

On the Orlando side, Anthony Black is out with a left lateral abdominal strain and Jonathan Isaac is out with a left knee sprain.

The two teams met once earlier this season, with Wendell Carter Jr. providing the decisive moment — a game-winning dunk with 1.4 seconds remaining that lifted Orlando to a 115-114 home victory.

Tip-off from American Airlines Center is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT on Friday.

More Dallas Mavericks Coverage Before Orlando Magic Matchup

• ‘They’re A Right-Handed Team’: Jason Kidd Wants Dallas Mavericks To Play Fast, Rebound Against Free-Throw-Hungry Orlando Magic
• ‘I Was Not Part Of The Process’: Jason Kidd Addresses Luka Dončić Trade, Mark Cuban Comments
• ‘He’s Given Me That Confidence’: Cooper Flagg Credits Jason Kidd For Playmaking Evolution
• ‘Mentally Taxing’: Cooper Flagg Opens Up On Weight Of Losing Dallas Mavericks Season
• Dallas Mavericks’ Jason Kidd Responds To Mark Cuban’s Latest Comments On Luka Dončić Trade: ‘When Are We Going To Move On?’
• ‘Guys Aren’t On The Same Page’: Cooper Flagg Posts 12th Double-Double As Dallas Mavericks Lose 123-99 To Milwaukee Bucks, Injuries Pile Up