‘Taking The Torch’: Ryan Nembhard Sets Franchise Assist Record As Dallas Mavericks End Season With 149-128 Win Over Chicago Bulls

DALLAS — The 2025-26 Dallas Mavericks season is over, and it ended the way much of it went: with a star rookie walking to the locker room and a group of young players trying to fill the void.

Cooper Flagg scored 10 points in 10 minutes before a left ankle sprain cut short his final appearance of a historic rookie campaign. In his absence, Ryan Nembhard broke a franchise assist record held by the team’s own head coach, Moussa Cissé tied a club rebounding mark set nearly four decades ago, and John Poulakidas erupted for a career-high 28 points as Dallas rolled past the Chicago Bulls 149-128 in Sunday night’s season finale at American Airlines Center.

The win gave the Mavericks a 26-56 record — the franchise’s worst since a 24-58 finish in 2017-18 — and dropped them to seventh-best odds heading into next month’s draft lottery after Memphis suffered a 31-point loss to Houston.

None of that will be what anyone remembers from the night.

A Season Ends Early

Fan Appreciation Night at American Airlines Center was supposed to be Flagg’s. He addressed the sellout crowd of 20,232 before tip-off, thanking fans for their support throughout a remarkable first year.

“On behalf of me and the rest of the guys, we just wanted to say thank you for all the love and support all year long,” Flagg said. “It means a ton to us.”

Minutes later, he was gone.

Early in the second quarter, Flagg landed awkwardly on the foot of Bulls forward Leonard Miller and clutched his left leg before hobbling off the court. He walked directly to the locker room with head trainer Jana Austin, and Dallas ruled him out shortly after with a left ankle sprain.

The final image of his sensational rookie season was not a highlight dunk or a chasedown block. It was another injury — which, in many ways, told the larger story of the Mavericks’ year.

Flagg closes the books on his debut campaign, averaging 21 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists across 70 games, leading the team in total points, rebounds, assists, and steals. He posted four 40-point games, including a 51-point performance against Orlando on April 3 — the kind of season that has made the Rookie of the Year conversation feel like a formality.

“He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do, and he’s done it at a high level with a smile,” coach Jason Kidd said. “He enjoys the game. He wants to win. He’s a great teammate. He’s a great player to coach. We’re seeing a historic rookie season. We have the best fans, but we also have one of the best players in the world at the age of 19 and the future.”

In his own exit interview, Flagg reflected on a season that was as much about development as it was about individual milestones.

“It was good. It was long,” Flagg said. “We’ve got a long offseason ahead, so it allows us to work on a lot of our weaknesses for sure.”

As for the Rookie of the Year award — widely considered his to lose — Flagg made clear he is not taking anything for granted.

“I would say it’s pretty important. I think all rookies want to win that award and they come out and play for that every single night,” he said. “I think I went out there and put my best foot forward every single night and did what I could to put my name up there for the awards. So we’ll see what happens.”

Teammate Naji Marshall, who missed Sunday’s game with a left hip contusion, was more blunt.

“Very disappointed,” Marshall said when asked how he would feel if Flagg did not win the award. “I don’t want to get fined or anything, but it’s also life. I hope he uses it as motivation and comes back even more of a dog, with MVP the next year.”

Record Night for Ryan Nembhard, Moussa Cissé

With Flagg on the bench, Nembhard took over the story. The rookie guard finished with 15 points and 23 assists — the most by a Dallas rookie in franchise history, surpassing Kidd’s mark of 17 set during the 1994-95 season. Kidd’s overall franchise record of 25 assists came in a double-overtime game in February 1996, leaving Nembhard two shy of that mark on a night when he entered having never surpassed 13 assists in a single game.

“Shout out coach for leaving me in and just letting me go get that,” Nembhard said. “But credit to the guys making shots. Just being aggressive, playing the right way, and guys made shots tonight, so it felt good.”

Kidd was characteristically self-deprecating when asked about watching his record fall.

“I was trying to sub him out if he got to 24. I’m joking,” Kidd said. “That’s awesome. Records are meant to be broken. Ryan is a perfect example of taking the torch, coming on as a two-way and showing he’s more than just that.”

Poulakidas provided the offensive punch, connecting on 8 of 16 attempts from 3-point range to reach his career-high 28 points and lead all scorers. Tyler Smith and AJ Johnson added 20 points apiece as all nine Dallas reserves reached double figures — a fitting send-off to a season defined by next-man-up basketball.

For Poulakidas, a night like Sunday felt like the culmination of something larger than a box score.

“It’s been nothing short of a dream come true,” he said. “The future’s bright.”

Cissé was the other record-setter. The rookie big man was a force on the glass all night, pulling down 20 rebounds — a career high — to tie Roy Tarpley‘s franchise rookie rebounding record set in 1986-87. He paired it with 17 points, finishing as arguably the most complete player on the floor from either team.

Dwight Powell started at center for potentially the final time in a Dallas uniform, contributing 7 points and 12 rebounds across 24 minutes. The 34-year-old Canadian has been with the franchise since arriving as a young throw-in in the 2014 Rajon Rondo trade. Whether he returns next season remains to be seen.

Klay Thompson, limited to just over 10 minutes off the bench, drained 4 of 9 attempts from beyond the arc to close the season with 202 three-pointers — his 11th career season surpassing the 200 mark. He also passed Kevin McHale on the all-time three-pointers-made list at some point during the year, a milestone he did not take lightly.

“That’s a huge honor,” Thompson said. “Him and my dad had incredible battles against each other. They played together in Minnesota, so it’s a pretty cool moment for myself.”

The Road Ahead

Rob Dillingham led Chicago with 25 points off the bench. The Bulls, who finished 31-51, head into an offseason with front-office uncertainty and questions about Billy Donovan‘s future as head coach.

Dallas faces its own set of questions. The Mavericks enter the offseason without a permanent general manager after firing Nico Harrison in November. Co-interim GMs Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi will continue in a caretaker capacity until a hire is made — one of the most consequential decisions in franchise history given the team’s assets entering the 2026 draft lottery.

Kyrie Irving, who was ruled out for the season following left knee surgery, is expected back next October. Dereck Lively II, also sidelined with a right foot injury, figures to be part of the equation as well.

Kidd acknowledged the stakes heading into the offseason, while pointing to continuity as the model to chase.

“When you look around the league — San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Boston — the teams competing have continuity. They built it over time,” Kidd said. “We’re building something here, and we have a great centerpiece in Cooper Flagg.”

P.J. Washington, who missed Sunday’s game with a left elbow sprain, echoed that optimism.

“Obviously we get guys back, we get a good pick, we’ve got Coop being himself,” Washington said. “I just think we’ve got a lot of pieces that can be put together and do something special here in Dallas. We didn’t have the season we wanted this year, but we’ve got a lot of time to prepare, get ready, and mesh well in the summer.”

Daniel Gafford, who battled through ankle issues of his own this season, framed the difficult year as fuel.

“This is a lot of motivation going into next season,” Gafford said. “We stayed resilient through the highs and the lows. We stayed together as a team and came in to do our job every day.”

For now, though, the season belongs to Flagg — ankle sprain and all.

“He’s a workaholic,” Kidd said. “But I think he’s got to give his body some rest here because next year will be a lot longer.”

Flagg, for his part, offered advice to the next wave of rookies that sounded a lot like the way he carried himself all year.

“Just stay consistent,” he said. “Keep your head down, keep working. Even if the wins aren’t coming and you’re not having exactly the success you wanted, you just have to stay consistent and let the rest of it figure itself out.”

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