Dallas Mavericks Start Cooper Flagg At Point Guard, Go Double Big vs. Houston Rockets
The Dallas Mavericks are reshaping their approach as they try to halt a four-game skid, unveiling a significant starting lineup change ahead of Saturday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets.
Dallas will start Anthony Davis alongside Daniel Gafford in a double-big frontcourt, while placing Cooper Flagg at point guard. Max Christie and P.J. Washington round out the starting five.
The change moves Ryan Nembhard to the bench after he started 16 games at point guard. Nembhard moved into the starting lineup on Nov. 28 and had been Dallas’ primary organizer during a stretch marked by injuries and rotation instability.
The adjustment represents a structural shift for Dallas, which opened the season with Flagg operating without a traditional point guard next to him and leaned heavily into two-big alignments that featured Davis at the four. With injuries and inconsistency continuing to test the roster, the Mavericks are leaning further into size, interior presence and versatility as they search for answers on both ends of the floor.
Dallas Mavericks Lean Into Size With Anthony Davis–Daniel Gafford Frontcourt
The decision to start Davis and Gafford together comes as Dallas continues to struggle defending the paint. The Mavericks have surrendered at least 123 points in three of their last four games and rank 20th in the NBA in points allowed per game, while giving up a league-high 31.7 made two-point field goals per contest.
Those issues were again evident Thursday in a 123-108 loss to Philadelphia, when Dallas generated offense early but failed to sustain execution. Head coach Jason Kidd pointed to missed opportunities and second-quarter slippage as a turning point.
“I thought their turnover was in the second, and us not shooting the ball straight,” Kidd said. “They took advantage there.”
Kidd noted that Dallas consistently got into the paint but failed to convert those chances into points.
“I thought we got looks. … The team got to the paint tonight,” Kidd said. “We just didn’t capitalize on that.”
With Dereck Lively II out for the season with a foot injury and Davis having missed significant time earlier this year, Dallas has lacked consistent rim protection and rebounding. Starting Gafford alongside Davis signals a renewed emphasis on controlling the interior and addressing one of the team’s most persistent weaknesses.
Davis returned from a brief absence against Philadelphia, finishing with 13 points and eight rebounds on limited attempts. Kidd said part of the adjustment moving forward will involve encouraging Davis to be more assertive offensively.
“We would like for him to take more shots,” Kidd said. “I think he turned down a couple. Sometimes when you’re not shooting the ball straight, you start to overthink things.”
Cooper Flagg Shifts Roles As Dallas Searches For Offensive Balance
The lineup change places Flagg in a different role, with primary ball-handling responsibilities as Dallas looks to improve organization, shot quality, and three-point volume. The move also reflects Dallas’ willingness to adjust its offensive structure as it balances development with immediate results.
Despite recent efficiency fluctuations, Kidd emphasized that Flagg’s overall play and decision-making remain encouraging.
“I think he’s playing extremely well,” Kidd said. “He’s probably a little tired. He’s played a lot of minutes — probably the most minutes he’s played in his career. … I thought he found open teammates tonight, but you’ve got to knock them down.”
Flagg said execution and energy were key areas that slipped during the loss to Philadelphia.
“Our energy dropped. We turned the ball over,” Flagg said. “We’ve got to do a better job taking care of it.”
Dallas cut the deficit to four late in the fourth quarter before timely shot-making pushed the game out of reach. Flagg said the margin for error remains slim.
“They hit timely shots. We didn’t get the stops we needed,” he said. “We missed a bunch of easy ones, and that doesn’t help.”
Christie, who remains in the starting lineup, said Dallas’ offensive priorities stay consistent even when perimeter shots are not falling.
“Getting in the paint and getting to the free-throw line,” Christie said. “A goal for us is to take more threes — we took 28, they took 36. We’ve got to find a way to get more up.”
Christie added that improved drive-and-kick execution will be critical, particularly with Flagg initiating more of the offense.
“When we get in the paint, we need the defense to collapse and then spray it out,” Christie said. “We’ve got to make a conscious effort … to get more three-point volume.”
The Mavericks now face a Houston team riding a four-game winning streak and averaging 120.5 points per game, fifth-most in the NBA. As Dallas searches for traction, the lineup shift reflects urgency as much as experimentation, with Saturday’s matchup serving as an immediate test of whether size, paint pressure and a reconfigured offensive structure can help reverse recent trends.
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