The play was the right one. Klay Thompson wants to make that clear. With the Dallas Mavericks trailing the Golden State Warriors in the final seconds of regulation Monday night, Cooper Flagg drove baseline, drew the defense, and found Naji Marshall wide open on the perimeter. The shot rimmed out. The Warriors won in overtime, 137-131, officially eliminating Dallas from postseason contention.
Thompson, who finished with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from three in the loss, emphasized the confidence the Mavericks have in Marshall to knock down that shot.
“We had a wide-open look from Naji. I trust him to make that shot every time,” Thompson told Dallas Hoops Journal.
Flagg orchestrated the final possession, focused on making the right basketball play. He ended the night with an efficient 32 points and 9 assists, while shooting 12-of-19 from the floor, 2-of-4 from deep, and 6-of-6 on free throws. However, he turned it over seven times on a night the Mavericks had 21 as a team.
“I got a good switch and was able to beat him off the dribble,” Flagg said. “I felt two or three guys from that side collapsing to the rim. I looked to my left and saw Naji with nobody within 10 feet of him. I just made the right basketball play.”
For Flagg, that approach goes back further than Monday night.
“It’s just been instilled in me since I was young,” he said. “I like making the right play — the simple play — and living with it.”
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd agreed that the execution was sound regardless of the outcome.
“Cooper is making all the right plays — if it’s not for himself, it’s for his teammates,” Kidd said. “Naji had a wide-open look. The ball just hasn’t bounced our way.”
Marshall finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists, shooting 7-of-15 overall and 2-of-6 from deep. While the late shot didn’t go in, he made his presence felt. Thompson’s endorsement carried particular weight as few players in NBA history have lived and died by late-game shot-making the way he has.
However, the loss snapped any remaining thread of postseason hope for Dallas. But the final possession of regulation offered something else: a glimpse of a rebuilding team valuing process and unselfishly the right way when it matters most.
“Probably be more sure with the ball,” Thompson told Dallas Hoops Journal of the broader lessons from the night. “We had a wide-open look from Naji — I trust him to make that shot every time.”
Dallas returns to action on Wednesday at 9 p.m. CT against the Denver Nuggets, beginning a two-game road trip.
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