Before tip-off Monday night, Naji Marshall kept it simple when asked what the Dallas Mavericks needed to do against Golden State.
“Rebound, get out in transition, and take care of the ball,” Marshall told Dallas Hoops Journal.
He also spoke about what needed to carry over from the previous game against the Clippers.
“Continue to talk on the defensive end. Be together on that end. Run in transition and create open shots for our teammates,” Marshall told Dallas Hoops Journal.
They did two of the three beautifully. The third proved problematic.
The Mavericks blew a 15-point halftime lead, committed 21 turnovers, and lost 137-131 in overtime to the Golden State Warriors at American Airlines Center, extending their home losing streak to 12 games, the longest in 32 years.
Cooper Flagg made NBA history, and Daniel Gafford put together one of the more statistically rare nights in recent memory, but Dallas fell to 23-49 and dropped to 4-23 since its last winning streak of any significance. Golden State improved to 34-38.
The Mavericks were already shorthanded. Kyrie Irving (left knee surgery) and Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery) remained sidelined, as did Caleb Martin (right heel contusion) and Brandon Williams (concussion protocol). Moussa Cissé was with the G League affiliate. Golden State was without Jimmy Butler III (right ACL tear), Stephen Curry (left adductor strain), Seth Curry (right patellofemoral pain syndrome), and Al Horford (right soleus strain).
The night ended under a cloud regardless. Moses Moody, who scored 23 points in his return from a 10-game absence with a sprained right wrist, crumpled to the floor with an apparently serious left knee injury with 58.5 seconds left in overtime.
He had just stolen the ball from Flagg near midcourt and was alone at the basket when his left leg buckled as he went up for the layup. He lost the ball, went down, and did not get up. Play continued on Dallas’s offensive end before officials stopped the clock.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr put his hands to his face as the arena went silent. Players and medical staff surrounded Moody, who stayed down for several minutes before being taken off on a stretcher.
“We don’t know what it is, but it sure looked bad,” Kerr said.
Only one point was scored after Moody went down, Draymond Green converting one of two free throws with 7.1 seconds left.
“It’s tough. I couldn’t really tell, just looked like his leg kind of gave out,” Flagg said. “I’m praying for him and whatever he’s going to go through.”
A First Half Dallas Mavericks Could Not Hold
Before the game, Marvin Bagley III was candid about what stood in Dallas’s way.
“They’ve obviously been in the league for a long time. They’re talented,” Bagley told Dallas Hoops Journal. “Draymond has won championships, knows the game, very, very high IQ. And then you’ve got a guy who can score the ball, who can be a threat out there for his team, that can make everyone better around him. It’s going to be a good competition tonight, a good challenge.”
P.J. Washington identified turnovers as the priority concern.
“I think just play at great pace. Try to limit turnovers,” Washington told Dallas Hoops Journal. “Obviously, they shoot the most threes in the league, so just being able to box out and rebound.”
Dallas did not limit turnovers in the first quarter, giving the ball away three times. But the opening frame was as back and forth as the scoreboard suggested. Marshall got Dallas started with a 3-pointer off a Flagg assist 43 seconds in, but Golden State answered at nearly every turn. Podziemski tied it at 3. Green’s running layup gave the Warriors their first lead. Max Christie hit a step-back 3-pointer and Washington followed with a running dunk off a Christie assist to push Dallas ahead 10-5.
Golden State would not stay down. Will Richard knocked down two 3-pointers in quick succession — the second off a Green assist — to give the Warriors a 14-12 lead. Marshall answered immediately with a 3-pointer, and after Christie stripped De’Anthony Melton, Flagg converted a fast-break dunk to make it 17-14. L.J. Cryer tied it at 17, Gafford pushed Dallas back in front, and Flagg drove through the lane for a one-foot dunk to push the lead to 21-17.
Then the Warriors’ second unit took over. Kristaps Porziņģis hit a 3-pointer off a Gui Santos assist to give Golden State a 24-22 lead with 3:04 left in the quarter. Ryan Nembhard stole a pass and converted a layup to tie it, but Moody buried a 3-pointer, Porziņģis added another, and Pat Spencer hit a pull-up to push the lead to 32-25. Klay Thompson hit a pair of 3-pointers — the second off a Bagley assist with 15 seconds remaining — to cut it to 34-31 heading to the second.
The second quarter was a different story entirely. The Mavericks shot 15-of-18 (83.3%) in the period and scored 42 points, their biggest quarter of the season. John Poulakidas opened the period with a step-back 3-pointer off a Middleton assist, then buried two more triples and scored nine points in just over seven minutes off the bench. Gafford was relentless around the rim. Washington converted a steal into a fast-break dunk. Flagg hit a midrange jumper with 3:18 left to push the lead to 15, the largest of the night.
Golden State committed eight turnovers in the second quarter alone, and Dallas converted them into 15 points. Nembhard orchestrated much of the damage with four assists in the period. Marshall’s floating jumper at the buzzer pushed the halftime lead to 73-63.
Dallas shot 65.9% in the first half, the highest field goal percentage in an opening half all season and the second-highest in any half this season.
Bagley said before the game that the final 10 games were about building the right habits.
“Just stay together, stay locked in with each other,” Bagley told Dallas Hoops Journal. “Try to build good habits going into the next season, and continue to build on that after that. So I think that’s the main thing — just continue to build good habits, lock in, and continue to stay strong and stay together.”
Christie, who started alongside Flagg, Gafford, Washington, and Marshall, put it plainly afterward.
“We start games really well, 42 points in the second quarter,” Christie said. “But then under 30 in both the third and fourth. We’ve got to carry what we do in the first half into the second half. Fatigue is part of it, but we’ve got to stay mentally locked in so we can maintain that level.”
Golden State Warriors’ Third-Quarter Charge
The Warriors came out of halftime and immediately attacked the paint. Porziņģis tipped in back-to-back offensive rebounds to open the third quarter. Moody hit a pair of 3-pointers and Golden State’s defense began generating miscues in the Dallas backcourt.
The Mavericks still led by 11, 89-78, midway through the period, but the margin kept shrinking. With just under two minutes left, Santos hit a floater to tie it at 91. Thompson answered with a 3-pointer to put Dallas back up three.
Porziņģis hit a shot and a free throw to tie it at 96. Khris Middleton knocked down a mid-range fadeaway to give the Mavericks a 98-96 edge before Gary Payton II layup with 36.3 seconds left created a 98 tie by the time the end-of-quarter buzzer sounded.
The Collapse, the Comeback, and Overtime
Golden State began the fourth quarter on a tear, carrying over momentum from the third period. Santos scored five straight points off the opening possession, Cryer buried a 3-pointer, and Moody forced three consecutive Flagg turnovers as the Warriors ran off 11 unanswered to lead 109-98 with 10:50 left.
Dallas called a timeout and began rallying back. Thompson hit a pair of 3-pointers to cut it to five. Santos pushed it back, but Flagg converted a 3-pointer, Marshall stripped a Golden State pass, and Christie flushed a running dunk to make it 122-119.
Santos tipped in a missed Moody triple to push it to five, but Flagg hit a floater and two free throws to make it 125-123. Porziņģis made one of two free throws, and then came the play that nearly won it.
Flagg drove baseline with 1:16 left, drew two defenders collapsing to the rim, and kicked it left to Marshall, who was wide open. Marshall knocked down the 3-pointer to tie it at 126.
“I looked to my left and saw Naji with nobody within 10 feet of him,” Flagg said. “It’s just instilled in me to make the right basketball play. I got off of it and saw how wide open he was, so I made the pass that I thought was best in that scenario.”
Christie described exactly what Flagg saw.
“He drove right, got back middle, Naji’s man helped off, and he was wide open,” Christie said. “We want an open shot, and we know Naji can make that. We’re going to take that shot 10 times out of 10. It’s a great attribute of Coop to be able to make the right play and see that, especially down the stretch. As teammates, we’re extremely grateful to have someone like that.”
Kidd pointed to another sequence late in regulation as a turning point.
“We had the break, we had the numbers, and we had to avoid the official to pass it,” Kidd said. “That became tough, and they called the travel. That was tough.”
Golden State had the ball at the end of regulation but could not convert. Green lost the ball twice on the final possession, Dallas got it back with 15.9 seconds left, and Marshall’s desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer did not fall.
Dallas then went scoreless on its first four overtime possessions. Podziemski hit two free throws, Moody buried a 3-pointer off a Podziemski pass to push the lead to 131-126, and Flagg picked up his third and fourth fouls in quick succession.
Santos converted twice from the line to stretch it to seven. Christie hit a layup and a 3-pointer in overtime to keep Dallas within striking distance, but the Mavericks shot just 2-of-8 from the field in the period and did not attempt a free throw.
Then Moody went down.
“Sometimes emotionally, when you have an opportunity to win it, you probably exhale for a young group,” Kidd said. “That’s something we’ll talk about going forward, being able to get off to a better start.”
Dallas struggled to begin overtime periods in back-to-back games. Christie sees a need to start better by setting the tone on defense.
“We come out slow. We’ve got to be sharper,” Christie said. “It starts on the defensive end. We can’t let fatigue get to us physically and mentally. We’ve got to do a better job of getting stops to put us in position to score and win.”
Golden State’s ball pressure was a consistent factor throughout. The Warriors finished with 16 steals and turned Dallas’s 21 turnovers into 29 points.
“Their ball pressure was really good, so give them credit,” Thompson told Dallas Hoops Journal. “It’s really the ball pressure there.”
Christie acknowledged the Warriors changed coverages down the stretch, going into an all-out blitz that sped Dallas up and led to miscues in the open court. Kidd agreed, noting that Golden State has the personnel to execute that kind of pressure.
“They’ve got guys that can guard the ball,” Kidd said. “Understanding Moody is one of them, GP is another — they can put ball pressure and are great on-ball defenders. They came up with some steals, especially late in the game.”
Cooper Flagg Breaks Into Exclusive Company
Flagg’s 32-point night on 12-of-19 shooting with nine assists and two steals was his eighth career 30-point game, moving him past Kevin Durant and Luka Doncic — who each had seven — for third on the all-time list among teenagers in NBA history, behind only LeBron James (20) and Carmelo Anthony (10). His eight 30-point games lead all NBA rookies this season.
The performance was as much about playmaking as scoring. Kidd noted that Flagg’s execution carried over from the previous game against the Clippers.
“He was rolling,” Kidd said. “I thought the execution carried over from that Clippers game, being able to make plays for others as much as Cooper was scoring. He used his teammates well.”
Christie praised Flagg’s ability to slow the game down at a level unusual for a 19-year-old, praising how the game is slowing down for him. Flagg is impressing by getting to his spots to make plays.
“He’s slowing the game down. He’s reading the defense really well,” Christie said. “When he gets into his backdowns and his moves, he’s taking his time more — he’s not rushed. He’s still making the right play. That’s the first sign of growth. Teams try to speed him up and force turnovers, but his ability to slow the game down, get to his spots, and rise over guys — he’s just going to keep getting better.”
When reflecting on passing reads, Flagg said his instinct to make the right play has been with him since long before the NBA.
“It’s just been instilled in me since I was young. Obviously, my parents played a part in that,” Flagg said. “I don’t really know other than that — it’s just for me, I like making the right play, the simple play.”
Along the way, Flagg has leaned on veteran teammates like Middleton, who he credited for helping shape his development as a scorer since his arrival from the Washington Wizards in February.
“He’s great. I’ve learned a lot from Khris. He’s a professional scorer and has been around the league for a long time,” Flagg said. “I’m trying to take parts of that side of the game from him and learn in those aspects. He has a lot to teach me, so I’m excited to be able to learn from him.”
Despite the historic night, Flagg acknowledged the overtime losses are becoming a pattern Dallas needs to address.
“Yeah, it’s tough. Obviously not the starts in overtime that we would like, but we’ll learn from it,” Flagg said. “It’s all learning points for us right now. Hopefully, we can take these moments, learn from them going forward, and be ready next time.”
Daniel Gafford’s Historic Night Ends Early
Gafford was flawless before a right shoulder contusion ended his night in the fourth quarter. He went 8-of-8 from the field for 20 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished five assists, becoming just the second player this season to post a 20-5-5 game while shooting perfectly from the field, joining Nikola Jokic. The last player to accomplish it before this season was Robert Williams in 2020-21.
Since entering the league in 2019-20, Gafford now leads all players with six such games, one ahead of Rudy Gobert. It was his fourth 20-point performance in his last six games, a remarkable stretch for a player who had reached that mark just once in his first 45 games of the season. He now has five 20-point efforts this season and 21 for his career.
“Assertiveness, using his body, being a force around the rim, rebounding,” Christie said of Gafford. “Eight-for-eight, getting to the free-throw line, seven rebounds, five assists, a steal. He played a phenomenal game. That’s what he’s capable of every night, and we’re going to continue to push him and hold him accountable.”
Christie also credited Gafford’s preparation for the recent surge.
“Just the work he puts in and his confidence,” Christie said. “He’s taking care of himself, asserting himself in games, preparing the right way, and trusting his body and his game. When you have someone playing like that, we’ll take that all day.”
Losing Gafford due to the shoulder injury hurt Dallas down the stretch and in overtime.
Klay Thompson and Max Christie Contribute in Defeat
Thompson went 5-of-9 from 3-point range for 15 points, giving him a league-leading 15 games this season with five or more made 3-pointers as a reserve — tying Terrence Ross (2018-19) and Davis Bertans (2019-20) for the fourth-most such games in a single season in NBA history.
“I saw the hoop. I was open, you know, I had my feet under me, and every time I feel that, I’m gonna let it go,” Thompson told Dallas Hoops Journal.
Thompson said the chemistry with the second unit has been a factor in his recent 3-point production.
“Just having fresh legs coming into the game, being confident every time I touch it, and just letting it fly and not getting discouraged when you miss a few,” Thompson told Dallas Hoops Journal.
He also acknowledged what Dallas needs to clean up going forward.
“Probably be more sure with the ball,” Thompson told Dallas Hoops Journal. “We had a wide-open look from Naji — I trust him to make that shot every time.”
Christie finished with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting for his 20th game this season with at least 15 points, surpassing his combined total from his first three seasons in the league. He also spoke to staying motivated through a difficult season.
“For me, I always want to wake up and try to get better every day — be the best version of myself,” Christie said. “Obviously, as a team you want to accomplish goals like making the playoffs and winning a championship, but I also want to take care of myself — continue to grow and improve so I can be of better service to the team. That’s my motivation — just trying to get better every day so I don’t fall behind. There’s a lot of turnover in this league, and I want to be someone who sticks around.”
Poulakidas, who did not play in the first quarter, finished with nine points on 3-of-5 3-point shooting in 11 minutes.
“Shoutout John — we’ve known each other for a long time, from the same area,” Christie said. “He’s come a long way with his shooting and confidence. It’s exciting — you only want the best for him. This is a great start for him to continue shooting at a high level, and I’m happy to witness it.”
Kidd echoed the sentiment.
“We saw that in Cleveland, and we saw that again tonight,” Kidd said. “Besides him not shooting every time, I thought his movement and effort were at a very high level. He caused problems and helped his teammates.”
For Golden State
Porziņģis scored 22 points with seven rebounds and five assists. Podziemski finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in 40 minutes. Payton II made all eight of his field goal attempts for 17 points. Santos scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.
The Warriors stopped a three-game losing streak with just their second win in the past 10 games and remain solidly in the Western Conference play-in picture with 10 regular-season games remaining.
The Dallas Mavericks’ Streak Grows
Dallas is now on its longest home losing streak since playing at Reunion Arena, where the Mavs had home losing streaks of 19 and 12 games during the 1993-94 season at the since-demolished facility. The Mavericks also lost their second consecutive overtime game.
The losses keep coming. But so does the development of Flagg, who at 19 is already rewriting the record book, even on nights the ball does not bounce Dallas’s way.
“It doesn’t happen overnight,” Kidd said. “They have to go through the trials of failure and success. We’re not looking at it as failure — Cooper’s doing a lot of good, the ball just hasn’t bounced our way. Naji had a wide-open look for us. As long as we can continue to get the ball into the paint, Cooper is making the right plays — if it’s not for himself, it’s for his teammates.”
Up Next
The Mavericks face the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night to begin a two-game road trip, ending against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.
Dallas will need to wait for another chance to end its 12-game home losing streak that began on Jan. 24 against Luka Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers.
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