A 115-100 loss to the winless Sacramento Kings. That’s the brutal truth for the Dallas Mavericks, who are now 4-3 after riding high from beating two previously undefeated teams. It was an embarrassing L, no doubt, and a serious reality check that no one in Dallas wanted this early in the season.
What Went Sideways For Dallas
No Kyrie Irving, who was resting, definitely didn’t help the cause, but let’s be real: Cooper Flagg had a seriously rough night. More than that, the whole team just couldn’t connect from downtown. It was a complete brick fest out there. The only silver lining, if you can call it that, is if the Mavs actually slept on what was arguably the worst team in the NBA. If that’s the case, they just got a harsh lesson in this league, learning real fast that you absolutely cannot do that.
Digging Into the Player Grades
Let’s talk about the individual performances, because some guys showed up, and some, well, definitely didn’t.
Cooper Flagg got a C-. You gotta hope he just got his worst game of the season out of the way, because that was a dreadful shooting night. He went 3-of-19 from the floor, barely even interested in taking available three-point shots, and just seemed frustrated, which totally threw his whole game off. He chipped in little bits elsewhere, bolstering his 17 points with excellent free throw shooting, along with 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals in 40 minutes. But with the overall messiness of the game, it just wasn’t nearly enough.
Max Christie got an N/A, but only because a hip injury took him out after 8 minutes. You never want to see a player go down, but he was 0-of-5, all from deep, before that. Honestly, he hasn’t brought much to the team this season, including Monday night. Caleb Martin, who unexpectedly started in Irving’s place, got a C. He was fine, playing 21 minutes, adding 5 points and 6 rebounds. He didn’t hurt the team, but he didn’t exactly help in any big way either.
Then there’s P.J. Washington, who earned a D. He really backslid from previous games, appearing disengaged with a stat line to back it up. He played 38 minutes for 12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals, but shot only 2-of-9 with six misses from deep. For that much time on the floor, that’s not enough production. This was a game where Washington could have at least locked in on defense, but even there, the disengagement was obvious. Something was off in Dallas, and it definitely got to Washington.
And finally, Daniel Gafford, who was an absolute bright spot with an A grade. If not for Gafford, honestly, it’s hard to imagine how much worse this game would have been. He was by far the best player on the floor for the Mavs, period. He put up 20 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block in just 26 minutes. What a juggernaut!
This Kings loss was a wake-up call, pure and simple. The Mavs got a harsh reminder that in this league, you *have* to bring it every single night. Let’s see how they respond.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Mavs Moneyball.
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