DALLAS — The Mavericks hit a new low Tuesday, but Cooper Flagg reached yet another high.
Dallas suffered a 110-100 loss to the short-handed Boston Celtics on national television and increased their longest losing streak of the season.
Lost in the minutiae of the defeat was another spectacular performance by Flagg, who recorded his third straight game with at least 30 points. He finished with 36 points, nine rebounds and six assists to lead the Mavericks.
Tuesday’s prime-time rematch of the 2024 NBA Finals was a grand opportunity for the Mavericks to showcase what they have to offer teams looking to add to their roster ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline.
Instead, they dropped their fifth straight game to the Celtics, who reportedly made a significant trade just hours before tipoff.
Boston acquired center Nikola Vucevic from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for guard Anfernee Simons, according to a report by ESPN, in an attempt to add depth to their frontcourt.
The Mavericks have just a day and a half until Thursday’s 3 p.m. deadline and despite the loss, there were several players who proved their value and others who had underwhelming showings on the NBC broadcast.
Daniel Gafford overcame yet another re-aggravation of his lingering right ankle sprain and finished with a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds against the Celtics, who the Mavericks reportedly hoped could be a trade suitor for the veteran big man.
Caleb Martin, who started in place of PJ Washington, was another possible trade candidate with a formidable performance. He finished with 11 points, four rebounds and three assists, marking his fourth time since January of reaching double figures.
Flagg showed why he’s earned three consecutive Rookie of the Month awards and would’ve been in a prime position to record his first career-triple-double, but he fell short one rebound and four assists, mainly because the Mavericks struggled on offense.
Dallas was cold yet again from beyond the arc, finishing 9 of 32 from 3-point range. Four players who Dallas could theoretically trade fell short in that department.
Max Christie, Naji Marshall, Klay Thompson and Jaden Hardy combined for 5 of 19 on 3-point field goals. It was the primary reason for the 10-point loss, according to Mavericks coach Jason Kidd.
With 2 minutes, 47 seconds left, Kidd pulled the plug on his starters and conceded the matchup to Boston.
The Mavericks could look different by the time they return to American Airlines Center for Thursday night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs.
Story by Mike Curtis, The Dallas Morning News.
