Cooper Flagg’s pass to Daniel Gafford for a fourth-quarter reverse layup gave Dallas a familiar answer: get the ball inside and let a dependable finisher do the rest. Gafford converted the reverse layup, cutting Sacramento’s lead to 10. Flagg had created a basket without making one himself, an important skill on a night when his jumper rarely cooperated.
It was also an accurate summary of the Mavericks’ problem Monday. Dallas stayed close enough to make Sacramento work, but the offense had a low ceiling in a 115-100 loss at American Airlines Center. Flagg finished with 17 points, six assists and six turnovers while going 3-for-19 from the field and 0-for-4 from 3-point range.
His work at the foul line and as a passer kept the game within reach; the missed shots and giveaways helped keep it from becoming Dallas’ game.
The foul line supplied a large portion of his scoring. Flagg converted 11 of 11 attempts, including two free throws that brought Dallas within five in the third quarter and another pair that made it a two-point game later in the period. Those points allowed Dallas to remain attached while its perimeter shooting remained unreliable.
The Mavericks finished 7-for-33 from 3-point range, a thin supply of outside offense even with 29 made free throws.
Inside, Dallas had a better foundation. Gafford scored 20 points on 9-for-10 shooting and provided the kind of finishing that made the Mavericks’ best possessions look straightforward. With Dallas behind in the third quarter, Naji Marshall found Gafford for a tying layup, and Gafford added the free throw to put Dallas in front 65-64 with 6:03 remaining.
That brief lead came from a layup and a made foul shot while Dallas was having trouble from farther out.
Flagg’s passing helped create more of those chances. He assisted Gafford’s fourth-quarter reverse layup, then found Morez Johnson Jr. for a driving dunk as Dallas trimmed a 94-79 deficit to 94-84. Walter Clayton Jr. supplied the biggest scoring jolt in that stretch, making two 3-pointers as the Mavericks pulled within seven at 94-87.
Clayton scored 20 points on 6-for-9 shooting and went 4-for-5 from deep, while Johnson made all five of his field-goal attempts for 13 points.
That rally explains why Flagg’s supporting contributions mattered. He did not need to shoot well for Dallas to manufacture useful possessions, provided the ball reached Gafford, Johnson or Clayton in position to finish. The Mavericks scored 40 points in the paint and made 29 of 35 free throws, numbers that kept a team with a broken-looking perimeter attack within striking distance.
