The Dallas Mavericks returned after nearly a week off to play the Brooklyn Nets at home on Friday night. It wasn’t the best time for six days off, as the Mavs had finally started to find some momentum, winning four of the last five games before the break, and they beat some good teams in that stretch.
The Nets also had a stretch of successful basketball ahead of the break, winning three of the last four, but it was against much worse competition. Head coach Jordi Fernandez has made a living off getting the most out of some bad teams in the last year and a half, and that was no different in this game.
No team led by more than two possessions in this game until the final 30 seconds of the game; the true definition of a back-and-forth affair, as it ended up with 23 lead changes and 16 ties.
Cooper Flagg led the way early, scoring 12 points in the first quarter, but Michael Porter Jr. nearly matched him with 11. Brooklyn stayed in it with great shooting from three, especially from Porter, who ended up 6/10 from three in the game.
Danny Wolf also had a huge impact off the bench for the Nets, finishing with 17 points on high efficiency. His playmaking for his size was huge for the Nets.
The sequence of the game came in the second quarter, when Klay Thompson hit P.J. Washington for an alley-oop finish in transition, Washington stole the inbounds pass, then passed it back out to Klay for the three. And even with that, this was incredibly back-and-forth.
A lot of that was because Anthony Davis was mostly quiet, at least until the second half hit. He ended up with a 20-point double-double in the second half alone, including getting all three of his blocks in the final 24 minutes, but they needed him to get off to a better start than he did.
Dallas had a few opportunities late to push the lead to 7 or 8, but missed some open shots, even in a 5-on-4 situation that led to a WIDE-open corner three from Max Christie in the final two minutes. P.J. Washington missed two free throws while up six with 45 seconds to go. But finally, Washington hit two free throws with 24 seconds left to give the Mavs a 119-11 win.
There are still plenty of things the Mavericks need to clean up, especially from the final few minutes of the game. Ryan Nembhard also had his worst game since being promoted to the starting lineup, so that may be something to monitor moving forward.
Here are three overreactions from this win.
READ MORE: Mavericks center could be traded, but it’s not Anthony Davis
1. Cooper Flagg Has Figured Out Inside Scoring
Dec 12, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) shoots the ball over Brooklyn Nets forward Noah Clowney (21) during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
A big reason why Cooper Flagg was “struggling” to start the season was that he wasn’t doing well around the basket. He was shooting just 51.5% on shots shorter than five feet and 28.6% from 5-9 feet in the first seven games of the season. He’s done much better since then, finding the soft finishes and the ability to finish through contact. And that was no different in this game, as he finished 9/12 on shots inside the restricted circle. It’s a much better sign than we saw early in the season.
2. Not a Great Defensive Performance
Dec 12, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. (17) looks to move the ball past Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (13) during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The Brooklyn Nets have a higher three-point rate than 28 other teams in the NBA. They want to shoot threes, but the Mavericks didn’t seem prepared for that. Brooklyn ended up shooting 17/39 from three in this game, a big reason why they kept hanging around.
3. Anthony Davis Needs to Stop Thinking He’s a Power Forward
Dec 12, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) brings the ball up court against the Brooklyn Nets during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Anthony Davis made a lot of noise while he was with the Lakers about his desire to be a power forward. Even after the trade, he was thrilled to be playing alongside Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford. Injuries have made it so that it hasn’t been a reality, so Davis has been playing center recently, and he just looks so much better. He ended up finishing with 24 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. He’s a much better player as a center, and the team is better with him at center.
READ MORE: 3-team trade idea that sends Anthony Davis to Raptors could be package Mavericks want
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