DALLAS — The Mavericks’ 13-point lead had been sliced to one when the home crowd broke into the first “Fire Nico!” chants amid a surreal Monday night at the American Airlines Center.
The fans’ calls for embattled general manager Nico Harrison’s termination occurred multiple times throughout the fourth quarter, overshadowing No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg’s career-high 26-point performance and the Milwaukee Bucks’ 116-114 comeback win that dropped Dallas to 3-8.
The chant, which has been heard frequently at Mavs home games since the controversial Luka Doncic trade in February, first echoed throughout the arena during Dallas forward P.J. Washington’s trip to the free throw line with 7:07 remaining. It was repeated during four Mavs trips to the line down the stretch, the final chant occurring after Washington missed the second of three free throw attempts with 1.2 seconds remaining and a chance to send the game into overtime.
Mavs governor Patrick Dumont did not visibly react to the chants as he sat courtside, attending a game for the first time since Dallas’ blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the season opener. Dumont spent several minutes early in the second half engaging in a cordial conversation with an 18-year-old fan who wore a gold Doncic Lakers jersey and approached to apologize for flipping off Dumont during the Oct. 22 opener.
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“Everybody has an opinion, so everybody’s entitled to that,” Washington said of the chants. “I mean, it is what it is. At the end of the day, we just got to come out here and do our job — and that’s to be professional, play basketball and try to win each and every night. It is what it is at this point. Just got to keep moving forward.”
Several league sources have told ESPN that it seems to be when, not if, Dumont fires Harrison. Dumont, who walked off the floor with Mavs minority owner Mark Cuban after the loss, has not publicly commented this season.
The Mavs have lost five of the six games missed by power forward/center Anthony Davis, who has been sidelined because of a left calf strain. Davis, the headliner in the Mavs’ return from the Lakers in the Doncic deal, has been ruled out after being listed as questionable the past two games.
Sources told ESPN that Davis had targeted Saturday night’s road game against the Washington Wizards to return, but members of the Mavs’ medical staff pushed back due to fear that he could aggravate the injury. A similar situation unfolded in Davis’ debut with the Mavs last February, when he returned from an abdominal injury he suffered before the trade and sustained a related adductor strain that sidelined him for the next six weeks.
Dumont was among the people involved in the dialogue regarding Davis’ return in recent days, sources said, stating his preference to err on the side of caution. Dumont’s involvement in that level of decision-making is an indication of eroding trust in Harrison.
Dallas players are determined to tune out distractions stemming from the uncertainty surrounding Harrison’s job security and the fans’ desire for his dismissal.
“It’s a lot of outside noise we can focus on, but the main focus should be us winning games,” said Mavs center Daniel Gafford, who admitted that the fans’ animosity can sometimes feel disheartening. “And we’re going to win fans back if we start winning games. That’s plain and simple, honestly. We can’t really just focus on that because if we do, it’s not going to do anything but hold us back.”
Added shooting guard Klay Thompson: “You got to focus. You got to give the fans something to be proud of. I think our effort was incredible tonight, the last couple games. So, fans will be fans. Can only control what you can control, so they’re going to do what they do, but it’s important for us to just stay the course.”
Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont attended a game for the first time since the Oct. 22 season opener. Several league sources have told ESPN that it seems to be a matter of when, not if, Dumont decides to fire embattled general manager Nico Harrison. LM Otero/AP
Flagg had his best all-around performance in a Mavs uniform Monday. At 18 years, 324 days old, he tied LeBron James as the youngest player in NBA history to score more than 25 points in a game, according to ESPN Research.
The highlight of Flagg’s 26-point performance was a spectacular spin move and driving finish over former MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Giannis Antetokounmpo that briefly gave the Mavs the lead again with 28.7 seconds remaining. Flagg said he initially hoped to dunk on the 6-foot-11 Antetokounmpo but settled for a contested layup after realizing midair that he couldn’t get to the rim.
“It just wasn’t going to happen,” said Flagg, who was 9-of-15 from the floor and also finished with 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. “He is a huge dude, really physical, really strong, obviously. So just made a read, challenged him at the rim. That’s what you have to do. You have to challenge these guys.”
Antetokounmpo scored 15 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, fueling the Bucks’ largest fourth-quarter road comeback since 2017. Flagg’s veteran teammates praised the rookie’s eagerness to challenge one of the league’s best players in a clutch situation.
“That was incredible,” Thompson said. “You kidding me? That’s a Defensive Player of the Year, MVP. Fearless. I love that Cooper did that. I love that. He’s not afraid of the moment. It’s going to pay off huge dividends down the road.”
Flagg has avoided weighing in on the fans’ angst with management as the losses pile up for the Mavs, instead focusing his energy on competing and developing as he adjusts to the NBA.
“All I can do is keep working, keep showing up, keep getting in the gym, trusting the reps, trusting the work, getting with the coaches, watching film, and just continue to be confident,” Flagg said. “I know who I am and what I’m capable of. So, it’s just one of those things where you just have to kind of brush it off and do the best you can. Looking forward to the next day.”
