The Dallas Mavericks were on the road on Monday night to face the Utah Jazz, having won five of their last six games. To keep the winning times going, the Mavericks would have to do it without star forward Anthony Davis, who once again missed a game due to a calf contusion, the same calf that caused him to miss 14 games with a strain.
What did that mean for us? Some first-option Cooper Flagg basketball, and he delivered.
Flagg had 24 points in the first half, the second game in a row that he’s had 20+ points in the first half. His being this aggressive early has helped open things up for everyone else on offense, and that was a good thing in this game because no one was interested in playing defense.
Entering halftime, the Mavericks were shooting nearly 66% from the floor while the Jazz were shooting 55%, but the Jazz made seven three-pointers to the Mavericks’ four, and each team had more than 70 points. Keyonte George was electric for the Jazz, putting up 24 points in the first half himself.
It seemed like the Mavericks were going to pull away in the third quarter, as P.J. Washington put up 11 points in the quarter, getting a few breakaway dunks in transition to help the Mavs take a lead as large as 10, but the Jazz spent the first four minutes of the fourth quarter chipping away at it, even as Klay Thompson was making some tough threes, to tie the game.
With the game tied at 109, the Mavericks went on a quick 7-1 run to get back out in front, and they eventually got back up by 8, but a 6-0 run by the Utah Jazz brought them within two in the final two minutes as they were making life really hard for Cooper Flagg. Eventually, Kyle Filipowski hit a layup while being fouled and converted the and-one to take the lead, 125-124, their first lead since the second quarter. And then a hectic sequence led to a breakaway for the Jazz; they’d hit the layup to go up by 3, and that made it an 11-0 run.
Cooper Flagg would hit a tough lefty layup with 45 seconds to go while being fouled, but he missed the tying free throw. Lauri Markkanen drilled a fadeaway from the deep corner over two Mavericks defenders to push the lead back to three. Cooper Flagg was fouled on the floor; he made the first, purposefully and perfectly missed the second, and Max Christie swooped in for the rebound before getting fouled with a chance to tie. He’d make both.
On the final possession in regulation, Kyle Filipowski missed the three, and the game went to overtime tied at 129.
The Jazz scored the first five points of overtime, as the Mavericks missed their first five shots before Cooper Flagg was fouled with two minutes left and sent to the line. He made both, but Lauri Markkanen made a putback to keep the lead at 5. Another putback from Markkanen pushed the lead to 7, then P.J. Washington made a dunk to put it back down to 5 in the final minute. Kyle Filipowski rolled in a tough mid-range bucket, putting the lead back at 7 with 31 seconds to go, effectively ending the game, and the Jazz would go on to win, 140-133.
Cooper Flagg ended up scoring 42 points, which tied the franchise record for points in a game by a rookie. P.J. Washington had 25 points and 13 rebounds, and Ryan Nembhard had a double-double of his own with 14 points and 11 assists.
But the Utah Jazz had a three-headed monster of their own. Keyonte George ended up with 37 points, Lauri Marrkanen had 33 points and 16 rebounds, and Kyle Filipowski finished with 25 points.
Here are three overreactions from the Mavericks’ loss on Monday.
READ MORE: Dallas Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg passes Hall-of-Famer in NBA history against Jazz
1. This is Cooper Flagg’s Timeline. It’s Time the Mavericks Reflected That
Dec 15, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) goes to the basket as Utah Jazz forward Kyle Anderson (2) defends during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images
This Cooper Flagg guy? Yeah, he’s pretty good. With no Anthony Davis on the floor, Flagg was the primary initiator and scorer and made the absolute most of it, scoring 42 points to beat his own rookie scoring high for the season, and still filling the stat sheet with 7 rebounds and 6 assists.
The sooner the Mavericks make moves to fit Cooper Flagg’s timeline, the better. There has been some chatter that they may keep Anthony Davis in hopes of contending now, but they need to be focusing on the next 10-15 years.
2. Much-Needed Bounce Back From Ryan Nembhard
Dec 1, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Ryan Nembhard (9) gestures as he dribbles the ball up court in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Ryan Nembhard had been playing really well since being inserted into the starting lineup about a week and a half ago, but he was held scoreless against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night and benched down the stretch in favor of Brandon Williams, who had the hot hand. But he was right back at it in this game, finishing with 14 points and 11 assists. He has great poise for an undrafted rookie, and it’s good to see him bounce back with a game like this.
3. Ace Bailey is LEAGUES Away From Cooper FLagg
Dec 15, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Ace Bailey (19) moves the ball against Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images
I almost feel bad for Utah Jazz fans, as they’ve watched their team tank for the last few years, hoping to get a talent like Cooper Flagg, who ended up going to the Mavericks on some of the crazier lottery luck we’ve ever seen. And then, Cooper Flagg comes in and scores 42 points while their rookie, Ace Bailey, had just 7 points on 3/9 shooting before fouling out. Mind you, Bailey didn’t want to go to Utah in the first place.
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