Cooper Flagg watched the ball travel from Ryan Nembhard’s hands to Klay Thompson’s and eventually through the air before it bounced off the back of the rim.
The Mavericks rookie made sure he was there at the perfect time to clean up Thompson’s missed triple for a putback slam in the second quarter of Thursday’s game against the Golden State Warriors.
That effort and attention to detail played a significant role in Flagg’s career-rebounding night during a 123-115 win over the Warriors.
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With Thursday’s win, the Mavericks won their fourth straight game, which marks their longest streak of consecutive victories. They had a streak of three straight games earlier this season.
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The Mavericks wouldn’t have been able to weather a spectacular shooting performance by Stephen Curry if it weren’t for Naji Marshall, who produced one of his best games of the season. The fifth-year forward flirted with a triple-double by tying a season-high 30 points with seven rebounds and nine assists.
The Mavericks have raved about Flagg’s versatile offensive skill set and his dedication to compete on the defensive end, but Jason Kidd openly admitted after their win over Brooklyn on Jan. 12 that he wanted his rookie forward to grab a couple of more rebounds.
“That’s one area we believe he can get better at,” Kidd said. “With time, he’ll figure that out.”
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Flagg accepted that challenge and grabbed nine of his career-high 11 in the first half of Thursday’s game. He finished with a double-double by adding 21 points.
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The impressive part of Flagg’s night is the career-high on the boards despite his minutes restriction. He played 30 minutes since it was his second game back from a left ankle sprain that sidelined him for two games. Kidd said Flagg initially had a restriction of 25 minutes.
Overall, the Mavericks out-rebounded the Warriors 54-35. Even more impressive, their 11 offensive rebounds helped gain the edge in second-chance points, 24-5.
Despite their dominance on the glass, the Mavericks fell victim to another special shooting performance by Curry, who led all scorers with 38 points and four rebounds.
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Curry, who is a sneaker free agent, wore the signature shoes of his former teammate Klay Thompson when the two teams last met in San Francisco on Christmas Day. He continued that trend by playing in Kyrie Irving’s latest signature sneaker, the ANTA KAI 3s. Irving, who’s currently still recovering from ACL surgery, was in attendance and the two point guards embraced heading into halftime.
The Warriors sharpshooter connected on three straight 3-pointers in the first quarter before he picked up two fouls and another trio of triples in the third quarter, trading baskets with the Mavericks throughout the night.
Curry knocked down a 3 with 7:01 left in the game to bring the Warriors within 1, forcing Kidd into a timeout. The veteran skipped toward the Mavericks’ end of the court to celebrate his timely triple. He did the heavy lifting for Golden State, who played without Jimmy Butler, who suffered a season-ending right ACL tear on Monday.
The Mavericks are officially in the midst of their hottest streak of the season with Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers set to visit American Airlines Center on Saturday.
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