Davis delivered the late-game heroics, powering Dallas past a tenacious Detroit squad in a hard-fought overtime thriller.
DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks leaned on resilience, balance, and late-game execution to outlast the Detroit Pistons 116-114 in overtime Thursday night at American Airlines Center, surviving one of their most physical games of the season.
Anthony Davis delivered the decisive play, scoring on a dunk with 1:32 remaining in overtime after slipping free inside and then securing the final defensive rebound with 0.9 seconds left. The win was Dallas’ sixth in its last eight games, moving the Mavericks to 11-17, while Detroit, the Eastern Conference leader entering the night, dropped to 21-6.
Cooper Flagg again set the tone for Dallas, finishing with 23 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. His impact went beyond the stat line, particularly late, when the Mavericks needed poise against a Pistons team that had thrived in close games all season.
“He finds a way,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said of Flagg. “Scoring or making a play, he did it.”
The game was tied at 110 at the end of regulation after Klay Thompson’s short jumper rolled off the rim at the buzzer. Brandon Williams opened overtime by knocking down two free throws, but Cade Cunningham quickly responded. Davis then muscled in an offensive rebound and dunked to put Dallas back in front before Cunningham tied it again at 114. Flagg found Davis one more time inside, and Dallas finally had a lead it could protect.
Earlier, Flagg had delivered in regulation as well. With Dallas trailing by one in the final half-minute, he buried a midrange jumper over Isaiah Stewart to give the Mavericks a brief edge.
“‘Get to your middy,’” Flagg said, relaying advice he received late from D’Angelo Russell. “I thought I did a little better getting to my spot.”
Detroit forced overtime when Stewart split a pair of free throws after Davis collided with him while trying to intercept a pass. Thompson’s final attempt in regulation came up short.
The Mavericks appeared in control earlier. A decisive 20-4 run in the second quarter flipped a 42-41 deficit into a 61-46 Dallas lead, with Max Christie scoring nine points during the stretch. Dallas led 66-55 at halftime despite Davis being scoreless in the first half and missing all seven of his field-goal attempts.
Davis finally got on the board midway through the third quarter and immediately stretched the lead with a 3-pointer. Even while battling illness, his presence remained critical on both ends.
“Still feel under the weather,” Davis said. “I actually threw up twice during the game, but I’m just trying to compete. I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help the team win. Just leaving it all on the floor.”
Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff pointed to Davis’ versatility as a constant challenge.
“He is all the things that we’ve seen him to be,” Bickerstaff said. “A legit dominant player on both ends of the floor… the ability to score in a multitude of ways, protect the rim, rebound the basketball, push the basketball.”
Detroit mounted a furious comeback in the fourth quarter, erasing an 18-point deficit behind Cunningham, who finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. The night was also marked by rising tensions, including the second-quarter ejection of Ausar Thompson and technical fouls issued to Cunningham and Bickerstaff.
In the end, Dallas’ balance prevailed. Six Mavericks scored in double figures, and the defense finished with 15 blocks — a season high for any team in the NBA — to withstand Detroit’s late push.
The Mavericks now turn their attention to a two-game road trip, carrying momentum from another hard-earned win decided at the very end.