Cooper Flagg's stellar 27-point performance, coupled with clutch shooting, propelled the short-handed Mavericks to a wire-to-wire win over the Nets.
DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks leaned on patience, execution, and emerging leadership Monday night, riding a poised performance from Cooper Flagg to a 113–105 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at American Airlines Center.
Dallas led wire to wire, absorbed every Brooklyn push and continued to stabilize despite a severely shortened rotation. The Mavericks improved to 15–25 overall and 11–10 at home, while also moving to 5–15 this season without Anthony Davis.
Flagg finished with 27 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block, delivering the defining stretch late to seal the win. Naji Marshall added 22 points and nine assists, and Klay Thompson scored 18 points off the bench, knocking down six 3-pointers to reach the 2,800 mark for his career.
Dallas shot 44.1% from 3-point range, forced 18 turnovers and held Brooklyn to 9-of-37 shooting from deep, maintaining control even as the Nets repeatedly threatened to close the gap.
Jaden Hardy helped establish that control early. Making just his second start of the season, Hardy scored 11 of his 14 points in the opening five minutes, hitting three early 3-pointers as Dallas played with pace and decisiveness before Brooklyn’s defense could settle.
Head coach Jason Kidd said Hardy’s early aggression set the tone.
“Yeah, he got us off to a great start,” Kidd said. “Being able to shoot the three and given his scoring, I thought he was really good to start again. Got us going, and then from that point I thought everybody else chipped in.”
Dallas closed the first quarter on a 10–2 run and carried a 32–23 lead into the second, with Thompson hitting two late 3-pointers to stretch the margin.
Brooklyn responded with increased physicality in the second quarter, but Dallas remained composed. Flagg began to impose himself selectively, attacking mismatches and moving the ball when extra defenders arrived. He scored 19 points in the first half on 7-of-10 shooting as the Mavericks built a 56–45 halftime advantage.
As the Nets sent double teams his way, Flagg leaned into quick reads and trust.
“It’s been great,” Flagg said. “Obviously it’s a little different, and tonight they did it a little differently. I thought it was better from a team perspective — being in our spots better. It made it easier for me to get off it and give our guys advantages to go play four-on-three.”
Kidd echoed that assessment.
“The double teams — I thought he made all the right decisions,” Kidd said. “The reads, he didn’t force anything. He trusted his teammates to make the plays.”
Brooklyn mounted its strongest push in the third quarter behind Michael Porter Jr., who finished with 28 points. The Nets trimmed the deficit to six by speeding up the game, but each surge was met with a response from Dallas, which continued to space the floor and protect the ball.
Kidd highlighted Max Christie’s defensive work during that stretch.
“I thought Christie did a really good job on Porter,” Kidd said. “He made it tough on him tonight.”
Dallas entered the fourth quarter with an 84–77 lead, having allowed just one tie and one lead change all night.
When Brooklyn cut the margin to three early in the fourth, Dallas answered with poise. Marshall scored three times during a critical stretch, repeatedly converting floaters in traffic while facilitating offense and anchoring defensive possessions.
“Naji being aggressive — the floater is his go-to,” Kidd said. “He tends not to miss those.”
The defining sequence came late. After forcing a turnover, Flagg finished a one-handed dunk to push the lead to nine. Moments later, after Brooklyn again sent extra defenders, he knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key to make it 112–102.
Even after briefly rolling his ankle earlier in the game, Flagg never hesitated.
“Just tied it up, retaped it, and got back out there,” Flagg said. “When you roll an ankle like that, you just tighten it up and play through it.”
Thompson’s milestone added another layer to the night.
“That’s something I don’t take for granted,” Thompson said. “Pretty sweet, honestly, position to be in.”
Dallas earned the win without Davis, Kyrie Irving, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, Brandon Williams and Danté Exum, yet still recorded 22 fast-break points and consistently generated quality looks under pressure.
The Mavericks improved to 2–0 against Brooklyn this season and have won four of their last five meetings with the Nets. Dallas will host Denver on Wednesday night.