The Dallas Mavericks capped their preseason Wednesday night with a 121–94 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at T-Mobile Arena, closing out their exhibition schedule with a statement about where their identity is headed — and who’s helping lead it.

Head coach Jason Kidd rolled out a towering lineup that included Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington, Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis, and Dereck Lively II. The mix of length, versatility, and interior presence frustrated the Lakers after halftime, turning an early double-digit deficit into a blowout win.

Kidd said he liked how the team responded to adversity after another slow start.

“I thought the energy could be better,” Kidd said. “But coming back from the Charlotte game, I thought the first half was similar. We talked about it at halftime, and for a group to be down and respond the way they did was a positive. There was a lot of good stuff defensively.”

Kidd experimented throughout preseason with various combinations while managing health and minutes. He said final decisions on rotation spots will come closer to opening night.

“We’re getting healthy here, so there are different combinations,” Kidd said. “Ryan could easily be in that rotation. He’s made a case for that. He’s on a two-way, so there are a lot of positive stories here. We’ll see by the 21st who’s sturdy and how the rotation will look.”

The Mavericks’ new-look offense still showed moments of inconsistency, which Kidd attributed to the natural growing pains of learning to play through mismatches.

“Defensively, I think they’re fine,” Kidd said. “Offensively, we can get a little stagnant because we have so many mismatches and play one-on-one. That’s not who we are. We want to cut, we want to use the pass. The second half was more of the style we want to play — it was an improvement.”

The night also continued the early development of Cooper Flagg, who again started at point guard and showed poise beyond his age. Kidd praised how quickly the 18-year-old has adapted to NBA pacing and decision-making.

“I thought he did great — just understanding time and score, keeping track of who got shots, and what the last shot was,” Kidd said. “That’ll come with reps, but he’s done an incredible job running the team. The other thing is his teammates enjoy him running the team, and that doesn’t always happen in this league.”

Anthony Davis, who finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, said the Mavericks’ super-sized lineup has the potential to cause major matchup problems once it’s refined.

“There’s a lot of positives,” Davis said. “Defensively, we’ll be a problem for other teams, but we also have to guard the perimeter better. Offensively, we’re just much bigger than everyone else on the floor, so there’s always going to be a mismatch somewhere. We just have to rep it more.”

After an offseason eye surgery and a gradual ramp-up, Davis said he’s focused on conditioning and rhythm heading into next week’s opener.

“Just finding my spots in the offense, getting familiar with where my shots come from,” Davis said. “There’s a lot of ball and body movement in this offense, and we just have to keep making the right play. I feel good getting back to basketball after missing time and starting to find a rhythm again.”

Davis, who played in all four preseason games, said his approach remains steady regardless of whether the games count.

“I approach every game the same, even preseason,” he said. “That’s why I play — to build rhythm going into the regular season. The minutes will increase, and the games will start counting, but I’m using this time to get physically and mentally ready.”

Flagg, meanwhile, continued to draw praise for his maturity. The rookie acknowledged that he’s still adjusting to the speed and spacing of the NBA but said he’s focused on steady progress.

“We used our size to our advantage,” Flagg said. “Coach put a lot of length out there, and I thought we did a good job using it. Defensively, we were switchable and rebounded well. There’s still work to do, but I like what we showed.”

Flagg admitted that his growth will come from improving awareness and composure in late-clock situations.

“I made some mental lapses today — time and score situations, awareness of the clock,” he said. “I need to stay more attached defensively and not let a hot player keep getting looks. That’s all part of learning.”

Asked about handling defensive challenges against smaller guards, Flagg said it’s a matter of competing through difficult matchups.

“It’s never easy,” he said. “You just have to take the challenge, stay locked in, and find ways to disrupt rhythm. Guys will hit tough shots, but the goal is to limit their looks as much as possible.”

For a player juggling both forward and point duties, Flagg said the team’s system allows for shared responsibilities.

“I don’t think of it as one person being the point guard,” he said. “P.J. brought it up a lot, I did too, and Ryan did as well. We share that responsibility. It’s about making it easier on each other and staying in rhythm.”

The Mavericks now turn their attention to final preparations before opening night on Oct. 21, when Jason Kidd and his retooled, towering roster begin their push to reestablish Dallas among the Western Conference elite.