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The Dallas Mavericks (4-2) put on a great show and got a 116-111 win over the Houston Rockets (5-1) on Friday night. The victory is the second time in as many games that the Mavericks handed a previously undefeated team their first loss of the season. Led by Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving, the Mavs demonstrated a degree of fun that was difficult to come by last season. This team is proving to be a fun, competitive bunch that is buying into Dusty May’s system and playing for each other.
Let’s get to the grades!
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Kyrie Irving: A+
35 PTS / 4 REB / 9 AST / 35 MIN
Irving, in only his fourth played game back from a lengthy injury, looked utterly elite. He drained 12-of-19 shots, including a smoking 5-of-8 from downtown. He led all players in assists (no one on either team closer than three assists of his total) and drained two free throws to ice the game. This is easily his best game since returning and it was coupled with an amazing performance from Cooper Flagg. Those two playing at this level is a scary proposition for the rest of the league.
Max Christie: D
2 PTS / 1 REB / 2 STL / 18 MIN
Irving and Flagg didn’t leave a lot on the table and Christie didn’t get an abundance of minutes, but there was almost nothing positive about his game Friday night. He was the only starter with a negative plus/minus and only hit 1-of-4 shots, missing both of his three-point attempts.
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Cooper Flagg: A+
33 PTS / 9 REB / 6 AST / 2 STL / 1 BLK / 39 MIN
Let’s get the negatives out of the way first: Flagg had three turnovers and three fouls. Done. He shot 13-of-19 despite missing all four of his three-point attempts, hit 7-of-10 from the charity stripe and simply could not be denied all night. Particularly in the closing moments, Flagg showed he is a player well beyond his years. He put Dallas up three points after connecting on a free throw earned from an away from the ball foul, setting Irving up to hit two free throws of his own on the next possession to ice the game.
P.J. Washington: B-
3 PTS / 10 REB / 1 AST / 34 MIN
Washington is looking every bit the player he was when he was first traded to Dallas. That means he…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/player-grades-recapping-mavericks-exhilarating-113044092.html
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Publish date : 2026-10-31 11:30:00
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