On the heels of the Dallas Mavericks' 118-115 win against the New Orleans Pelicans, guard Max Christie revealed what his team needs to do to keep the winning going. The Mavericks are 5-12. Friday's win is Dallas' second in four tries. Cooper Flagg's career-high 29 points led three Mavs players with 23+ points, including Christie, who drained five threes, as did PJ Washington (24 points), against the Pelicans.
After the win, Christie talked about the Mavericks' approach that's led to winning, and what could take them to the next level, per ClutchPoints' Joey Mistretta.
“It’s been great. We have so many guys that can get in the paint and draw multiple defenders… The next level for us is finding those shooters. Everybody does a good job of that, we go over it in film,” Christie said. “We talk about it and how we want to continue to keep shooting threes… Shot 43 tonight, that’s a decent amount. That’s our goal. We have so many guys that get in the paint and so many opportunities to make those shots.”
The Mavericks finished 16-for-43 from deep, with Max Christie, Washington, and Jaden Hardy, who connected on three, leading the way with 13 of the Mavericks' 16 threes. Dallas improved to 1-2 in West Group B of the NBA Cup.
Jason Kidd celebrates Cooper Flagg's poise in Mavericks' win
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd celebrated Cooper Flagg's career-high 29 points. This year's first overall pick joined Lakers All-Star LeBron James as the last 18-year-old to score at finish with at least 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists in a single game. Flagg will look to take the Mavericks to the next level.
Kidd wasn't surprised to see Flagg find his offensive rythym early and often in Friday's three-point win against the Pelicans.
“We’ve seen this before. We could have used it last game, but understanding his poise and understanding how to get to his spot offensively, or how to use a teammate or find a teammate… I thought him coming back from his illness, he attacked early,” Kidd said. ” And then he started to settle. At halftime we talked a little bit about what I thought he should do. He responded… For an 18-year-old to understand what was asked of him, he did it at a high level.”
Flagg went 12-of-19 from the floor in Friday's win.
