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Mavericks’ Olivier-Maxence Prosper to Play NBA Summer League

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Mavericks’ Olivier-Maxence Prosper to Play NBA Summer League


DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks do not have a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, but they have plenty to look forward to with player development ahead of the next season. Dereck Lively II has already solidified himself as a key contributor, but Olivier-Maxence Prosper remains an important developmental prospect.

Prosper averaged 3.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 8.4 minutes per game in 40 appearances during his rookie campaign. Interestingly enough, back in July, the Mavericks felt there was a greater outlook for Prosper to earn playing time instead of Lively, but the opposite proved to be the case.

Apr 14, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper (18) shoots a three-point basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Apr 14, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper (18) shoots a three-point basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Prosper spent most of his season with the Texas Legends and showed intriguing progression as a shooter and scorer, averaging 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 33.3 minutes per game. In those 24 games played, he shot 51.2% from the floor, 42.5% from deep (5.3 attempts per game) and 76.7% from the free throw line.

The Mavericks continue to view Prosper as being a potential difference-maker defensively. It’s easy to see why, considering he’s a 6-foot-7 wing with a 7-foot-1 wingspan and a strong frame. It wasn’t uncommon to see him working on cone drills focused on lateral quickness throughout the season.

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During his media exit interview, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison confirmed Prosper will participate in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in July.

“O-Max is going to be good. We had his exit interview, and we just want him to have a really good summer, get back, get confidence and because the kid can play,” Harrison said. “He can play on both sides of the ball, and the goal for him is to come back in September in great shape with a lot of confidence and ready to compete for minutes. “

Harrison views Prosper as having a genuine outlook to earn playing time next season if he has a productive summer and enters training camp in great shape and having confidence.

“He’s a rookie playing with a team with a lot of good players in front of him,” Harrison said. “And so I think if he attacks this summer like he will, he has really hard work at the great kid that next year he comes, he comes back in great shape and confident enough to compete for minutes.”

Late in the regular season, Prosper emphasized the need for him to continue to slow down in his approach and grow his decision-making. “The biggest thing is just slowing down,” he said in April. “Slowing down out there, seeing what’s in front of me, taking the right shots, and just learning how to play with my teammates.”

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Prosper added the need for him to emphasize his development defensively. “I didn’t play as much with them this year, but just keep learning how to play with them and just keep working on my efficiency and my defense,” he said. “Defense is a big key of my game, and I take a lot of pride in that. And, you know, I’m going to end up guarding the best wings in the world. So I got to keep working on that, and that’s what I focus on.”

The NBA will hold Summer League from July 12 to 22 in Las Vegas at Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion.

Stick with MavericksGameday for more coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the NBA offseason.

Follow Grant Afseth on Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.





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Dallas, TX

Daniss Jenkins sparks rally but Detroit Pistons fall in OT to Dallas

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Daniss Jenkins sparks rally but Detroit Pistons fall in OT to Dallas


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DALLAS — A late comeback attempt fell short for the Detroit Pistons.

They fell to the Dallas Mavericks in overtime, 116-114, after recovering from a third-period 18-point deficit. A dunk by Anthony Davis gave the Mavericks the lead for good with 1:32 to play in overtime.

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Cade Cunningham (29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists) missed a short jumper with 7 seconds left that would’ve tied the game at 116, and Jalen Duren (17 points, 13 rebounds) couldn’t convert two offensive rebounds into a tip-in basket. Davis corralled the rebound with 0.9 seconds left, and the Mavericks called timeout.

The Pistons fouled Davis after the inbounds pass with a foul to give. Daniss Jenkins, who scored 11 points after halftime, stole the second inbounds pass with 0.6 seconds left but didn’t have enough time to get a shot off.

The Pistons trailed by 18 points with five minutes to play in the third quarter. Their bench unit was instrumental during a 31-11 run that gave the Pistons the lead again, 99-97, midway through the fourth quarter. They held Dallas to 38.5% shooting and forced nine turnovers in the second half.

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No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg gave his Mavericks the lead, 110-109, with under 20 seconds to play with a midrange jumper. Isaiah Stewart was fouled by Davis on the other end with 3.4 seconds left, and he split the trip to the line to tie the game at 110. Klay Thompson missed a floater at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime.

‘Dallas’ unit leads Detroit back from big deficit

Down 86-68 with 4:57 to play in the third quarter, coach J.B. Bickerstaff looked to the end of his bench for a spark. Jenkins, Marcus Sasser and Paul Reed checked into the game for the first time in consecutive order, joining Ron Holland and Javonte Green. The Pistons have a Dallas-centric roster — Holland, Sasser and Jenkins are all from the city, and Cunningham is from nearby Arlington.

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They led an 11-3 run to cut the deficit to 10, tallying four steals during the stretch — two for Green and one each for Jenkins and Reed. Cunningham checked in for Green to open the fourth quarter, and the run continued. A 3-pointer from Jenkins, coast-to-coast layup by Holland and midrange jumper from Jenkins extended the run to 21-7, cutting the deficit to 93-89 with under 10 minutes to play.

As he has done several times this season, Jenkins rose to the moment in the final period. An entry pass from Jenkins to Holland created an open layup to slash Dallas’ lead to two, and Jenkins made a layup over three Mavericks defenders to tie the game at 95 with 7:46 remaining and push the Pistons’ run to 27-9.

With 59 seconds left in the fourth, a pair of free throws from Jenkins extended the Pistons’ lead to 3, 109-106. He played 11 minutes and 32 seconds in the final period, second only to Cunningham, and overtime.

Ausar Thompson ejected in second quarter

The Pistons lost Thompson — their primary defender on Flagg — midway through the second period after an exchange with an official. 

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With 5:09 remaining before halftime, Thompson tied up Mavericks guard Ryan Nembhard under the rim and was whistled for a foul. Thompson didn’t like the call and got in the ref’s face, and was instantly ejected. NBA rules make it an auto-ejection when a player makes physical contact with an official. 

It was a strong start for Thompson prior to the ejection, as he had eight points, two assists, two rebounds and a steal in nine minutes of play. Stewart entered for him in the second quarter. 

In all, it was a rough night for the Pistons regarding the officials. Cunningham was whistled for a tech late in the second quarter after disagreeing with a call, and Bickerstaff was whistled for a tech during halftime after arguing with an official.

Duncan Robinson exits with left knee injury

With 11:08 to play in the third quarter, Robinson suffered a knee-to-knee collision with Mavericks wing Naji Marshall. Robinson limped off of the floor and was initially ruled “questionable” to return until he was downgraded to “out” in the final period. 

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Robinson finished with two points and two rebounds, shooting 1-for-7 overall and 0-for-5 from 3. He missed two games in early December with a right ankle sprain. 

[ MUST WATCH: Make “The Pistons Pulse” your go-to Pistons podcast, listen available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ] 

Follow the Pistons all year long with the best reporting at freep.com/sports/pistons.

Follow the Detroit Free Press on Instagram (@detroitfreepress), TikTok (@detroitfreepress), YouTube (@DetroitFreePress), X (@freep), and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook. (@detroitfreepress).





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Change In Eagles’ Red-Zone Philosophy Opens Opportunities For Dallas Goedert

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Change In Eagles’ Red-Zone Philosophy Opens Opportunities For Dallas Goedert


PHILADELPHIA – It was evident in July and August that Dallas Goedert was going to be a big part of the Eagles’ offense in the red zone. It felt that way most summers, but this time, with first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo in place, the Eagles are dialing up plays for the tight end.

“I think when I get a ball in my hand down there, I’m tough to tackle, I can find my way in, fight my way in,” said Goedert. “It’s just that our red-zone philosophy has changed a bit. We used to run a lot, a lot of quarterback sneaks, things like that down there. We’ve tried to find ways to get me the ball, which is really cool, and I’m gonna keep trying to make them work.”

So far, Goedert has nine touchdown catches. According to NFL Research, five of his touchdowns were thrown behind the line of scrimmage this season, the most by a non-running back in the Next Gen era.

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“He’s such a physical guy,” said Patullo. “His determination to just get yards and have an impact on anything, whether it’s in the pass game, whether it’s gadgets, whatever it may be. He’s really dynamic with the ball in his hands. So anytime you can get the ball in his hands, obviously, that’s what we’re going to try to do.”

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However, the touchdown math didn’t add up for Goedert. He thought eight was the magic number to break the record for most TD catches by a tight end in franchise history, owned by Pete Retzlaff, but Retzlaff had 10 in 1965, meaning Goedert needs one more to break that dusty, 60-year-old mark.

“I thought it was eight, but I was wrong, so I thought I already had it,” he said.

Reminded that he would have had it already had he not dropped a wide-open throw to him in the end zone on Sunday, which would have given him a career-high three in one game, he winced, then answered.

“Yeah, scars right there,” he said. “That one hurts.”

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Dallas Goedert Has Eye On Record

Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert (88) walks off the field after win against the Las Vegas Raiders at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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With three games left, and with his heavy involvement in the red zone, it is reasonable to expect that the record will at least be tied, perhaps even broken.

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“It’s pretty cool,” he said. “Anytime you can break a record, obviously things are going well for you. Obviously, winning is the most important thing and I want to do whatever I can to help win. If they’re giving me the ball down there, I’m gonna try to score. It would be a cool thing to have.”

Goedert’s production in the low red zone is a reason the Eagles lead the NFL in red-zone success, converting close to 70 percent of their trips (25-for-36) inside the 20 into touchdowns. The tight end has nine of those 25 red-zone TDs.

“We’ve had different things for me in the red zone throughout my career here, a lot of them just haven’t got called,” said Goedert. “Once they started calling them, I tried to make sure they worked so they could keep designing and calling other ones. Any time you go in the huddle and hear that play, knowing you have the opportunity to get in the end zone, it gets you kind of excited, for sure.”

Nore NFL: Eagles’ Backup Staying Patient, Takes First-Team Practice Reps

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Dallas Stars-San Jose Sharks preview: Dallas looks to stay hot on the road

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Dallas Stars-San Jose Sharks preview: Dallas looks to stay hot on the road


The Dallas Stars start up a brief two-game road trip on Thursday with a game against the San Jose Sharks.

Here’s everything to know about the matchup.

Dallas Stars at San Jose Sharks

When: Thursday, 9 p.m.

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Where: SAP Center, San Jose

TV/Streaming: Victory+

Radio: Sportsradio 96.7/1310 The Ticket

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Bottom line

The San Jose Sharks host the Dallas Stars after Macklin Celebrini scored two goals in the Sharks’ 6-3 win over the Calgary Flames.

San Jose has a 10-5-3 record in home games and a 17-14-3 record overall. The Sharks have a 15-4-2 record when scoring at least three goals.

Dallas is 22-7-5 overall and 11-2-4 on the road. The Stars have a 12-1-2 record in games their opponents commit more penalties.

The teams meet Thursday for the second time this season. The Stars won the previous matchup 4-1.

Top performers

Jason Robertson has 20 goals and 20 assists for the Stars. Wyatt Johnston has scored five goals and added nine assists over the last 10 games.

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Celebrini has 18 goals and 33 assists for the Sharks. Tyler Toffoli has five goals and six assists over the past 10 games.

Last 10 games

Stars: 7-2-1, averaging 3.1 goals, 5.2 assists, 3.7 penalties and 8.9 penalty minutes while giving up two goals per game.

Sharks: 6-4-0, averaging 3.4 goals, 6.1 assists, 3.9 penalties and 7.8 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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