Dallas, TX

3 thoughts after the Dallas Mavericks hold off the Los Angeles Lakers, 87-85

Published

9 months ago

July 11, 2025

3 thoughts after the Dallas Mavericks hold off the Los Angeles Lakers, 87-85

The Dallas Mavericks started Las Vegas Summer League with an 87-85 win over the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday night. Undrafted rookie Ryan Nembhard led Dallas with 21 points and five assists. Cole Swider scored 22 for LA in defeat. Rookie Cooper Flagg contributed 10 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a huge block, but also had a rough shooting night from the floor.

Dallas won the tip but Bronny James knocked down two contested jumpers over Flagg to start the game. Nembhard settled the Dallas offense, hitting two jumpers to keep pace with LA. Following a quiet start for Flagg, he brought the crown to it’s feet with a rim rattling dunk following a steal and a contested baseline jumper. These back-to-back possessions gave the Mavericks their first lead of the game. Flagg’s offensive aggressiveness was on display early, with seven shot attempts in the first seven minutes. But that included three made baskets, including an and-one in transition to extend the Dallas lead to three. The teams traded baskets the rest of the quarter, with the Mavericks taking a 19-17 lead after one quarter.

An actual basketball game continued into the second with the Lakers retaking the lead on two made baskets. Dallas answered right back with a run of their own. A made three by Gabe McGlothan gave the Mavericks their largest lead of the game and resulted in a Laker timeout. A Flagg steal and dish in transition extended the lead to seven. Los Angeles responded with a 19-6 run over the second half of the quarter to put the Mavericks on their heels. Flagg went coast-to-coast and scored on a tough finish to close the LA lead to four and Nembhard scored on a soft pull up with four seconds left to close it to two. DJ Steward ended the half with a floating bank shot as time expired. LA led Dallas 47-43 after twenty minutes of basketball.

Dalton Knecht got things going early for the Lakers, scoring two tough baskets. Knecht hit a three to give Los Angeles a double-digit lead for the first time all game. Dallas finally managed to take the lead down to six, and a three from Jordan Hall made it a single-possession game with just over four minutes to play. A Miles Kelly three and Jamarion Sharp’s free throw tied the game at 62 all, and a breakaway layup for Kelly gave the Mavericks their first lead since the second quarter. After being down 60-50 with 6:15 in the third, Dallas closed on an 18-2 run and took a 68-62 lead into the final period.

The two teams traded baskets in the fourth, with Los Angeles rallying back once again. Twos became threes with Dallas and LA exchanging baskets still and Dallas holding onto a two-possession lead. Flagg’s shooting woes continued into the fourth as he couldn’t buy a basket. A Laker three from Cole Swindler put Los Angeles back on top and forced a Maverick timeout with just over three minutes to play. The Lakers held the lead until a massive block of Steward by Flagg led to a Nembhard three at the one-minute mark. Dallas finished the game sloppy with another rough-looking shot from Flagg, but the Mavericks played good enough defense to force a missed shot on the Lakers final possession. Dallas starts Las Vegas Summer League 1-0 with an 87-85 win over Los Angeles.

Mixed bag for Flagg

Flagg’s aforementioned 10 points, six boards, four assists, three steals, and a block looks good. The 5-for-21 from the floor looks bad. But I’ll tell you what, watching this guy play live was pretty remarkable. Dallas let him bring the ball up the floor regularly where he was hounded by Los Angeles pressure. He drew multiple fouls far from the basket simply by being under control and strong with the ball. His decisions as a playmaker were fun to watch and he wasn’t bothered by consistent ball pressure. Defensively he navigated screens well and knew where to be. He’s going to be fun in transition with or without the ball.

It wasn’t all great, given his shooting performance from the floor. The threes looked short and his midrange game was off-kilter all night. He seemed out of position at times for defensive rebounds and he’ll have to work harder than he did tonight on the glass in NBA games.

It was a solid, but not spectacular, debut. I’ll take it.

Wild energy from the crowd

This is a given, considering Flagg was the number one pick. But match that with Lakerland enthusiasm for Bronny James and you have a stew going. The crowds at these events are always fun, full of sicko diehards and you could feel it the entire game. A recommended experience if you can ever get to Vegas.

Ryan Nembhard is stout and effective

A workman-like performance from the rookie on a team that needs someone to run an offense. Dallas looked out of sorts at some points, usually when Nembard wasn’t on the floor. His play directly led to the Dallas victory and while his size may be of concern, he looked strong and like he belonged on the court. He’ll be really fun to watch this weekend and into next week.

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Dallas, TX

Dallas delays release of City Hall emails, citing security and negotiations

Published

4 hours ago

April 1, 2026

Press Room

Dallas delays release of City Hall emails, citing security and negotiations

CBS News Texas requested thousands of emails tied to the future of Dallas City Hall after a city report identified more than $1 billion in needed repairs. The city released 649 pages but asked the Texas Attorney General for permission to withhold thousands more, citing security concerns and confidential business negotiations. Critics, including some council members, have raised transparency concerns as discussions continue. The City Council is expected to decide City Hall’s future in June.

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Dallas, TX

Mark Cuban has one major regret after selling Dallas Mavericks

Published

16 hours ago

March 31, 2026

Press Room

Mark Cuban has one major regret after selling Dallas Mavericks

Mark Cuban says he has one big regret after cashing out of the Dallas Mavericks — and it’s not the sale itself.

“I don’t regret selling, I regret who I sold to. Yeah, yeah, I made a lot of mistakes in the process and I’ll leave it at that,” the billionaire entrepreneur said on an episode of the Intersections podcast published Tuesday.

He agreed in late 2023 to sell a controlling stake in the franchise to casino magnate Miriam Adelson and her family.

Cuban, who spent nearly 20 years as one of the “shark” investors on “Shark Tank,” said the grind of owning an NBA franchise ultimately pushed him toward the exit, describing it as an all-consuming emotional rollercoaster that wore him down over time.

“It’s a big emotional commitment, right? You hear the passion and everything — now imagine going up and down like that every single game. That’s hard,” he said.

The intensity of fan reactions — especially when the team struggled — made him wary of his children working in that environment and being subjected to what he described as abusive treatment, Cuban added.

But while the celeb money-man defended the decision to sell, he drew a line at how things unfolded after the deal — particularly a blockbuster trade involving franchise cornerstone Luka Dončić.

Cuban said he was blindsided when the Mavericks moved the star player, describing a chaotic late-night phone call that left him stunned.

“I got a text from a then-general manager and he said ‘Call.’ And I did and I thought he was asking me what I thought about a potential trade for Luka he was like, ‘No, Mark, it’s done,’” Cuban recounted.

“I was like, ‘What did we trade him for?’ And he told me — and no disrespect to Anthony Davis — but I’m like, ‘He’s hurt a lot.’”

The former owner said he immediately viewed the deal as a catastrophic mistake — one he had no power to stop.

“I called the new owner and he started telling me stuff that wasn’t true that he had been told as the reason why he approved it and I’m like, that’s not true — um, this is a mistake but nothing I can do,” Cuban said.

Cuban framed Dončić as a once-in-a-generation talent who should have been untouchable under any circumstances. he added.

Beyond basketball logic, Cuban suggested the decision was influenced by internal tensions and personal dynamics within the Mavericks organization.

Cuban also pointed to former general manager Nico Harrison as a key figure in the decision-making process, arguing that personal relationships may have skewed the front office’s judgment.

He noted Harrison had been close with Anthony Davis, the former Lakers star who went to the Mavs in the Dončić swap, since Davis was about 13 years old, while head coach Jason Kidd also previously coached him.

“You talk about confirmation bias, that there’s there was some of that, as well,” Cuban said, suggesting those ties contributed to the decision to trade away Dončić.

The comments highlight a growing rift between Cuban and the new ownership group led by Adelson, whose family acquired about 73% of the franchise in a deal valued at around $3.5 billion.

Cuban retained a minority stake but has increasingly signaled he no longer holds meaningful influence over basketball operations.

The Post has sought comment from Cuban and Adelson.

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Dallas, TX

3 things to know about Stars-Bruins: Dallas wraps East Coast road trip looking to turn things around

Published

1 day ago

March 31, 2026

Press Room

3 things to know about Stars-Bruins: Dallas wraps East Coast road trip looking to turn things around

The Dallas Stars have been bitten by the injury bug and are slogging through the final stretch of the regular season having lost five of their last six games.

Can they turn it around on Tuesday? To do so, they’ll have to go through a stout Boston team on the road.

Here’s what to know about Stars-Bruins.

How to watch

When: Tuesday, 6 p.m.

Where: TD Garden in Boston

TV/Streaming: Victory+/FOX 4

Radio: Sportsradio 96.7/1310 The Ticket

Boston creamed

The Stars took it to the Bruins the last time these two teams met with a 6-2 romp in Dallas, in a game that, funnily enough, ended a losing skid for the Stars. Jason Robertson had a pair of goals and Wyatt Johnston added another.

That was all the way back in January, though. These days the Bruins (42-24-8, fourth place in the Atlantic Division) are rolling, winners of three straight and clinging to the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. It continues the recent pattern of the Stars going up against teams likely to be desperate and hungry in the middle of a playoff chase.

Milestone for Robertson

Robertson has recorded five points (2 goals, 3 assists) in his last four games, dating back to March 24 against the New Jersey Devils. In all, the Stars forward has totaled 87 points (40, 47) in 74 games played this season, leading the team in scoring. Entering play Monday, his 87 points ranked 10th in the NHL and were the second-most in a single season of his career.

If Robertson were to tally three more points this season — and that’s likely a when more than an if — he would become the first player in Dallas Stars team history (since 1993-94) to have multiple 90-point seasons for the club. Robertson’s 40 goals are the third-most he has scored in a single season in his career and were tied for the fourth-most in the NHL entering play Monday.

Home sweet home

The matchup against Boston wraps up the Stars’ last long road trip of the season. Dallas will return home after Tuesday for a string of home games against the Jets, Avalanche, Flames, Wild and Rangers, and then end their regular season slate on the road against the Maple Leafs and Sabres.

After that? It’s playoff hockey time once again in Dallas.

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