The Dallas Mavericks (23-50) dropped their fifth straight game Wednesday, falling 142-135 to the Denver Nuggets (45-28) in a game that felt within reach early before completely getting away from them late. Dallas had a few solid stretches to start, showing some offensive rhythm and energy, but couldn’t sustain it as Denver’s shot-making and overall execution took over. Cooper Flagg continued his strong stretch with 26 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, while P.J. Washington added 19 points and 15 rebounds with steady production inside. On the other side, Jamal Murray put together a dominant performance with 53 points, and Nikola Jokić orchestrated everything with 23 points, 21 rebounds and 19 assists, as the Nuggets controlled the game from the middle quarters on.
Dallas, TX
Like it or not, Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy is gaining ground for a contract extension from Jerry Jones
Late Sunday night in the Dallas Cowboys locker room, as players reveled in a 26-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, head coach Mike McCarthy was making his way through a jovial scene when he spotted Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones near an entrance. Earlier in the day, the two had shared a conversation steeped in disappointment when they’d learned the Cowboys had been eliminated from the playoffs by a Washington Commanders win. But now, as McCarthy approached Jerry, the tenor of the day had changed.
Jerry smiled. And when McCarthy held out his hand for a shake, the owner instead opened his arms and drew his head coach into a hug. He then took a few moments speaking to McCarthy, one hand on the coach’s shoulder and another gently tapping him in the chest with a fist. As the dialogue subsided, Jones patted McCarthy on the shoulder a few times and pumped his fist. All of this, perhaps not by coincidence, unfolded in front of a “Sunday Night Football” camera that was televising the emotional exchange to whatever portion of the Cowboys’ audience that was still watching.
If you were going to gauge what’s going on with the Cowboys’ head coach and the franchise’s owner right now, this was a worthwhile snippet of video for two reasons: First, it’s clearly something that Jerry — still keenly aware of optics and the power of theater — wanted people to see. Whether it was a public display of pride or affection that McCarthy had earned or Jones just wanted to staple an image to his words that night, he knew where the moment would go. In a word, everywhere. And the second reason the moment matters? Jerry knows it’s coming in the midst of a time when the primary conversation about McCarthy is one of his job status, a situation Jerry created when he chose to make his head coach go into the final year of his contract with no discernible public mandate on how an extension could be achieved.
Let’s be honest about this joyous but complicated embrace as it moves forward: both of these men created it. Jerry by letting McCarthy play out this string of games with no clarity on what could be next for the Cowboys’ coaching staff. And McCarthy by arguably saving his best coaching for the portion of the season when there was nothing more to clinch other than the dignity of not quitting.
Make no mistake, that’s what we saw unfold last night. McCarthy showcased a locker room that is still galvanized despite having lost a postseason aim. They gutted it out with a massive spate of injuries on the offensive line and backup quarterback in Cooper Rush, not to mention wideout CeeDee Lamb, who played through a painful shoulder issue Sunday. Join that with a shorthanded defense that battered a good Buccaneers offense and literally ripped a win away in the final moments of Sunday night, when cornerback DaRon Bland pulled a fumble from the belly of Tampa running back Rashaad White. It was a moment that encapsulated a number of big-play stands on both sides of the ball, definitively halting a game-winning drive that seemed very achievable for quarterback Baker Mayfield.
The resounding feeling? The Cowboys’ playoff hopes are dead, but the attitude toward the remaining schedule is anything but buried. Instead, a narrative about culture is unfurling — about whether there is actually some kind of underlying strength Dallas can display in the final weeks of the season that say something about this team and coach. Maybe it’s enough to fulfill the hopes of the franchise cornerstones, including Lamb, quarterback Dak Prescott and edge rusher Micah Parsons, who have all (in some fashion) endorsed a McCarthy return in 2025. Surely, Jerry has heard that message, leaving him to look for reasons to keep McCarthy that goes beyond the three straight 12-win seasons that preceded 2024.
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Afterward, Jerry was effusive in his praise of the effort in the win over the Buccaneers — making clear that it had stoked something emotional inside him.
“Those guys came out and played as though they were fighting in the championship game to go to the Super Bowl,” Jones said afterward. “I can’t tell you how proud I am of them and the coaching staff. It really shows me something.”
For his part, McCarthy tried to put a fine point on what that something was.
“I just think that [effort] shows you who they are,” McCarthy said. “I think everybody says the coach is always talking highly of the locker room — well, this is what I’m talking about. When I talk about, ‘It’s a great locker room,’ this is the definition of it. This is what a great locker room looks like. And it’s a mixture of men from all over the country, all over the world and different personalities. Obviously in circumstances [out of the playoffs] that we’ve discussed at length already. But when it came time to play, they played their asses off and I can’t tell you how proud I am.”
Of course, this peak of sorts — winning four of the last five games, getting to 7-8 with a chance at finishing the season at 9-8 — comes with measuring that goes beyond just a great locker room. There are fair questions to be asked about where this locker room culture was during a brutal five-game losing streak from mid-October to mid-November. It was an expanse that saw Dallas get obliterated in three of those games, against the Detroit Lions (a 47-9 loss), Philadelphia Eagles (34-6) and Houston Texans (34-10). And it wasn’t that long ago that Jerry was openly questioning some parts of the Dallas scheme, while also spiraling into sometimes odd postgame diatribes that lacked a cohesive connection to the here and now.
Those were the days of Bill Belichick possibly being the next Cowboys coach, and they weren’t that long ago. But times can also change quickly with Jerry. He rides Everest-ian highs after wins and Death Valley lows after losses. All of which typically result in McCarthy’s own roller coaster when it comes to his future employment.
Right now, the Cowboys are winning again — even if it’s too little and too late when it comes to the postseason. But as the victories have begun to stack onto the ledger and the support of vital players has ebbed into the public (and Jerry’s) consciousness, the disappointment has also started to soften where it matters. You hear it in Jerry’s words. You see it in the arms and embrace between an owner and head coach that seemed to be an intentional message to the fan base.
Things are changing. A 9-8 finish and the positive feedback of his players has Mike McCarthy pointed toward the one thing Jerry has avoided offering him thus far.
A contract extension.
Starting next year, every 3- and 4-year-old in Dallas ISD will be able to enroll in pre-K tuition-free.
The district’s board adopted a new universal free pre-K plan at a board meeting Thursday. The proposal passed by an 8-0 vote, with no discussion.
Currently, the district offers free pre-K to students who qualify under certain federal, state and district guidelines, and charges tuition to all other students. Under the policy adopted Thursday, the district will drop its tuition rate for non-qualifying students to $0 beginning with the next school year.
The district’s current pre-K tuition rate is $5,000 a year for full-day classes for 3- and 4-year-olds, and $2,500 a year for half-day classes for 3-year-olds. During a March 12 board briefing, Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde told the board that about 267 families are paying pre-K tuition this year.
Elizalde told The Dallas Morning News this month that it costs the district more to manage those families’ tuition payments than those payments bring in. The district’s pre-K classes have enough open seats that district leaders don’t expect to have to hire more teachers after the new policy goes into effect, meaning the financial impact to the district is expected to be minimal.
Dallas ISD isn’t the first North Texas school district to offer tuition-free pre-K. Fort Worth ISD implemented universal free pre-K more than a decade ago, and Arlington ISD offers free, full-day pre-K for all 4-year-olds and half-day classes for 3-year-olds that are free to students who qualify with a tuition rate of $2,295 for those who don’t.
Dallas ISD’s pre-K registration for the 2026-27 school year opens April 1.
The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.
The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, Judy and Jim Gibbs, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Ron and Phyllis Steinhart, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks, and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.
Dallas, TX
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson is confident about cost estimates to repair, rehab City Hall and insists the process has been transparent
Mayor Eric Johnson said he hasn’t made up his mind about the future of Dallas City Hall, the iconic I.M. Pei-designed landmark, but remains confident in the cost estimates to fix it.
City‑hired experts said it will cost $329 million to repair the nearly 50‑year‑old building and about $1 billion to rehabilitate and modernize it for the next 20 years.
Johnson said he trusts the numbers.
“I believe that those numbers are accurate,” Johnson said. “I just want to say that right up front, because I do know that there’s questions about whether or not these numbers are or have been inflated, or should we trust these numbers? I don’t know where we’d get another set of numbers that would be more trustworthy.
“These companies that have looked at this are very reputable, and so, I believe the numbers. I really believe that our jobs as a council and as a city are to do the best thing that we can, the best thing we can for our taxpayers. Not a good thing, but the best thing with the taxpayers’ dollars.”
The mayor said he, like everyone else, is waiting for more information. Earlier this month, he and eight council members voted to have the city manager determine how much it would cost to move City Hall to another building and compare that to staying and making repairs.
The city manager is also evaluating whether the current site could support private development. That report is due to the council no later than May, and the Finance Committee may be briefed on May 26. The full council could vote in June.
Development potential enters the conversation
Many people have floated the idea of a new arena and entertainment district downtown for the Dallas Mavericks, though no proposals exist.
Former mayors Ron Kirk, Tom Leppert, and Mike Rawlings have urged city leaders to move City Hall, saying it could attract billions in new development.
Johnson said he wants data, not instinct.
“I can’t govern the city based on a hunch or instinct or gut feel. I have to look at data. I would like to see what comes back and what they say this site could unlock,” he said. “Does my gut tell me that the best use of this part of downtown, is not to be a government center, which I think is kind of a dated concept in and of itself, to have a cluster of government buildings right in the middle of what could be the most vibrant part of your downtown that by definition closes at 5 p.m.
“My gut tells me that’s not a great idea. But I want the city manager to go through the exercise of actually exploring what private development options there would be. What interest would there be in this site? If there are really great economic development opportunities for the city that would be unlocked by us leaving this site, I would be very, very compelled by that.”
Preservationists push back strongly
Residents and preservationists have been vocal in their opposition. Former Mayor Laura Miller told CBS News Texas she doesn’t want City Hall sold or torn down and believes the process has lacked transparency and been “riddled with self‑interest.”
Johnson rejected that.
“I’m not sure why former Mayor Miller feels that way because I can tell you that the process has been the definition of transparent,” he said. “It’s just not true that this process hasn’t been transparent. You can go back to what I initially sent out, a memo. I put it in writing. I distributed it publicly, saying to the council, I want a committee to look at options for City Hall.
“So, that was very transparent. The meetings that were called subsequent to my request were all open to the public. Discussions were had at those meetings, and every single thing that has happened has been compelled by council action.”
Emails raise questions about engagement
The Dallas Morning News recently reported on 5,000 pages of emails related to the project and others, raising questions about how engaged the mayor has been.
Johnson dismissed the criticism.
“I’m fully engaged in everything that goes on around here. I’ve been fully engaged, and honestly, I’m going to decline to go quibble with the Dallas Morning News,” he said. “I don’t even know what these emails that they have found say. I do know what I do every day, which is I wake up early in the morning, come to this building, and give this city everything I have.
“I work tirelessly on behalf of the city, and I do everything I possibly can to make sure this city is represented well here, locally, nationally, internationally.”
Sports negotiations happening in parallel
The debate over City Hall comes as city leaders negotiate with the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars to keep both teams in the city. Johnson said he cannot discuss negotiations publicly.
“Keeping the Dallas Stars and keeping the Dallas Mavericks playing in the city of Dallas is one of the highest priorities of my administration, and it has been since I got here,” he said. “I can tell you this: We are going to do everything we possibly can to make these deals work for both of those teams and keep them in the city. I am confident that we will work this out.”
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The Mavericks hung around for stretches in the first half, but a Jamal Murray explosion ultimately tilted the game, as the Denver Nuggets took a 68-59 lead into halftime in a game that quickly started to feel like it was slipping away. Dallas opened with solid energy, getting contributions from multiple spots, as Naji Marshall scored efficiently and Cooper Flagg made his presence felt early as both a scorer and a playmaker, helping keep things within reach. Flagg had a noticeable impact in those opening minutes—knocking down pull-ups, attacking downhill, and creating looks for others—while Marshall’s shot-making kept the offense afloat during key stretches.
But every time the Mavericks made a push, Murray had an answer. He completely took over the second quarter, piling up 33 first-half points on 11-of-15 shooting and 6-of-9 from deep, hitting pull-ups, step-backs, and tough contested shots that Dallas simply couldn’t slow down. At the same time, Nikola Jokić quietly controlled everything else, finishing the half with 11 assists and 9 rebounds, consistently creating easy looks and keeping Denver’s offense flowing even without scoring much himself.
Dallas had some bright spots, though. There were moments especially in the third where Dallas strung together a few stops and got downhill, but it never turned into anything real, as missed shots, turnovers, and Denver’s instant responses kept resetting the margin.
If this game didn’t make it obvious, nothing will Dallas desperately needs a guard who can defend at the point of attack. Jamal Murray didn’t just have a good night, he had complete control, getting wherever he wanted and scoring however he wanted, finishing with 53 points on 19-of-28 shooting and 9-of-14 from three. There was no real resistance at the top of the defense no one who could consistently stay in front, disrupt his rhythm, or even make him uncomfortable. Once he got downhill or into his pull-up game, it was over, and that kind of pressure completely breaks a defense before it even has a chance to rotate.
This is where roster construction starts to matter. Dallas has length and some versatility in the frontcourt, but without a guard who can actually contain the ball, none of it holds up. You can’t ask your bigs to clean everything up every possession, especially against elite shot-makers. That’s why this draft becomes so important. It’s not just about adding talen it’s about adding the right kind of player. Someone who can fight over screens, stay attached, and at least make life harder for guys like Murray at the point of attack.
Because nights like this aren’t just about one player getting hot they expose a structural issue. And until Dallas finds a guard who can defend at that level, this is going to keep happening.
Someone seeds to close, eventually
The Mavericks have played a ton of close games this season, but the results just haven’t followed, and that’s something that continues to show up late in these losses. Too often, possessions in crunch time turn into rushed shots, stalled actions, or empty trips, while a single defensive breakdown on the other end swings momentum the other way. It’s not just one game it’s been a pattern, and it speaks to a team that’s still learning how to execute when everything tightens up.
That said, context matters right now. Dallas isn’t necessarily trying to squeeze out every late-game win at this point in the season, and losses like these actually help their lottery positioning. There’s value in being competitive and getting those reps without sacrificing long-term upside, especially in a strong draft class.
But long term, this is something to watch especially with Cooper Flagg. He’s already showing flashes as a primary creator, but closing games is the next step: controlling tempo, getting to the right spots, and making the right reads under pressure. It’s okay that it’s messy right now given where the team is, but if the Mavericks want to take a real step forward next season, turning these close games into wins has to be part of that growth.
Cooper Flagg continues to shine
Cooper Flagg continues to look more and more like the centerpiece of what Dallas is building, and nights like this are a big part of why. He finished with 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists, impacting the game in just about every way despite the result. What stands out isn’t just the production it’s how he’s getting it. He’s initiating offense, pushing in transition, making reads out of drives, and consistently putting pressure on the defense as both a scorer and playmaker.
This stretch has been especially encouraging. Over the past few games, Flagg has been steadily trending upward, not just in scoring, but in overall control of the game. He’s starting to look more comfortable as the primary option, picking his spots better and showing more patience when defenses collapse. Even when shots don’t fall, he’s still influencing possessions through rebounds, assists, and defensive activity.
There are still things to clean up, especially late-game execution and shot selection in tighter moments, but that’s expected at this stage. The important part is that the flashes are becoming more consistent. For a team leaning into development, Flagg isn’t just putting up numbers he’s showing real signs of growth as a lead initiator, and that’s the biggest takeaway moving forward.
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