Dallas, TX
Mavericks vs Suns Recap: Dallas collapses to Phoenix, 132-109
The Dallas Mavericks fell to the Phoenix Suns Wednesday night, losing at home 132-109. Devin Booker torched the Mavericks to the tune of 46 points. Luka Doncic led a Maverick scoring effort with 34.
The Mavericks opened the game with a Grant Williams signing with the beleaguered forward connecting on two threes and a floater. Luka Doncic found Dereck Lively twice early for rim-rocking dunks and Dallas found themselves with a solid 17-9 lead around the seven-minute mark. But between free throws and three straight Derrick Jones Jr. turnovers, the Suns managed to pull back within two quickly. Following a Suns timeout, the two teams traded multiple three-pointers. Spicy Josh Green defense and shooting in the final minutes helped give Dallas a 34-25 lead after one period.
A couple of more threes from Dallas to open the second pushed the Maverick lead into double figures early in the second quarter. The Dallas defense was nothing short of inspired, which is possibly a byproduct of not missing any threes. Jason Kidd issued what Mike Breen called “the perfect challenge” on a Jusif Nurkic flop, resulting in a Doncic free throw (that he, of course, missed) near the seven-minute mark. The Suns wouldn’t fold, though, cutting the lead to nine following a Josh Okogie lay up and free throw. Doncic fell in love with his own shot, taking multiple bad threes which he missed and the Suns climbed back within single digits. Doncic then stopped heaving and had two terrible turnovers in a row and the Suns were within one point. Dallas took that slight lead into halftime, up 58-57.
Because the Mavericks aren’t a serious team, they allowed an 8-0 run (including the technical free throw Doncic gave the Suns following a halftime tantrum) which finally forced a Jason Kidd timeout. Things stayed spicy between the two teams, with Williams getting ejected after arguing a non-call when playing defense. Jones Jr. picked up one as well, getting a taunting tech following a dunk where he was knocked to the ground. The Suns busted open a double-digit lead on multiple made threes. Dallas simply died in one of the most embarrassing quarters of the season. Dallas found themselves down 100-78 after three.
The three-ball is the great equalizer in the NBA though and with Devin Booker and his 38 points sitting, the Mavericks worked what was at one point a 28-point lead down to 16, forcing a Suns timeout. Dallas couldn’t keep the momentum alive, though, and the Mavericks simply didn’t have enough. The Suns buried the Mavericks, 132-109. It’s one of the worst losses of the season and the vibes are awful.
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Something’s rotten right now with these Dallas Mavericks
In the big picture sense, the Mavericks have a lot of built-in excuses. They’ve had a lot of injuries and games missed to key players. That lack of continuity is a big challenge, there’s no doubt about it.
And yet, once the ball is rolled out on the floor, a team has to play with who they have available. These last three losses have been the kind of bad that makes a fan (and, potentially a team) question what in the hell we’re even doing here. Depending on what personal bias you bring to the table, you likely have a complaint to bring to the table about this loss and why it happened.
If you’re a Luka Doncic hater, you have to ask yourself why on Earth he kept forcing the issue to end the first half, being personally responsible for a tough run from the Suns due to his bad shot selection then bad decision-making on passes, topping everything off with a ridiculous technical foul where, and this is important, whatever he was whining about was not worth getting a technical over. Later in the game, he had a Suns fan ejected, one who’d been taunting him the whole contest, but the last straw was a barb about needing to get on the treadmill. I find myself feeling ashamed for Luka for that call.
If you’re tired of head coach Jason Kidd, you’re openly questioning what he does. During the aforementioned first-quarter run, he didn’t call a timeout, wandering around with his hands in his pockets. In the third quarter, when the run continued and Grant Williams picked up his second tech resulting in an ejection and Jones Jr. got a tech after getting knocked down following a dunk, did he stand up for his players? Did he show any emotion? Did he lead? Or did he look like an employee with a punch card, just looking to be done for work with the day?
If you’re tired of Grant Williams, like I am, you’re probably wondering what he was supposed to bring to this team at all. He finally had a decent offensive performance, then got a stupid tech, stepping over and disrespecting Kevin Durant, picked up his third foul four minutes into the second, hurting the Dallas offense, and then getting kicked out arguing a non-call after an attempted charge. But keep posting memes on social media buddy, that will help. Instead of, you know, just playing better.
Of course, these are just three examples from within one game. There’s so much more and I need to finish this article up already. I’ve held the line that being above .500 like the Mavericks are is a good thing because tough times were coming. But, frankly, I’m sick of feeling like I’m wasting my time watching a team that behaves as if basketball is a chore and not a joy. It’s basketball. It’s a game. It should be fun.
Dallas had that joy for most of the first half, but hot shooting is not a sustainable path to success. All of these players, all of the coaches, heck even the front office and the team governor, need to look themselves in the mirror and ask what they’re even doing this for. And if the answer doesn’t have something to do with showing pride and playing hard, meaningful basketball night in and night out, then maybe it’s time to find another line of work.
I’ve rambled for years that expectations are the thief of joy because it’s true. But I want better. I demand better from this team. It’s gut-check time for these Mavericks. I hope with all of my heart that they respond.
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The search for the next general manager or president of basketball operations of the Dallas Mavericks has begun. They terminated Nico Harrison in November, which was about nine months too late, and gave any available candidates clear notice that they were open for business.
The plan was always to wait until after the season to start the search. While names popped up as the season reached an end, they didn’t begin turning over the staff until the Monday after the season ended. However, Dallas Mavericks fans are not going to like how the team is going about the search.
Patrick Dumont Leading Search for General Manager
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that the Mavericks are not hiring a search firm in their hunt for a new lead executive. Instead, team governor Patrick Dumont is “acting as his own point person.”
This is an… interesting decision, to say the least. Dumont is not a basketball person whatsoever, and most organizations usually hire a search firm. The Chicago Bulls hired one as they look for their replacement for Arturas Karnisovas. Just because a firm is hired doesn’t mean a team will listen, though.
The Mavericks hired a firm in their last search for a GM. They let Donnie Nelson go in 2021 after a long tenure with the Mavs. Instead of listening to the firm, though, Mark Cuban ignored it to hire Nico Harrison, who had no previous NBA front office experience. Harrison had been an executive with Nike, which gave him connections with players like Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and plenty of others.
For a while, that seemed to be working out okay. While he still had some questionable transactions, such as trading for Christian Wood and letting Jalen Brunson walk in free agency, they were still able to make a run to the NBA Finals in 2024. Then, he blew it all up, trading away Luka Doncic for an older and injured Anthony Davis, and the team hasn’t been the same since.
It’s imperative that the Mavericks get this hire correct. The interim Co-GM setup with Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley has performed admirably, but the 2026 NBA Draft is important for the Mavs to get right. It’s their best chance to pair Cooper Flagg with another young star, as they don’t own their first-round pick again until 2031 after this.
Hiring the right GM could help bring in more draft capital by bringing in bad contracts or flipping veterans into picks.
Dumont was able to convince Rick Welts, a Hall of Famer, to come out of retirement to be the CEO and lead the charge for a new arena. Maybe Dumont pulls another rabbit out of his hat for the GM.
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For a moment, it looked like FC Dallas was on its way to another statement win at home tonight.
Petar Musa scored two first half goals, to extend his Golden Boot leading tally to nine goals. But after Dallas grabbed control, the Galaxy found a way back before halftime with goals from Lucas Sanabria and Joseph Paintsil.
The second half brought more chances and more frustration for Dallas, which finished the night with 13 shots to LA’s nine. In the end, the point stretched Dallas’ unbeaten run to five games, though just like last week, it felt like another match where Dallas left points on the table.
Key Moments
7’ – GOAL! After a poor pass back by a LA defender, Petar Musa was free to go one-on-one with the LA goalkeeper. After a touch to get ahead of a defender, Musa slotted home his eighth goal of the season from outside the penalty box.
21’ – Offside! Joaquin Valiente sent a floating ball over the Galaxy defense, where Musa was able to get behind the defense and make an easy play for what appeared to be his second goal of the night. The play was called offside despite a fairly lengthy review period.
38’ – GOAL! This one counts! Musa gets his second of the night off a great ball from Chris Cappis. Logan Farrington picked off the ball in the midfield. He then played Cappis wide to the left of the penalty area. Cappis immediately played a ball back across the goal for Musa to slide in and finish for his ninth of the season.
43’ – Goal LA. Lucas Sanabria got the ball near the top of the penalty area. He took a couple of touches to get outside the penalty box before firing a shot that beat Michael Collodi at the near post.
45+4’ – Goal LA. Gabriel Pec got the ball near the top of the penalty area. He pulled the ball back a bit, which caught a pair of Dallas defenders. This allowed Joseph Painstil to get free behind the Dallas defense as Pec played him through inside the penalty area. Pec immediately smashed home a shot above Collodi to tie the game.
75’ – Another offside goal. This time on a corner kick for Dallas, after a scrum in the penalty box, Kaick hammered home what looked to be the go-ahead goal. But after a few seconds the flag was raised due to a deflection on Osaze Urhoghide, who was in an offside position.
Instant Reaction
Yeah, this is another disappointing result for this team. In a real way, it felt like the first half against Houston from last month. Dallas grabbed the lead, looked in control, but some defensive miscues opened the game up for the visitors to climb back.
With a double-game week coming up, this will certainly be another game where Dallas will wonder ‘what if’ more than anything else…especially when you factor in the two goals called off for offside.
About the Subs
Eric Quill went to his bench for the first time in the 66th minute, as he brought on Santiago Moreno for Logan Farrington. Quill went to his bench again 81st minute with Ran Binyamin and Nolan Norris coming on for Sebastien Ibeagha and Deedson. The final sub came during stoppage time with Herman Johansson and Joaquin Valiente coming off for Sam Sarver and rookie Nick Simmonds, who made his MLS debut.
Man of the Match
No question about it tonight, it has to be Musa.
Where does this fit into the season
As of this writing, the draw puts Dallas into a three-way tie for 5th place with Real Salt Lake and Seattle. Both are in action right now and look firmly in control of their games. I’d expect Dallas to be in 7th place by the end of the night.
What’s next for FC Dallas
Dallas wraps up a three-game homestand next Wednesday night as they host Minnesota United.
Dallas, TX
Akheem Mesidor selected by Cowboys by Blogging The Boys in SB Nation’s community mock draft
Akheem Mesidor, Edge, Miami
Pass rush has been an issue since the Micah Parsons trade. The Rashan Gary trade helped, but Dallas still needs an injection of talent. Akheem Mesidor fits here because his body size allows for some versatility inside and out, something DC Christian Parker utilizes. Mesidor is also a high-motor player with a deep bag of pass rush moves.
His last season at Miami was full of disruption in the offensive backfield and he shows an all-around game, not just a bend-around-the-edge pass rusher. Yes, he’s a little older than you’d like in a rookie (25), but his motor, pass rush toolbox, and ability to play the run matches up with a need and makes him a quality pick at number 20.
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