Dallas, TX
Mavs’ rally sputters against Suns as Dallas adds to longest losing skid in almost 10 years
PHOENIX — It’s not every day that Patrick Dumont visits an opposing NBA arena, but the Mavericks governor sat courtside at Mortgage Matchup Center on Tuesday to watch his team attempt to snap a seven-game losing streak.
However, any hopes he and the Mavericks had of righting the ship were spoiled by the second quarter when they were faced with a 31-point deficit that made a comeback too difficult to overcome.
The Mavericks suffered a 120-111 loss to the Phoenix Suns and increased their season-long skid to eight games — the franchise’s longest losing streak since the 2016-17 season.
The last time the Mavericks lost eight consecutive games was nearly 10 years ago, and that streak lasted from Nov. 6, 2016 to Nov. 27, 2016.
After trailing by double digits for the majority of the game, Dallas valiantly fought back in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to six with 2 minutes left, but ran out of gas.
“We got off to a slow start,” Kidd said. “They were physical and we weren’t in that first half. I thought the group did a better job in that second half. Getting to the free throw line 44 times. We gotta be able to produce more 3s. We just didn’t do that…The group fought.”
There are several reasons why the Mavericks haven’t been able to snap out of their funk, starting with their 3-point struggles.
Three-point shooting has also been an issue during the last seven games as Dallas has only been able to convert on 10 triples per game, which is 29th in the NBA over that stretch. Tuesday night was a nightmare from the 3-point line as the Mavericks connected on just 5 of 22 from beyond the arc.
“Sometimes when they don’t go down early, we kind of get discouraged and we gotta be better,” Kidd said. “In this league, you miss some and we gotta look at tape, especially with a team like this that are going to pack the paint.”
Dallas also entered Tuesday’s matchup losing by an average of 8.6 points during their streak, but it’s been a struggle on the offensive end with just 113 points per game since a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 24.
The Mavericks attempted the third-most field goal attempts (94.9) across the league over the last seven games, but they’re 27th in the NBA in efficiency, making just 44.6% from the field. On Tuesday, they attempted 77 field goals and finished shooting 48.1%.
Naji Marshall and Cooper Flagg were the Mavericks’ leading scorers on Tuesday, each bouncing back from uncharacteristic performances on Saturday night in San Antonio.
Marshall led Dallas with 31 points on 12 of 17 from the field, his fifth outing of 25 points or more, setting a new career-high for most 25-point games in a single season.
Flagg added 27 points with 11 of 14 coming from the free throw line. Tuesday marked Flagg’s 24th career 20-point effort, which tied Kobe Bryant for the sixth-most 20-point games by a teenager in NBA history.
“I was aggressive,” Flagg said. “Getting downhill to my spots, trying to play with physicality and I was rewarded with getting to the free-throw line. I thought that was good.”
He nearly reached a significant milestone, but came four points short of 1,000 career points. Flagg added another highlight to his rookie reel late in the second quarter when he threw his left shoulder into the chest of Dillon Brooks and posterized the Suns forward with a one-handed dunk.
Dumont was pleased with his star rookie’s performance. During the fourth quarter, Flagg connected on a baseline midrange jumper through contact, which led to an enthusiastic round of applause by the Mavericks governor.
After the game, Dumont hung around in the Mavericks locker room to congratulate Flagg on a good game, along with Caleb Martin, who suffered a left knee and ankle injury.
It was nearly five years ago when Khris Middleton made his NBA Finals debut in Phoenix. On Tuesday, the veteran sharpshooter returned to that same arena for his first game in a Mavericks uniform. However, those fond memories of his lone championship were sullied by yet another loss by his new team.
Middleton played 21 minutes off the bench and finished with 13 points and five rebounds. PJ Washington added 13 points and 5 rebounds as well. Marvin Bagley III had another solid game with nine points and eight rebounds.
Tyus Jones, who started in Marshall’s place, struggled with just two points and three assists and did not start in the second half.
While the blowout loss and growing losing streak looks bad on paper, it helps the Mavericks (19-34) inch closer to the floundering Utah Jazz (17-37) in the league’s infamous race toward the bottom of the standings as teams position themselves for a top-heavy 2026 NBA draft.
Dumont is also expected to be at Crypto.Com Arena for Thursday’s game against the Lakers, the final game before the All-Star break begins.
X: @MikeACurtis2
Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
The Texas Department of Public Safety, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Garland Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abby Policastro and Marissa Aulbaugh prosecuted the case.
“This verdict should send a clear message to drug dealers that we will dismantle any effort to peddle deadly fentanyl in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “I want to thank our law enforcement partners for their dedicated collaboration in taking thousands of fentanyl pills off the streets of Dallas.”
If the Dallas Cowboys want to get over the hump and back into the playoffs in 2026, they’ve got to see a massive improvement in the defense.
Owner Jerry Jones was brutally honest with just how much the Cowboys were held back by their defense in 2025, and the numbers very clearly spell that out.
How does a Cowboys team that ranked top 10 in passing, rushing and points on offense still miss the playoffs?
Well, Dallas also ranked 30th in total yards allowed, 32nd in passing yards, 23rd against the run and 32nd in points against, that’s how. That putrid showing rightly cost Matt Eberflus his job, which set the stage for Dallas to hire Christian Parker.
It also set the stage for a total overhaul of the defense, with Dallas making many additions to that side of the ball, including at corner, where the Cowboys were bad on the boundary and in slot last season.
Fow now, we’re more focused on the boundary competition, as the Cowboys appear set to roll with Caleb Downs in the slot.
Cowboys’ CB competition is crucial for 2026
The Cowboys won’t have much hope for a playoff appearance if the cornerback play doesn’t improve. Of the 10 teams that landed in the bottom 10 in passing yards allowed last season, only two of them made the postseason.
Of course, the pass-rush played a part in that, and while Dallas has made multiple additions to that group this offseason, there really aren’t any guarantees with Rashan Gary, Malachi Lawrence or Donovan Ezeiruaku.
If that trio fails to improve a pass-rush that was tied for the seventh-fewest sacks in the NFL in 2025, the cornerbacks become even more crucial.
DaRon Bland and Shavon Revel did not play well in 2025, and while the former appears safe for now when it comes to a starting job on the outside, his leash could be short if he struggles again.
Revel, on the other hand, isn’t locked into a starting job on the boundary and is competing with Durant and Caelen Carson. It’s also worth keeping an eye on who finishes in second in that battle because that player could replace Bland if he struggles or gets hurt again.
There is hope Revel can bounce back now that he’s another year removed from the torn ACL he suffered in his final year in college and can enjoy a full offseason, but we’ll have to see it first before we can believe it.
“It’s very beneficial,” Revel said of having a normal offseason. “Just because I can clean up a lot of things, a lot of errors I didn’t see last year, or I did see last year, that I could clean up this year.”
“My knee is 100%, so now it’s time to focus on situational ball and I’ve got to see what I need to fix or get better at,” Revel added.
When training camp kicks off next month, we’re going to be locked into watching the battle at cornerback because it could very well make or break Dallas’ entire 2026 campaign.
Follow
The NFL offseason is moving along as the Dallas Cowboys recently wrapped up their mandatory minicamp. Their next big event takes place at the end of July when they meet in Oxnard for training camp.
Coming off a 7-9-1 campaign, the Cowboys have several areas they would like to improve, and while defense has been the focal point, there will be plenty to watch on offense as well with players fighting for their spot on the depth chart.
That means there will be no shortage of storylines to follow, including keeping an eye on these three players who enter camp with their stock trending in the wrong direction.
Jonathan Mingo, WR
It has been a roller coaster for Jonathan Mingo ever since being traded to Dallas ahead of the 2024 deadline. He made no impact during his first eight games, recording just five receptions. He seemed ready to rebound in 2025, however, as he took advantage of his first full offseason with the Cowboys.
Mingo was one of the stars of training camp and put himself in the WR3 conversation. A knee injury put an end to that run and he wound up playing in just six games and had one catch. Now, Mingo heads into camp with very little chance of making the 53-man roster.
Joe Milton III, QB
At this time last year, Joe Milton III was one of the hottest names in Frisco. The former New England Patriots quarterback was expected to give them a more explosive QB2 behind Dak Prescott after Cooper Rush left in free agency. LeSean McCoy went overboard by saying Dak Prescott’s job was in danger, but there was still a lot of understandable hype.
Now as he enters his second season with the franchise, Milton is going to be battling for the backup spot with Sam Howell, who was signed this offseason. Milton still has a rocket for an arm and unbelievable athleticism for a 6-foot-5, 246-pounder, but he could be in danger of losing his roster spot if he can’t find more consistency.
Malik Hooker, S
Dallas added three safeties this offseason, signing Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke in free agency and selecting Caleb Downs in the first round of the NFL draft. Thompson has yet to fully practice due to an injury but Downs has been turning heads and Locke has taken advantage of the extra snaps.
That’s not ideal for Malik Hooker, who has also been sidelined with an injury. Unlike Thompson, Hooker isn’t in the first year of his deal, so his missed time is more detrimental. He also doesn’t have experience with the coaching staff the way Locke does. That means he’s entering camp without much momentum at all, and could be in danger of losing his spot.
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