Mavericks' Bench Outplays Its Own Starters In…

By the Mavericks Nightly Desk · Saturday, October 17

The Mavericks dropped every quarter in a 111-135 preseason-ending loss to the Hawks, with Cooper Flagg's 26 points and Kyrie Irving's 18 not enough to offset a minus-21 night from P.J. Washington. Dallas now turns to the regular-season opener at Houston on October 21, the same return date tagged for five day-to-day players.

Mavericks Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Four Quarters, One Direction

Atlanta led after every period, outscoring Dallas 39-34, 34-20, 29-24 and 33-33 in a 111-135 finish. Cooper Flagg shot 8-of-20 for 26 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists, and Kyrie Irving hit 5-of-7 from three for 18 points, yet both finished with a minus plus-minus — Irving at minus-20, Flagg at minus-10.

Reserves Win The Efficiency Battle

Dallas starters scored 76 of the team's points to the bench's 27, but the bench logged the better plus-minus marks: Tobi Lawal at minus-1 in 10 minutes, Naji Marshall at minus-3 in 20, Daniel Gafford at minus-5 in 17. P.J. Washington shot 3-of-13 for 8 points and finished minus-21, the team's worst mark, with Irving at minus-20 and Zaccharie Risacher at minus-13 close behind.

Five Tags, One Return Date

Jorge Diaz-Graham left the roster on October 17 as Dallas trims toward the opener. Max Christie, Tarik Biberovic, Dereck Lively II, Jett Howard and Santi Aldama all carry day-to-day tags with an identical estimated return of October 21 — the same day Dallas opens the regular season at Houston. Whether all five actually suit up that night is still unanswered.

When do the Mavericks play their next game?

Dallas opens the regular season at the Houston Rockets on October 21, five days after the preseason-ending loss to Atlanta.

How many Mavericks are listed as day-to-day right now?

Five — Max Christie, Tarik Biberovic, Dereck Lively II, Jett Howard and Santi Aldama all carry day-to-day tags, each with an estimated return of October 21.

By the Mavericks Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.