‘Making My Job Easier’: Daniel Gafford Credits Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving After 18-Point Night In Dallas Mavericks’ Rout Of Brooklyn Nets

DALLAS — Daniel Gafford made 7 of his 8 shots Sunday night and scored 18 points in 19 minutes, 8 seconds as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Brooklyn Nets 130-93 at American Airlines Center. He added 5 rebounds and 3 blocks and went 4-of-6 at the free-throw line.

Cooper Flagg set up 5 of Gafford’s baskets on the way to a career-high 12 assists, and Kyrie Irving threw him an alley-oop in the third quarter. Gafford’s focus is being prepared to catch anything around the rim.

“I mean, offensively, they’re just making my job easier,” Gafford said. “At the end of the day, they got a lot of gravity out there on the floor. And when it comes to the game plan, guys are paying attention to details, and they’re just making, taking some of the pressure off the two main guys that we have on the floor. Honestly, so just prepared to catch anything around the rim.”

Gafford came in averaging 8.9 points on 68.8% shooting through nine starts. He scored 11 points in the third quarter Sunday, going 5-of-5 from the field on a 2-foot hook, a cutting layup, an alley-oop, and two cutting dunks.

Dusty May On Daniel Gafford’s Screens And Finishes

Mavericks coach Dusty May said before the game that Gafford has done a really good job screening all year. Afterward, May said Gafford led Dallas in screen assists against Brooklyn.

“We’re just trying to get a little bit better tomorrow than we were today, and on and on,” May said. “But Gaff is stringing together some really productive games, and even the last two haven’t been his best games, because of whatever reason, the opponent, the matchups, things like that. But he’s been our top screen assist guy tonight. Him being able to set good screens and get behind the defense, both were impressive. And then his catches and finishes.”

“You see a lot of guys in the league catch it, and then a help-side defender comes over and puts their chest on them,” May continued. “They’re not able to go up over the top and finish with good balance. And Gaff had some really, really nice finishes tonight. Even one, he kind of had a little 180 after he got bumped. So his finishing around the rim is a weapon that we really need.”

Gafford has started all 10 games this season. He opened the year with at least 2 blocks in six straight games, and he made the first 3-pointer of his career against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Oct. 28.

P.J. Washington made both of his 3-point attempts in the third quarter, and May said defenses now have to respect him out to 25 feet.

“When there’s creases in the defense, and obviously when Kai’s playing as well as he is, that takes basically help-side defender away and makes those gaps and holes even bigger for Gaff and P.J.,” May explained. “And I thought they did a nice job. P.J. making shots, now they’re more concerned with him out to 25 feet, and that gives us even more space. So it all goes hand in hand.”

Gafford On 64 Paint Points And The Dallas Mavericks’ Spacing

Dallas outscored Brooklyn 64-40 in the paint and made 32 of its 42 shots there. Brooklyn collapsed when the Mavericks got the ball inside, and that led to a lot of kick-outs.

“Causing confusion for them defensively, a lot of guard-to-guard screens slipping to the basket, and they collapsed a lot when it came to us having the ball inside,” Gafford explained. “So it was a lot of sprays, and in general, just finishing around the basket, with them collapsing in so much, you got to go in, either dunk it or get an and-one at the end of the day.”

Gafford drew and-ones on a cutting layup and a bank shot in the second quarter, both off Flagg passes. One sequence began with Irving getting out of a double team, and Flagg said Caleb Martin showed for Irving before Flagg found Gafford.

“I think obviously there’s been a lot of growth, and that’s something I worked on a lot, just making reads,” Flagg said. “But I think it speaks to our group as well. Everybody just trusting each other. That play that you were talking about, I think I remember Kai got it out of the double team quick. I flashed, Caleb showed for Kai, … and then I had Gaff quick.”

“So I think it’s just our group coming together and everybody just sacrificing and making the right play, and it makes it easy for everybody,” Flagg continued.

Gafford sat the entire fourth quarter Sunday. Dallas hosts the Indiana Pacers on Monday at 7 p.m. CT to close a back-to-back.