‘He Puts In The Work’: Dusty May Credits Daniel Gafford’s Summer After First Career 3-Pointer In Dallas Mavericks’ Win

DALLAS — Daniel Gafford made a 3-pointer for the first time in his NBA career Wednesday night, a 23-footer off a Cooper Flagg pass with 8:29 left in the first quarter. It came in his 438th regular-season game and on the second 3-point attempt of his career.

The shot gave the Dallas Mavericks an 8-7 lead, and they went on to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-96 at American Airlines Center. Gafford finished with 7 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks in 26:40, and 6 of his rebounds came on the offensive glass.

Daniel Gafford’s First Career 3-Pointer

Gafford’s only previous 3-point attempt in the regular season came in 2021-22 with the Washington Wizards. The Chicago Bulls drafted him 38th overall in 2019, and Dallas acquired him from Washington in February 2024. Entering Wednesday, he held career averages of 9.3 points and 5.8 rebounds on 70.2% shooting across 437 games.

Through the first four games this season, Gafford had not attempted a 3-pointer. He averaged 6.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in those games.

“He puts in the work. He made one in exhibition. And the entire time he’s been working on these all summer. And working on them in the summer and making them in games are usually two different things,” Mavericks coach Dusty May said.

“I give him a lot of respect because typically when you start making them in practice, you start hunting them in games, and he hasn’t done that, something that’s not ordinary,” May continued. “He’s just continued to dominate the paint, dominate the paint, and then when he finds them, he’s got to knock it down. So there will be some games whenever we have to look for that.”

“But typically, like I said, when bigs start making them, they change their game. He’s changing his game, but it’s to be an enforcer down low,” May added. “I can’t say enough good things about the way Gaff’s playing right now. Him and P.J., two holdover guys on the front line, have been phenomenal.”

The rest of Gafford’s scoring came at the rim. He finished an alley-oop from Flagg with 7:30 left in the third quarter for a 78-63 lead and scored on a putback with 8:07 left in the fourth. Four of his offensive rebounds came in the second quarter. He blocked shots by Brooks Barnhizer in the second quarter and Ajay Mitchell in the third.

Gafford has blocked exactly 2 shots in each of his five games this season. Through those five, he is averaging 6.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.0 blocks in 22.4 minutes while shooting 65.2% from the field. His 11 rebounds Wednesday were his most this season, two games after he scored a season-high 12 points against the San Antonio Spurs, and Dallas is plus-19 with him on the floor.

Dusty May On Gafford, P.J. Washington, And Morez Johnson Jr.

Dallas grabbed 15 offensive rebounds to Oklahoma City’s 12 and outscored the Thunder 18-7 on second-chance points. Gafford assisted on a Marcus Sasser cutting layup in the second quarter and a P.J. Washington layup with 4:41 left in the fourth that made it 113-93.

Kyrie Irving took 8 of his 14 shots from 3-point range Wednesday and made 3, all in the first quarter. He was playing his first home game of the season and finished plus-25.

“Our guys have done a nice job after offensive rebounds, fanning out. And so he’s gonna take what the game gives him if they’re in a deep, deep drop coverage, and Gaff’s screens have been… There’s probably 10 or 15 every game that Gaff just sets great screens and gets these guys open,” May said. “And so if the big’s in a deep drop, he’s obviously a great decision maker. So we like the threes. They are worth more.”

Washington had 18 points and 9 rebounds on 7-of-16 shooting, and he scored 7 points during a 12-0 fourth-quarter run. Two days earlier, he made four 3-pointers in 41 minutes at Miami.

Morez Johnson Jr. added 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists on 4-of-6 shooting in 17:46. Oklahoma City’s backup center was Aday Mara, his teammate under May at Michigan last season. Dallas took Johnson ninth overall in June, and Oklahoma City took Mara 12th.

“Those guys, that’s what it looked like every day. You want to know how two guys come from nowhere to be lottery picks in one year? They competed like that against each other every single day,” May said. “Iron sharpened iron. And what they did today, it just looked like a normal day at the office. They’re completely different players, and because of that, they were able to help each other.”

Ten Mavericks played at least 13 minutes Wednesday. Four reserves scored in double figures, and Dallas’ bench outscored Oklahoma City’s 43-19.

“We have great depth, and that’s a challenge at times. But it’s a great challenge because there are several guys on our team tonight that deserve more minutes, and they just didn’t get them because the other guy played in their position,” May said. “And we’ve got to value and prioritize winning over those minutes and those shots, and that’s another part of winning, that shared sacrifice. So obviously we’ve got to continue to develop winning habits.”

Dallas hosts the Houston Rockets on Friday at American Airlines Center, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. CT.