‘Very Hard-Fought Road W’: Dallas Mavericks Beat Miami Heat 113-109 Behind Cooper Flagg’s 29 Points
MIAMI — Cooper Flagg scored 12 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter Monday night, two days after a left shoulder injury kept him out of a loss to the San Antonio Spurs. His driving layup with 10 seconds left sealed the Dallas Mavericks’ 113-109 win over the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center.
Flagg also had 6 rebounds, 11 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. Dallas improved to 2-2, and 2-1 on the road. Miami fell to 0-4, the fifth time in franchise history the Heat have lost their first four games and the first time since the 2007-08 season.
Flagg played 39 minutes, 44 seconds after sitting out Saturday. Before tip-off, May said the Mavericks had not discussed a minutes restriction and would take it one step at a time.
“Cooper is using the warmup to gauge whether he’s ready to go. So we’ll see, it’s a true game-time decision,” May said before the game. “But I expect him to play, I’m expecting that, but it’s not for sure.”
Flagg and Kyrie Irving combined for 17 of the Mavericks’ 31 assists on 43 made field goals. Irving finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists in his third game back from the torn ACL that sidelined him for 19 months.
Miami led by 12 points in the second quarter and by 10 in the third. Mavericks coach Dusty May said Dallas kept finding a way to hang around every time the Heat made a run.
“We congratulate our guys on a very hard-fought road W. 31 assists on 43 made baskets. I thought the hustle plays by Risacher, the last possession by PJ coming up with that [loose ball], I thought we played extremely hard,” May said. “We were quick to the ball and when Miami would go on a run, we’d find a way to hang around and hang around, and our guys simply made big, big plays and big shots at the end.”
“It’s a lot of fun when your two superstars are as unselfish as they are, and they show as much grace as they bring along these younger players,” May continued. “It’s been fun to be a part of and see it so far. Obviously a long way to go, but this is a very, very good win for our team.”
Miami Heat Build A 12-Point Lead, Dallas Mavericks Answer
Dallas built an early 19-11 lead on 3-pointers from Max Christie, Irving, and P.J. Washington. Miami closed the first quarter on a 16-4 run and led 27-23 after one.
Early in the second quarter, Bobby Portis Jr. made three 3-pointers in a 59-second span, each one assisted by Giannis Antetokounmpo. A Dru Smith 3-pointer, also set up by Antetokounmpo, put the Heat ahead 39-30 with 10:03 left in the half and forced a Dallas timeout.
With 5:58 left in the half, Daniel Gafford was called for a Flagrant 1 foul on Antetokounmpo, and Gafford and Portis were each assessed a technical foul. Antetokounmpo made one of two free throws, Miami kept possession, and Andrew Wiggins scored on the trip to make it 48-36.
Dallas closed the half on a 13-2 run over the final 4:07. Flagg tied the game at 50 with a pull-up 3-pointer with 1:07 left, and Washington’s 3-pointer off a Flagg pass with 30 seconds remaining gave the Mavericks a 53-52 lead at halftime.
Antetokounmpo completed his triple-double with 8:19 left in the third quarter, assisting on a Davion Mitchell 3-pointer. He scored 13 points in the period, and his driving layup with 5:17 left put Miami up 79-69.
Walter Clayton Jr. answered with a 3-pointer off a Flagg assist at the 4:51 mark. Washington hit another 3-pointer with 27 seconds left, and Irving’s pull-up jumper at the buzzer cut the Heat’s lead to 84-83 entering the fourth quarter.
Cooper Flagg Scores 12 In The Fourth Quarter
With 9:11 left, Zaccharie Risacher’s 3-pointer off an Irving assist pulled Dallas within 90-89. Clayton scored on consecutive drives, the second a three-point play that put the Mavericks ahead 95-93 with 8:13 remaining. Flagg blocked an Antetokounmpo layup between the two.
Mitchell tied the game at 95 with 6:57 left. Gafford’s putback with 6:12 remaining gave Dallas the lead for good at 97-96.
Flagg scored on a driving layup at the 5:57 mark. After a Risacher block on Antetokounmpo, Flagg converted a turnaround three-point play for a 104-97 lead with 4:52 left, and his floater with 4:23 remaining made it 106-99.
Clayton scored 7 points in the fourth quarter. All of them came between the 8:27 and 5:36 marks.
“Man, I just feel like we just locked in during the timeouts talking to each other. I feel like we rebounded the ball great,” Clayton said. “And we were just physical. I think we came out and played our brand of basketball. It worked for us.”
Gafford fouled out with 4:08 left after finishing with 8 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks. Flagg was called for offensive fouls on consecutive Dallas possessions at 3:59 and 3:39, and Miami got within 106-103 with 3:08 left on a fast-break Bam Adebayo dunk. Dallas answered with a tip-in, and after a Mitchell floater, Flagg hit a pull-up 3-pointer off an Irving pass with 2:02 left for a 111-105 lead. An Antetokounmpo driving layup and an Adebayo tip-in with 49.5 seconds left drew the Heat within 111-109.
After an Irving miss, Flagg blocked a Wiggins 3-point attempt with 31 seconds left, and Risacher grabbed the rebound. Out of a Dallas timeout, Flagg drove past Wiggins and finished at the rim with 10 seconds remaining. Risacher then blocked a Mitchell drive with 5.5 seconds left, and Washington secured the final rebound. He went 5-of-7 from the field in the fourth quarter.
Miami sat heavy in the gaps early to slow down Dallas’ drives, Flagg said. The Mavericks spread the floor better as the game went on.
“I think just we did a better job of that late in the game to spread the floor, getting into different actions and shifting the defense, allowing for better driving lanes and angles and opening up the court a little bit,” Flagg said.
Wiggins guarded Flagg on the final possession, 21 seconds after Flagg’s block on Wiggins at the other end. The two offensive fouls had come on drives Flagg started before his teammates were in position.
“Like I said, just get set. Once I had everybody set and everybody was in good positions, just taking advantage of the space that we had, being able to get downhill and challenge them at the rim,” Flagg explained. “And I was confident in my ability to get by him, create an advantage for our team and make the right play.”
Dusty May On Cooper Flagg Closing The Game
Flagg made 7 of his 11 shots in the paint. May said Dallas put the ball in his hands on the last big possession because of how unselfishly he plays above the defense.
“Well, we were struggling to find different ways to just get him in some space. And I thought our guys had good off-ball movement and spacing, and he just needed a crease. I mean, that’s a bad dude to get in the paint like that and finish,” May said. “There were three guys trying to block it late. That’s one thing when you do get an angle, get to the rim on their perimeter defenders and you have Bam and Giannis coming over to block it, to have the creativity to get it up off the rim. He had a couple that they brought the third defender and drew the charge on him, but he was making the right passes.”
“He was fanning out, he was starting closeouts. That’s one thing about Coop, the ball comes out of his hands at the right time,” May continued. “If we get to where we’re really finding a rhythm offensively, he’s gonna have some 15-, 20-assist games, there’s no question.”
The block on Wiggins came with Dallas protecting a two-point lead. May said Flagg is determined to get the Mavericks back to playing meaningful games at the right time of year.
“Thing with Coop, he’s trying to win. Last year’s the first year of his life that he hasn’t won big. And he’s determined to get us back to where we’re playing extremely meaningful games at the right time of year,” May explained. “And each game matters a lot because the guy’s a winner. You see the plays he makes. He has a different gear. He has a different level of focus and attention. When he needs it, it’s there.”
“But to see the plays he made, I mean, the last biggest possession of the game, we just put it in his hands and knew he would make a great decision because of how unselfish he can play above the defense,” May added. “But also just his ability to get by people and finish in the paint is incredible.”
Flagg shot 12-of-23 from the field, including 2-of-8 from 3-point range, and made all 3 of his free throws. It was his 14th career double-double and his first this season.
His 11 assists tied the career high he set Nov. 28, 2025, at the Los Angeles Lakers. Flagg has at least three steals in each of his three games this season. At 19 years, 309 days old, he is the youngest non-rookie in the NBA.
Irving has started all 782 games of his career. He sat out Saturday’s loss to San Antonio and is averaging 19.0 points through three games.
Walter Clayton Jr. Plays A Doubleheader
Clayton scored 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range, with 4 rebounds and 4 assists off the bench. Dallas outscored Miami by 22 points with him on the floor.
He had scored 3 points in two games since signing a two-way contract with Dallas on Oct. 21, two days after the Memphis Grizzlies waived him. Clayton has been with the Mavericks for about a week and said Irving’s preparation has pushed everyone to prepare the same way.
“As simple as that, stay ready. Just trying to stay engaged during the timeouts, know the game plan as before,” Clayton said. “And then just a big factor, just the guys trusting me to go out there and shoot the ball and play my game, so definitely.”
Clayton made both of his 3-point attempts, the first in the second quarter and the second with 4:51 left in the third. Miami got out quicker on closeouts after that, he said, though he believed the adjustment was aimed more at Flagg and Irving.
“Just space. I feel like we got a good amount of paint touches tonight. We was relocating off the ball well,” Clayton explained. “We felt like they were a team that collapses a lot. So just finding that space to get those shots off.”
Clayton also blocked a Portis layup with 7:55 left in the game. May said the Heat tried to attack Clayton on defense and that Clayton held his own.
“Walt played in the stay-ready game … earlier today. So he basically did a doubleheader. Obviously it was an abbreviated one this morning, but that’s Walt,” May said. “I mean, he’s a gamer. If anyone, obviously in this state, they’ve seen him a lot. He’s got ice water in his veins. He’s unfazed. Even when he doesn’t play up to his best, he’s the same way.”
“I thought he dug deep trying to defend. They were trying to go at him. I thought he held his own on the defensive end. And offensively, he just gives us so much because he can get wherever he needs to with the ball,” May continued. “He can create advantages, he can finish in the paint. I thought his shot fake, obviously being such a great three-point shooter, I thought he used his shot fake well and just played really, really good ball.”
Clayton led Florida to the 2025 national championship before he was selected 18th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft. Flagg said Clayton was on the floor with the reserves in the stay-ready game after shootaround Monday morning.
“It was great, Walt was great,” Flagg said. “Obviously he hasn’t been with us for very long, but for him to just step up tonight, 6-of-7 from the field, but I thought just his intensity and the way, I mean, plus-22, like for him to go out there and just play really, really hard and unselfish basketball and just really give to the team in every single way. I thought it was a really big step for our team.”
“So obviously huge shoutout to Walt for just staying ready. I think honestly, after shootaround today, he was playing. He was in there playing with the guys in the stay-ready game,” Flagg continued. “So a little doubleheader for him to be able to stay ready and come out tonight and just play and contribute like he did. It was really good to see.”
P.J. Washington’s Night Against Giannis Antetokounmpo
Washington finished with 20 points on 6-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-11 from 3-point range, plus 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block in 40 minutes, 38 seconds. He tied up Antetokounmpo for three jump balls and blocked one of his drives late in the third quarter. In his opening statement, May credited Washington with coming up with the ball on the game’s final possession.
“I think PJ’s been great in stretches every game. For him to play 41 minutes tonight, and I haven’t reviewed the film, but I would say 39 of them were like really intentional, focused, determined to do whatever it takes to win,” May said. “Sometimes from my seat it looks like he can just be in the game and not completely engaged. I thought he was engaged for almost the full 41 minutes.”
“The last loose ball he came up with, there was five or 10 of those throughout the game that he just found a way to go get, and then obviously made a huge three,” May continued. “He’s a weapon because he can stretch the defense, he gets in the paint, he’s physical with his bump-offs, some little short shots, and then he’s got a nose for the ball too. He’s quick to loose balls.”
Washington grabbed 3 of his 9 rebounds on the offensive end. Clayton said Washington has been shooting the ball well and rebounding, too.
“Main thing is he be hitting people. I think people don’t understand how big those little hits go as the game goes on, how important they are,” Clayton said. “And PJ’s done that every game I watch, he’s been constantly doing that. So PJ’s great for us, obviously shooting the ball well, and great rebounder, so he’s been great for us.”
Washington entered Monday averaging 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds. Flagg said Washington has been asked to take on some tall tasks on defense.
“Like I said, same as Zach, I mean, super valuable. I mean, PJ has been doing a lot for us [on] the defensive end, he’s been asked to take on some pretty tall tasks,” Flagg said. “So I think he’s done an incredible job, just doing whatever he can [to] help our team win. PJ has been knocking his shots, doing what he does on the offensive end. But defensively, he’s been our anchor with him and Gaff, and they’ve been holding down the fort.”
“So it’s been really big for him stepping up, Zach stepping up, Gaff has been stepping up on the defensive side of the ball,” Flagg continued. “And I think that’s what’s making us better.”
Zaccharie Risacher’s Defense Through A 2-of-13 Night
Risacher shot 2-of-13 from the field, including 1-of-6 from 3-point range, and finished with 6 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks, and 2 steals. Dallas was plus-9 in his minutes. May said he wants Risacher to keep shooting when he is open.
“Zach is finding himself now, he’s still so young. We really, really value and appreciate those plays,” May said. “However many missed shots he had, he had twice as many loose balls and blocks and steals and rebounds and the ones that don’t show up where he just gets a hand on it, where it’s maybe coming to Bam or Giannis, and he just gets a fingertip and then our guards dig it out. There’s no stat for that, but those are valued in our program and within our team.”
“But just to see how connected our group is, to see how they’re all so much for each other is fun,” May continued.
Risacher’s two field goals were a floater late in the third quarter and the 3-pointer that pulled Dallas within a point with 9:11 left. Entering Monday, he was shooting 18.2% from 3-point range.
“Absolutely, and that’s something that over the course of my career, I’ve probably been a little bit loose with shot selection where some coaches, how well you shoot it, you earn the shots,” May explained. “And with us, if you’re playing the right way and the ball finds you, we trust you based on your work in practice, and also the developmental plan of taking the right shots. So like I said, I wanted Zach to keep shooting when he’s open, and most importantly, his teammates did too. I heard a couple of them say, actually I heard Kyrie say, ‘He’s playing so hard, I want him to keep shooting it.’”
“It’s like, he’s playing so hard, we appreciate that so much that we’re never gonna tell him to stop shooting it. He made a big floater. He made a huge three. And he’s a good shooter,” May continued. “That’s the crazy part. He’s a very good shooter that’s just not making it now, but he’s finding so many other ways to impact the game. And it looks like he’s having fun even though it’s not his best.”
Risacher made his Dallas debut Oct. 21, three months after the Mavericks acquired him from the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team trade. He said his teammates support him no matter what he is doing on the court.
“I feel like, like you said, it don’t matter if the offense going well. I know what I got to do to impact the game, be on the court and make those winning plays. And I feel like as long as I do that, the offense is going to take over itself,” Risacher said. “And yeah, coming to the game, I know where I can impact the game no matter what. No matter what happens offensively, if I make shots or not, I know defensively I gotta bring it up every night. I grab rebounds, got to steal, block. I got to do all those things to make sure I’m helping my team to get to the best position to win games. And I feel like that’s something I take pride of doing.”
Dallas held Miami to 25 points in the fourth quarter. Everybody on the roster has the same mindset whether Dallas is winning or losing, Risacher said.
“I feel like it’s just a reflection of who we are as a team. Defensively, we’re dogs. Like I said, everybody has the back of each other. We make winning plays, we’re guarding as a team,” Risacher explained. “If somebody gets beat, he knows two guys coming to help him. It’s just having that mindset to win as a team, play defense as a team, make winning plays as a team. It’s just great to be able to compete with those guys and be on the same page.”
Risacher’s 3 blocks included one on Antetokounmpo with 5:05 left and one on Mitchell with 5.5 seconds to go. Flagg said Washington and Risacher bring physicality every night without needing to put the ball in the basket.
“That’s what I’m telling Zach. I think obviously nobody’s happy missing shots and stuff like that. But he makes us 15, 20 points better when he’s being active and getting steals and playing his defense,” Flagg said. “So I have no doubt that his shots are gonna start to fall and there’s nothing to worry about there. So with him contributing like he has been, it makes it so much better.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo Records A Triple-Double In Defeat
Antetokounmpo finished with 29 points on 12-of-23 shooting, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists. It was his 57th career regular-season triple-double, his first against Dallas, and his first with Miami. He scored 18 points in the paint.
Antetokounmpo made 3 of his 7 free throws. May said the Heat generated some great looks late that did not fall.
“We brought bodies to him. I think probably the wear and tear of him having to do so much,” May said. “And I thought he made a couple nice kickouts, and the shots didn’t drop. I thought early on we were playing better than the score indicated in the second quarter because a couple shots weren’t dropping. And late in the game, to be honest, I thought they played better than the scoreboard would indicate. I thought they generated some great looks late, and they just didn’t drop. And so that’s part of the game as well.”
Monday was the first time May built a scouting report for Antetokounmpo. Before the game, he said Antetokounmpo can create space in the paint with three defenders on him.
“Just obviously the ball handling, the ability to … his power and force in the paint. He could have three guys on him in the paint and he’s finding a way to create space and dunk the ball, that intensity [he] plays with,” May said before the game. “Every single game, it looks like there’s never a possession [where] he’s not giving his all. So obviously he presents a great challenge, and I remember studying extensively the way the Heat guarded him for years. So we’ll do our best.”
Antetokounmpo had 4 of his shots blocked, one each by Gafford, Washington, Flagg, and Risacher. Dallas finished with 10 blocks.
“Man, just try to meet him early, force some tough ones [at the rim]. Giannis is Giannis, he[’ll] get there, but we just try to make it as tough as possible,” Clayton said. “I think we did a pretty good job tonight.”
Mitchell scored 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting, his second straight 20-point game. Pelle Larsson and Wiggins each added 12 points, and Portis had 10 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. Adebayo finished with 8 points on 3-of-10 shooting and 8 rebounds. His third-quarter steal was the 700th of his career, making him the third player in franchise history to reach that mark. Klay Thompson, who spent the previous two seasons with Dallas, scored 6 points on 2-of-8 shooting.
Christie added 11 points with three 3-pointers for Dallas, and rookie Morez Johnson Jr. had 6 points. The Mavericks shot 43-of-94 (45.7%) from the field and 14-of-45 (31.1%) from 3-point range. It was the first time this season Dallas did not shoot at least 50%. The Mavericks made 13 of their 14 free throws, while Miami went 14-of-25.
Sergio De Larrea Leaves With A Right Knee Strain
Rookie Sergio De Larrea left early in the second quarter with a right knee strain and did not return. He took a hard fall while trying to catch an inbound pass, and Dallas listed him as doubtful to return before ruling him out. Two days earlier, De Larrea scored 21 points against the Spurs.
“I don’t know what it is. He’ll have some imaging tomorrow, but obviously concerned because he’s such a tough kid, but whatever it is, we’ll be here to support him and get through it,” May said. “Very unfortunate, like all these injuries. You look around the NBA and the first thing you think of when there’s an injury is just how much time these guys spend to get their bodies right and how much time they’re gonna have to spend just to get back to playing the game that they love to play. And so hopefully it’s minor, but we’ll know sooner than later.”
The Mavericks listed five players as inactive. Santi Aldama (right knee surgery) and Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery) remain out after procedures, Tarik Biberović has right heel bursitis, Caleb Martin has a right thumb sprain, and Naji Marshall missed the game with an illness.
Dusty May On Erik Spoelstra And The Road Win
May was coaching against Heat coach Erik Spoelstra for the first time. Spoelstra is in his 19th season as Miami’s head coach.
“I feel better with the Mavericks going head to head against the Heat than the matchup of the head coaches. I had a lot of help tonight from the staff and also from our players,” May said. “But obviously a lot of respect, they’re gonna figure it out. Like I said earlier today, it’s not a matter of if, it’s just a matter of when. You think there’s 78 more regular-season games and you bring these new teams that all come from different defensive philosophies and offensive philosophies.”
“So it’s tough to get your guys on the same page and connected on both sides of the ball. But we’re going to look up and, whatever the amount of time is, they’re gonna be playing great basketball, and this will be a real quality road win,” May continued.
The win was the Mavericks’ second in three road games. Dallas beat the Indiana Pacers 121-105 on Friday after losing its season opener 128-110 at the Houston Rockets.
“Each game is so different. I think more than anything else, just the belief that we can,” May said. “We won a game in Indiana where we had a little bit of margin. They came storming back, and we held on. This one was back and forth, and we got a little bit of separation midway through the fourth, but it was a one-possession game.”
“So I think it gives our guys confidence that we don’t know what it’s going to look like. Maybe it’s a big-time [shot] by someone or maybe it’s a couple stops. But we have enough and we’ve got different ways to figure out a way to close the games,” May continued. “And so I think it just gives you confidence for later on when you’re in so many of these.”
A sellout crowd of 19,611 attended. The regular-season series between the franchises stands at 40-40, according to Heat game notes. The teams meet again Dec. 29 at American Airlines Center, where Miami has not won since Nov. 2, 2021.
Dallas opens a three-game homestand Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, with tip-off set for 8:30 p.m. CT at American Airlines Center. The Mavericks host Houston on Friday and the Sacramento Kings next Monday.
