The Dallas Mavericks slipped to 0-2 on the young season Friday night, dropping a 117-107 decision to the Washington Wizards at American Airlines Center while a chorus of “Fire Nico!” calls directed at general manager Nico Harrison rang through the arena’s closing minute.
Public unrest toward Harrison has grown steadily since the club shipped former franchise cornerstone Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 2, just months after Dončić carried Dallas to the 2024 NBA Finals. A summertime lift from winning the draft lottery and selecting Duke forward Cooper Flagg first overall has quickly been replaced by frustration after consecutive double-digit defeats, including Wednesday’s 33-point blowout by the San Antonio Spurs.
Early struggles on the court
Dallas owns the league’s worst offensive rating (95.5 points per 100 possessions) through two games and is averaging 18.5 turnovers, coughing the ball up 20 times against Washington. Rookie Flagg, shifted to point guard, finished with 18 points, five rebounds, six assists and five turnovers; 11 of his points came in the fourth quarter as the Mavericks trimmed a 17-point deficit to four before fading.
Anthony Davis, the centerpiece of the Dončić trade, posted 27 points and 13 rebounds but also committed five turnovers. “We are beating ourselves,” Davis said. “Everything’s correctable and internal.”
Meanwhile, Dončić leads the NBA at 46.0 points per game after pouring in 49 points for the Lakers in a win over Minnesota on Friday.
Voices from the bench
Head coach Jason Kidd, who signed a multiyear extension during the preseason, urged fans to show patience with a roster overhaul. “It’s a different team, a new team,” Kidd said. “We all want to win … but that doesn’t stop us from coming to work tomorrow and getting better for Sunday.”
Veteran guard Klay Thompson, limited to eight points on 2-of-7 shooting in 17 minutes, placed the responsibility on the players. “You’ve got to give ’em something to cheer for,” he said, admitting his concern level is “high” after preseason championship talk.
Flagg said he was unaware of the chants, noting he was “locked in on the game,” while Davis dismissed any notion of adversity two games into an 82-game schedule. “We’ve got 80 games left,” he remarked. “You can run off 10 straight and then what?”
Dallas hosts the Toronto Raptors on Sunday looking for its first win and, perhaps, quieter stands.
Source: ESPN
