Mavericks navigate Flagg’s rookie wall as Davis, Christie lift skid-breaking win
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Cooper Flagg’s stellar December earned him a second consecutive Western Conference Rookie of the Month award, but the Dallas forward has shown signs of fatigue in recent outings. Head coach Jason Kidd acknowledged the 2025 No. 1 overall pick is “touching” the rookie wall while logging heavy minutes in his first 82-game season.
The 19-year-old has already surpassed the total minutes he played last year at Duke and currently stands seventh league-wide in minutes. Over his past three contests, Flagg has converted just 29.8% of his 15.7 field-goal attempts and averaged 12.3 points, though he has continued to contribute 7.0 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game.
Skid ends behind Davis and Christie
The Mavericks halted a four-game slide Saturday with a 116-107 victory highlighted by standout performances from Anthony Davis and Max Christie. Davis delivered 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting, 12 rebounds, three assists and five blocks in 39 minutes. It marked his 36th career game with at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks, tying Tim Duncan for the seventh-most such games in NBA history.
Christie, 22, has hit peak form over his last three outings, averaging 22.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting .657 from the field, .550 from three and a perfect 1.000 at the foul line. The 6’5″ guard tallied 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting and grabbed seven boards Saturday, punctuating the night with three dunks. “Three might be the most of my career,” Christie joked afterward. “It felt good to be athletic out there, to be able to attack the rim and get a couple of dunks.”
Washington exits with ankle sprain
Veteran forward P.J. Washington was limited to 12 minutes after spraining his right ankle in the first half and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Source: Hoops Rumors
