Flagg Apologizes After Mavericks Fall to Winless Kings
Cooper Flagg apologized to his Dallas teammates after the Mavericks lost 115-100 to Sacramento on November 2, giving the Kings their first win of the season.
The Dallas Mavericks dropped to 4-3 with a 115-100 defeat by the Sacramento Kings on November 2. Sacramento entered the game without a win this season. Kyrie Irving did not play as he continues to recover from an ACL injury, leaving more responsibility with rookie Cooper Flagg.
Flagg scored 17 points, making 3 of 19 shots from the field and converting 11 free throws. He also had six turnovers, six assists, four rebounds and two steals. Teammate Daniel Gafford said Flagg apologized to the team for his performance, but stressed that the loss was a collective responsibility.
Gafford was among Dallas’ leading scorers, along with Walter Clayton Jr., who recently signed a two-way contract, and Flagg. Morez Johnson Jr. scored 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting. Outside that group, Mavericks players combined to make nine of 35 field-goal attempts; P.J. Washington and Naji Marshall each went 2-for-9.
The defeat underscored Dallas’ need for more scoring, particularly when Irving is unavailable. The team has limited options who can create their own shots, and adding a backcourt scorer—potentially by trading one or two frontcourt players—was suggested as a possible way to address that weakness.