DALLAS \u2014 The Dallas Mavericks were in unfamiliar territory Wednesday against the Miami Heat: They had a comfortable lead. In the third quarter, Dallas pulled ahead by 17 points, its biggest advantage in a game this year.<\/p>\n
The Heat sliced that lead to four points in the fourth quarter, but the youngest player on the Mavericks\u2019 roster ensured his team would walk away with a third consecutive win. Cooper Flagg hit a 10-foot turnaround jumper at the 1:59 mark in the final period. On Miami\u2019s next possession, Flagg stuffed Andrew Wiggins\u2019 paint attempt. Then, Flagg converted a cutting layup.<\/p>\n
Those plays, which took place in a 34-second span, were critical in the Mavericks\u2019 118-108 win<\/a>. Flagg finished with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting and added six rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block.<\/p>\n Cooper Flagg hits a jumpshot on one end, gets a block on the other, then hits a layup in traffic for an impressive stretch late in the fourth quarter vs the Miami Heat pic.twitter.com\/i4Yj7GkzMn<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) December 4, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe haven\u2019t had many games where we\u2019ve been up or had a lot of leads,\u201d a giddy Flagg said afterwards. \u201cIt feels good. Built a little bit of a cushion. And to just kind of find something \u2014 it was good for us.\u201d<\/p>\n Barely a quarter of the way through his rookie year, Flagg has gotten plenty of reps as a closer; Wednesday\u2019s matchup against Miami was Dallas\u2019 18th \u201cclutch\u201d game this season. Flagg had some early-season stumbles, but it\u2019s scary how comfortable he\u2019s started to look in high-leverage moments. Flagg has scored 52 \u201cclutch\u201d points on 16-of-27 shooting. That\u2019s the fourth-most \u201cclutch\u201d points<\/a> of any NBA player this season.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s done it his whole life,\u201d said Ryan Nembhard, who again played an enormous role in a Mavericks win. \u201cMontverde (Academy, where Flagg went to high school), he didn\u2019t lose. Duke, he barely lost. I\u2019m sure he didn\u2019t lose when he was in Maine. He does it on both ends of the floor consistently every single night. That\u2019s special for an 18-year-old.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople forget he\u2019s 18. He shouldn\u2019t even be here right now. It\u2019s crazy what he\u2019s doing.\u201d<\/p>\n The Mavericks faced the Heat in Miami on Nov. 24. What Nembhard did coming off the bench in that game \u2014 handing out seven assists\u00a0 \u2014 convinced coach Jason Kidd the undrafted rookie was ready for a bigger role. Nembhard has started the last four games for Dallas, a stretch in which the team has gone 3-1.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, Nembhard scored 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting and had 13 assists with just one turnover. Nembhard\u2019s poise and playmaking ability helped the Mavericks have another healthy night offensively. Dallas shot 50.5 percent from the field and 50 percent from the 3-point line. Seven different Mavericks reached double figures.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just trying to make the right play out there,\u201d Nembhard said. \u201cWe have a bunch of talented guys on the squad. Give them the ball on time, on target, and they are going to do the rest. That\u2019s definitely a point of emphasis for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Poor point guard play was the Mavericks\u2019 biggest deficiency early in the season. They signed D\u2019Angelo Russell to address that need last summer, but it hasn\u2019t worked out as hoped. Chris Paul, another point guard in whom the Mavericks were rumored to have interest during free agency, ended up signing with the LA Clippers, but his future is in doubt there after the team unexpectedly sent him home Wednesday<\/a>. The Mavericks, according to league sources, could look to add a backcourt piece as the Feb. 5 trade deadline approaches, but they are not actively exploring pathways to adding Paul, the 40-year-old who ranks one spot ahead of Kidd on the NBA\u2019s all-time assists list.<\/p>\n Right now, Nembhard has a firm grip on the starting job with the way he has performed over the past week and a half. In his last five games, Nembhard is averaging 14 points, 7.4 assists and only one turnover. He\u2019s tallied 37 assists with just five turnovers dating back to his breakout game last month in Miami. He\u2019s an elite decision-maker, a quality Kidd greatly values.<\/p>\n \u201cHe understands his game,\u201d Kidd said. \u201cHe understands the game of basketball is not to make it complex. Keep it simple. If they give you the shot, take the shot. If your teammate is open, make sure you get them the ball in a successful place.\u201d<\/p>\n Kidd has two high-IQ rookies in Nembhard and Flagg. He closed the game Wednesday with both of them on the floor. The Heat got within two possessions of the lead in the final two minutes, but Flagg \u2014 the reigning Western Conference Rookie of the Month \u2014 made sure to coolly extinguish any threat.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve leaned on him on both ends of the ball,\u201d Kidd said. \u201cOffensively, being able to score, and defensively, coming up with a big block. He makes winning plays. Not just in the clutch, but throughout the game. Another good game for him.\u201d<\/p>\n