The Dallas Mavericks (25-56) took on the San Antonio Spurs (62-19) for the last time in the 2025-2026 season. Saturday night’s matchup ended with Dallas on the wrong side of a 139-120 final score, with the loss dropping Dallas’ record to 25-56 with one game remaining. The Mavs had eight players listed as “out” so some unusual suspects got to showcase their talents.

Let’s get to the grades!

13 PTS / 1 REB / 7 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 31 MIN

Nembhard had a relatively solid game with nothing remarkable. He chipped in a few points, he led the team in assists nearly from the opening tip and didn’t do much to get upset about.

16 PTS / 1 REB / 2 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 31 MIN

This is the kind of game Christie is capable of at really any given time. I still don’t love the high frequency of three-point attempts for a guy who can drive and shoot the mid-range, not to mention hit free throws at a high clip. That said, when he shoots the three this well, it’s nice to see and gives the Mavs a different dimension.

33 PTS / 6 REB / 5 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 32 MIN

Flagg got himself back on track after a poor scoring night last game. His shooting was spot-on (13-for-25; 3-for-7 from deep) and he poured in the points by making good decisions for easy baskets, while connecting on a number of tough, well-defended shots. This was his eleventh game scoring 30 or more points.

14 PTS / 3 REB / 3 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 25 MIN

Middleton was efficient (5-for-8) yet quiet, in that his contributions didn’t really pop out while watching the game. He was solid and made the most of his chances.

2 PTS / 1 REB / 1 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 8 MIN

Bagley suffered a shoulder injury that took him out of action after only eight minutes, so qualifying for an actual grade isn’t possible. Hopefully he will be able to play in game 82 as opposed to ending his season here.

12 PTS / 1 REB / 0 AST / 1 STL / 1 BLK – 30 MIN

Poulakidas couldn’t replicate what he did last time out, and it wasn’t even close. He hoisted a lot of three-pointers as would be expected, but almost none of them went through the net until late in the game when he caught fire a bit. Despite the late flurry, he was the worst Mav in terms of plus/minus (by a big margin) for most of the night. Perhaps the best part of his game is that he stayed within himself and didn’t stop shooting. He demonstrated confidence that not may two-way players would show after such a rough start.

13 PTS / 1 REB / 2 AST / 0 STL / 1 BLK – 20 MIN

I joke around with other MMB staffers that Johnson is a legend in the making. While that isn’t necessarily likely, I do still think there is a good NBA player inside the rough edges of what he currently is. He shot decently well (4-for-9), buoyed by a bank-shot three-pointer, and nailed his free throws (4-for-4) while showing little flashes that have me rooting hard for him to develop more this offseason to see what he can bring to the team next year. This was his highest scoring game since coming to Dallas.

6 PTS / 2 REB / 1 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 19 MIN

Smith displayed his athleticism and some decently quick hands on a so-so shooting night (3-for-7 but 0-for-4 from beyond the arc).

At this point, Mavs’ losses are far more valuable than Mavs’ wins. Without P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall and a host of others, this was a nice game to take the L while letting some younger guys get opportunities they otherwise would not have, all the while watching Cooper Flagg put on a show.

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