A pass from Cooper Flagg ended in a Daniel Gafford alley-oop in the second quarter. The Mavericks could have used more trips that ended with that kind of simple transaction. Gafford made nine of his 10 shots on Monday and scored 20 points, earning every bit of the praise that survives a 115-100 loss to Sacramento.
The useful part of Gafford’s game at American Airlines Center was how reliably he finished possessions in a Dallas offense that often could not. He had 15 points before halftime, then gave the Mavericks a brief third-quarter lead on a layup and free throw. There were ways to score inside against the Kings.
Dallas found enough of them to stay close for much of the evening.
Gafford’s biggest scoring period was the second, when he made five baskets and a free throw. The alley-oop was one of those finishes, and it was a particularly economical use of a good pass. Gafford could turn that sort of delivery into points without asking Dallas to set up another shot.
The variety was within a useful range for Dallas. A team that struggled from farther out could still put the ball near the basket and get a high return.
That is a meaningful role, particularly for a team that had trouble making shots elsewhere. Dallas finished 32-of-78 from the field and 7-of-33 from 3-point range. The Mavericks made 29 of 35 free throws and scored 40 points in the paint, so this was not an evening without interior production.
Gafford’s 9-of-10 shooting was the sharpest version of it, and Morez Johnson Jr. added 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting.
The passes mattered, too. Marshall recorded seven assists and Flagg had six, including a pass to Gafford for a reverse layup in the fourth quarter. That combination was useful even though both creators had difficult scoring nights.
There is value in giving the offense a dependable finish while someone else works through a rough stretch. It lets a team use a good pass even if its next shot comes from a player who has missed several.
Marshall’s pass to Gafford for the third-quarter layup was a good example. Dallas needed both points just to tie, and Gafford’s free throw then supplied a 65-64 lead. Sacramento took the lead back on a three.
