It’s a new start for the Dallas Mavericks.
On Tuesday, the team fired general manager Nico Harrison, who had been under fire since trading superstar Luka Doncic in February. The final straw for team owner Patrick Dumont might have been Monday’s 116-114 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, who were coming back from 13 points down in the fourth quarter amid a chorus of “Fire, Nico” chants in the background.
The post-Harrison era begins Wednesday in Dallas when the Mavericks host the Phoenix Suns and red-hot Grayson Allen.
Allen is coming off a franchise record 10 3-pointers and a career-high 42 points in the Suns’ 121-98 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday.
“He gives a pretty good impression,” first-year Suns coach Jordan Ott said of Allen after the win. “We want him to shoot more and take some where he maybe doesn’t feel as comfortable all the time. It’s great to see how his teammates push for him.”
Phoenix reshaped its roster after a disappointing 2024-25 season, when the Suns finished 36-46 and out of the playoffs. Kevin Durant was one of the departures.
Devin Booker is the No. 1 option on offense and is sixth in the NBA with 28.4 points per game. Allen leads the NBA with 46 3-pointers made.
“This list is filled with shots,” Ott said. “We just need to put enough pressure on teams and move the ball.”
The Suns are still not at full strength. Jalen Green, acquired from the Houston Rockets as part of the Durant-led seven-team NBA monster, has played in just two games and is dealing with a hamstring strain.
Dallas has lost five of its last six games. Anthony Davis missed those six contests due to a calf strain.
Without Davis, Mavs rookie Cooper Flagg became a more important part of the offense. He scored a career-high 26 points in the loss to Milwaukee, including a sensational goal against Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo in the final minutes for a key basket.
“I’d like to say my first thought was I was going to dunk him, but no, that wasn’t going to happen,” Flagg said after the game. “He’s a huge guy. I just made a read to challenge him at the rim and made the play.”
Dallas trailed the Bucks by a point late when the inbounds pass to Flagg was intercepted and led to a Milwaukee basket. There was a lot of contact on Flagg, who was playing with a splint on his right thumb.
“I won’t get fined,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said of the play. “It wasn’t called. You have to play it until the end.”
PJ Washington leads the Mavericks with 15.5 points per game, but the team is shooting just 29.5% from beyond the arc.
“I think every game is about confidence and competition,” Kidd said. “Win or lose, we have to play 82 games. I think we build that trust and compete. Sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce your way. That’s when you have to trust yourself and keep fighting.”
–Field level media
