SACRAMENTO — The road hasn’t been kind to the Dallas Mavericks.
While the Mavericks received the benefit of playing 13 of their first 18 games at American Airlines Center, an uptick in travel may be starting to catch up with them. Dallas has played 10 of its last 15 games on the road.
The Mavericks enter Monday’s primetime matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers with a 3-11 record in opposing arenas. Their latest loss came at the expense of the Sacramento Kings, a game that was plagued by careless turnovers and a lack of energy early in the game.
“This road trip started in Philly,” said Mavericks coach Jason Kidd. “That’s no excuse. You have to play the schedule. We’re playing back-to-back [games] at 2 o’clock. I thought we came out flat. This is something we’ll look back if we have another 2 o’clock game of what we can do to get off to a better start.”
Mavericks
The Mavericks won’t have to worry about another early tip-off until Jan. 17, when they host the Utah Jazz at home. Monday will mark an opportunity for the Mavericks to snap a six-game road losing streak. The last time Dallas won a game on the road was on Dec. 1, when they defeated the Denver Nuggets.
Dallas is also navigating their latest three-game road trip without their All-Star big man, Anthony Davis, who is currently sidelined with right adductor soreness. He is listed as questionable for Monday’s game alongside Brandon Williams, who has a left calf contusion.
Without two significant rotation players, the Mavericks will continue to lean on rookie forward Cooper Flagg, who is averaging 24.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists in the month of December. The 19-year-old, playing the Mavericks’ road-heavy schedule,was required to have an unconventional Christmas for the first time in his basketball career.
“It’s different. That’s all part of being a pro,” Flagg said. “All these guys have been through it before, but this is my first time. That’s different. Traveling all over the place. This is my first time not being at home for Christmas and being with my whole family, so that’s a little different, but just gotta find ways to play through it. We gotta come out with better energy and be ready to play.”
Three of Flagg’s highest scoring performances have occurred on the road. He exploded for a career-high 42 points on Dec. 15 in a loss to Utah. He had a breakout game of 35 points on Nov. 29 against the LA Clippers, that was the start of his newfound assertion on offense.
Flagg played one of his worst halves of his career on Saturday afternoon, but quickly rebounded with one of his best scoring quarters after halftime. He scored 15 of his team-high 23 points thanks to his ability to find a rhythm from beyond the arc.
The 19-year-old played 37 games as a freshman at Duke last season, and he will play Game No. 33 as a professional on Monday night. After the loss in Sacramento, Flagg admitted that he’s navigating some fatigue, but he sounds as if he is up for the challenge to help his team compete.
“I’m a little tired, for sure,” Flagg said. “You go through it. Trying to figure it out, figure out what works for me. 33 games. That’s as many games as I played the whole season last year. It’s different, for sure. It’s a lot more mentally tiring. Physically as well, but I say the mental part is the biggest change. I’m just trying to figure it out day by day.”
That approach is widespread across the roster. And at this point, it’s the only thing the Mavericks can rely on while they wait for reinforcements to arrive.
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