2 Things After Dallas Takes A Loss Against Atlanta, 135-120

The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Dallas Mavericks 135-to-120.

This game started on the wrong foot, and the Mavericks never quite found their level. If you blinked (or spent the first couple of minutes looking at your phone), you might’ve missed the Hawks starting the game by opening up a 10-to-0 lead within the game’s first two minutes. The Mavericks woke up a little at that point and worked their way back into it, but that was how things went all night — Atlanta would surge ahead, and Dallas would get just close enough that you didn’t want to turn the game off, but the Mavs were never threatening to win this one.

Daniel Gafford had a big game, scoring a season-high 24 on nine-of-10 shooting and four offensive boards.

For Atlanta, CJ McCollum led the way with an efficient 22 points on eight-of-12 shooting.

Just you wait

There are few things less productive as a sports fan than complaining about refs, and that’s not even necessarily the aim here, but Cooper Flagg’s whistle has nowhere to go but up.

As a rookie, Flagg has been damn-near stoic when it comes to showing visible frustration on the floor, but after a n0-call on a layup in the first quarter left Coop bleeding from the forearm, he did have an extended conversation with the nearest referee, showing off the wound like a courtroom prosecutor bringing the juror’s attention to “Exhibit A.”

He’s a rookie. Sure, the same rules should apply equally to every player all the time, but in the real world, it’s just a matter of fact that guys need to earn their lumps. Cooper is certainly doing that this year. His hesitation to let it fly from deep and instead drive to the cup as often as possible almost seems purposeful. Like he wants to make sure he pays enough dues this season so that next year, his whistle will be undeniable.

Big ups, big guy

Daniel Gafford, a guy who started the year vying for minutes with Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively, has been charged with shouldering the vast majority of the minutes at center. He’s played through some injuries and logged a bunch of minutes, but he’s still able to deliver solid performances in games like tonight.

He ended up with 24 points on a nine-of-10 shooting, plus a nearly perfect six-for-seven from the line and eight total boards.

Ideally, he’s a guy who could come off the bench (which he actually did tonight, as the Mavs started a wacky forward-heavy lineup with Flagg, Naji Marshall, and PJ Washington all starting) and play a hyper-efficient game around the basket with a top-tier facilitator. That’s still in the cards in the near future, but while we’re still in the present, his steadying presence as Dallas’ premiere Big is commendable.