3 overreactions as Mavericks lose 7th straight road game, fall to Trail Blazers

The Dallas Mavericks lost their third straight game on Monday night, which is their fifth loss in the last six games, and seven straight road losses. This one came at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers, who were in a similar position in the standings as the Mavs.

And Portland led by double-digits pretty consistently through the first three quarters. Deni Avdija had 11 points in the first quarter as Portland was 7/13 from behind the arc in the frame, which helped them score 42 points, outscoring the Mavs by 13. And until the end of the third, the lead was consistently between 8 and 15 points. Throughout the second quarter, Portland had the lead at 17 five different times.

A rally at the end of the third quarter, which was sparked by Klay Thompson banking in a three from the left wing, had the lead down to four, and from then on, we had ourselves a ball game.

The fourth quarter saw eight lead changes and four ties. Max Christie was electric for the Mavs all game (25 points), but especially in the fourth quarter when he had 11 points on 4/4 shooting, including 3/3 from deep. However, Portland had Caleb Love come off the bench to give them 12 points in the fourth and 24 in the game.

With the game on the line in the final 10 seconds and the Mavericks down one, Cooper Flagg drove left, drew multiple defenders, and kicked out to Naji Marshall at the top of the key for a wide-open three. He'd miss, and the Mavericks would end up losing 125-122.

The Mavericks are now in 12th place in the Western Conference, and with how well the Clippers are playing as of late, the Mavs could find themselves in 13th before too long.

Portland had three players score at least 24 points (Deni Avdija 27, Shaedon Sharpe 24, Caleb Love 24), and that ended up being too much to overcome.

Here are three overreactions from this loss.

1. Cooper Flagg's Bad Games Are Still Solid

Dec 29, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) drives to the basket during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Cooper Flagg had one of his worst games in recent memory, putting up 15 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds on just 6/20 shooting. The scoring may not have been at the standard we've come to expect over the last few weeks, but he's still an impressive player on multiple fronts. And even though Naji Marshall missed the potential game-winner, Flagg made the right play.

2. Max Christie Breakout

Dec 25, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Max Christie (00) during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks have been wanting Max Christie to shoot the ball more since he's their best shooter, and he responded in a big way on Monday night, putting up 25 points, shooting 8/12 from the floor and a ridiculous 5/7 from three. He's been back in the starting lineup, and with this kind of production, he may need to stay there.

3. Games Should NEVER Start This Late

Dec 29, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (23), left, and Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) exchange jerseys after a game at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

This game didn't start until nearly 10:50 Eastern time on a Monday night. It's one thing if it were a weekend or before a holiday, but games just shouldn't start this late, and it's one of the many issues going on with the NBA right now. Adam Silver has to fix a lot of things, but this needs to be one of them.

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