3 overreactions as Mavericks upset Pistons in overtime in strangely officiated game

The Dallas Mavericks hosted the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night, hoping to upset the leader in the Eastern Conference. They've played a lot of close games this season, turning some of those into wins in the last seven games, but this was one of their toughest battles.

Dallas led this game for most of the way. After an initial back-and-forth for the first quarter, the Mavericks would lead for the final eight minutes of the frame behind 9 points from P.J. Washington. The Pistons fought back to briefly take the lead in the second quarter, but an 11-2 run by the Mavs helped create some separation.

In the second quarter, it was Max Christie getting to the free-throw line that helped the Mavericks, and they'd end up leading by 13 points with a minute left before halftime. The lead would balloon up to 18, 86-68, with 5 minutes remaining in the third, and it felt like the Mavs had the game in hand.

But that's when the Pistons made their run. They outscored the Mavs 11-5 for the rest of the quarter, then went on a 16-6 run to open the fourth to tie the game again. Isaiah Stewart would break the tie to give the Pistons their first lead in the second quarter, then Cade Cunningham pushed the lead to four. Just like that, we had another clutch game for the Mavs.

Naji Marshall gave the Mavericks the lead again with a transition layup, then Anthony Davis tapped in a missed shot from Cooper Flagg (really should've been offensive basket interference) to make it a three-point lead again, and a 9-2 run for the Mavs.

Cunningham knocked in a floater and then a tough shot from the elbow, Cooper Flagg was blocked at the rim, and then Daniss Jenkins was sent to the free-throw line with under a minute to play. That pushed the Pistons' lead to three before Flagg hit a tough shot over Isaiah Stewart. Anthony Davis blocked Jenkins at the rim on the next sequence, leading to a shot clock violation.

Cooper Flagg attacked Cade Cunningham on a switch and hit the pull-up jumper when Cunningham tried to switch off to take the lead, and then, in a scramble situation, a foul was called on Anthony Davis for tripping Isaiah Stewart. Stewart missed the first free throw, then made the second to tie the game with 3.4 seconds remaining.

At the buzzer, the inbounds play tried to go to Cooper Flagg, but Detroit defended it well, so it went to Klay Thompson instead, whose runner rimmed out, sending it to a second-straight overtime game for the Mavs.

Brandon Williams hit two free throws to start overtime, followed by a layup from Cade Cunningham. Anthony Davis had a putback dunk, and then a minute went by before Cunningham tied it again. On the next sequence, Cooper Flagg bounce-passed it to AD as two defenders flashed to him, and Davis flushed home the dunk.

And then after some strange sequences, the ball ended up in Cade Cunningham's hands with the shot clock off. He missed it, and as Mark Followill said on the broadcast, what could only be described as a rugby scrum broke out under the basket for the rebound. One way or another, the ball ended up in Davis' hands in the final second despite JB Bickerstaff trying to call a timeout, which the officials never saw or heard. From there, the Mavericks would go on to win 116-114.

Cooper Flagg ended up with 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Mavericks, while Anthony Davis also had a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Maybe the most impressive thing was the Mavericks blocking 14 shots as a team. Cade Cunningham led all scorers with 29 points.

Here are three overreactions from this win.

1. Anthony Davis Was Almost Non-Existent... Key Word Almost

Dec 12, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) runs back up the court during the game between the Mavericks and the Nets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks are trying to raise Anthony Davis' trade value, especially against a team that may have some interest in him. And outside of a few nice blocks, he didn't make much of an impact, especially on offense, where he finished 7/18 from the floor. He did return from a one-game absence due to a calf contusion, and he patrolled the interior well, but he's not getting paid $175 million over the next two and a half seasons to patrol the paint well and be average on offense.

But then overtime happened, and he was incredibly impactful, having two dunks that helped win the Mavericks the game. Pair that with some blocks throughout the game, and it ended up rounding into an okay game for him.

2. Cooper Flagg Being Aggressive In the Clutch is What This Franchise Needs

Dec 18, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) motions to his teammates during the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Mavericks have been going to Cooper Flagg in clutch situations more and more, and he's delivering exactly how you'd want him to. He had dead legs in Utah, which was understandable, but he bounced back in this one. The possession that gave the Mavericks the lead for good in overtime came from him drawing in two defenders and dishing it off to Davis open for the dunk under the basket. This is what you want to see from an 18-year-old.

3. The Strangest Officiating You May Ever See

Dec 18, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) argues a call with NBA referee John Goble (10) during the second quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Mavericks ended up shooting 36 free throws in this game. 30 of those were in the first three quarters, and yet, the fourth quarter and overtime period were as physical as you'll ever see. Officials were just letting everything go. From a reviewed goaltend on what should have been a Cooper Flagg block earlier in the game (and they still got the review wrong, and never showed the AI technology to confirm it), missing JB Bickerstaff's timeout in the closing seconds, and plenty of other miscues, it'll be hard to find a game as poorly officiated as this, and it's why some fans have a hard time watching the NBA.

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