Mavericks look to bounce back at home against Washington Wizards

The Cooper Flagg era got off to a bad start, as they fell 125-92 at home to the San Antonio Spurs. No team in the NBA had a worse offensive performance for their first game than the Mavericks, as no other team scored fewer than 104 in regulation. And, according to Second Spectrum (via Tim Cato), it was the worst shot quality the Mavericks have generated in a game in the last seven years.

So, yeah, not a great showing, to say the least.

They'll look to bounce back in this long homestand to start the season against the Washington Wizards, who fell to the Milwaukee Bucks in their first game, 133-120. They let Giannis Antetokounmpo go crazy for 37 points, but there's going to be a lot of that this season with the Bucks.

Oct 22, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Washington Wizards forward Khris Middleton (22) drives to the basket against the Milwaukee Bucks in the second half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

In that game, the Wizards were led by former Buck Khris Middleton with 23 points, though second-year forward Kyshawn George wasn't far behind with 21. Rookie Tre Johnson, who was the 6th overall pick out of Texas, is back in the Lone Star State and looks like a flamethrower, scoring 14 points in 19 minutes in his NBA debut.

Speaking of NBA debuts, Cooper Flagg's wasn't pretty. He finished with a double-double, 10 points and 10 rebounds, but he shot just 4/13 from the floor and was scoreless at halftime. Jason Kidd is rolling him out at point guard, and it didn't look like a great fit, as he didn't even have an assist in the game. The defense and rebounding were there, but it does feel like he's been misused.

Dallas will need to find a way to get some offense going because if they lose this game to the Wizards, an already perturbed fanbase is going to start lighting things on fire and sounding panic alarms just two games into the season. But that's how bad the offense was in the first game of the season, and it stems from a questionable preseason.