PHX 112, DAL 107: Booker, Brooks Both Feast for PHX
Jake Morrison
Computer Science Student ยท Dallas Mavericks fan
Booker Went Nuclear, But the Mavs Got Shorthanded and It Showed
Look, Devin Booker turned into a cheat code last night. 37 points, 9 assists, 9-9 from the line, basically said "I'm taking this game" and nobody could stop it. 52.5 Yahoo points. That's the kind of performance that wins fantasy matchups by itself, even when your team barely scrapes out a five-point W.
But here's what I'm actually mad about as a Mavs fan: Dallas brought a JV squad to Phoenix and got punched in the mouth because of it. No Kyrie. No Gafford. No Lively. The actual stars were just... not there. So of course a bunch of random dudes stepped up and suddenly we're all scrambling to figure out if they're actually good or if this was just noise.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devin Booker | 53.0 | 52.5 | 37/5/9 | 26.1/3.9/6.0 | +10.9 |
| Dillon Brooks | 45.0 | 41.5 | 28/5/3 | 20.3/3.7/1.8 | +7.7 |
| Cooper Flagg | 28.0 | 37.2 | 11/11/6 | 21.0/6.7/4.6 | -10.0 |
| Marvin Bagley III | 39.0 | 33.6 | 20/8/2 | 10.6/6.2/1.4 | +9.4 |
| Khaman Maluach | 29.0 | 29.8 | 4/14/0 | 2.7/2.6/0.1 | +1.3 |
| Max Christie | 35.0 | 29.4 | 18/2/2 | 12.2/3.3/2.0 | +5.8 |
| John Poulakidas | 39.0 | 28.7 | 23/1/1 | 6.8/2.5/0.6 | +16.2 |
| Ryan Nembhard | 27.0 | 25.5 | 9/5/7 | 6.4/2.1/4.9 | +2.6 |
| Collin Gillespie | 23.0 | 25.4 | 13/7/2 | 12.7/4.1/4.7 | +0.3 |
| Moussa Cisse | 24.0 | 23.8 | 11/9/0 | 4.1/5.2/0.2 | +6.9 |
The Booker Show Was Real (But Also, Obviously)
Devin Booker is the reigning MVP and he plays the Mavs without their main guys, so yeah he went off. This isn't some deep discovery. 13-27 FG, and he basically lived at the line (9-9 FT). He crushed his season average by 10.9 points and was in rhythm all night. If you benched him against a shorthanded Mavs squad, that's on you.
The thing is, this doesn't tell us anything new. Booker does this to bad defensive matchups. Dallas had no choice but to throw role players at him. Next game, when the Mavs have their whole roster? Different story.
The Bagley Explosion and John Poulakidas WTF Moment
Marvin Bagley III dropped 20/8 on 8-11 shooting with three threes in 26 minutes. That's a +9.4 on his season average. He got added by 1.1% ownership overnight and honestly, I get why, but pump the brakes a second.
Bagley was playing heavy minutes because Dallas was missing half its team. When Gafford and Lively get back, those minutes evaporate. You can add him in deeper leagues as a speculative play for the next game if the injuries stick around, but don't sell the farm.
Now John Poulakidas, whoever he is, went 8-12 from the field with 5 threes for 23 points. That's a +16.2 from his season average. 29 minutes. Look man, I don't even know if this guy plays again after tonight. He got the cleanup minutes in a close game and caught fire. This is the definition of a one-night-stand performance. Do not add. Do not trade for. Do not think about again.
Cooper Flagg Got Messed Up by the Glass
Here's the one real problem I see on the Mavs side. Cooper Flagg finished with 11/11/6 but went 4-18 from the field. That's a shooting night that tanks your efficiency even though the rebounding was elite. He's down 10 points from his season average despite those line numbers, which tells you the game script was brutal.
When you're playing a five-point loss on the road missing your stars, your young wings don't get good looks. Flagg will be fine when the roster is healthy, but last night was a rough showcase. Not a panic, just context.
Khaman Maluach Got PAID on the Boards
Khaman Maluach pulling down 14 boards is insane. That's his whole season value in one game. But here's the thing: he only played 30 minutes and went 2-5 from the field. This was a pure desperation rebounding night on a bad defensive team. Once Phoenix's lineup settles, these boards normalize hard.
That said, if you're in a deeper league and need a streaming big for boards, Maluach did something in this game. Just know it's volatile.
The Actual Trade Target Here
Dillon Brooks is the one guy I'm actually interested in. 28/5/3 with four threes, +7.7 from his average, and he's already at 43% ownership. Brooks is a solid role player who fits lineups and he showed real production on good efficiency. He's been on the "maybe add" list for weeks. If you can get him off waivers, grab him. He's not going to explode every night but he's consistent volume.
The Bottom Line
This game was weirdly interesting because half the Mavs didn't show up. Booker ate, some random Mavs role players looked decent, and Cooper Flagg couldn't get the ball to go in despite crashing the glass. If Dallas stays healthy for the next game, this entire performance chart gets erased. Don't make moves based on one night when half a roster was out.
Booker you keep and start always. Bagley you monitor. Poulakidas you forget about. Brooks you can add if you need a wing. Everything else was noise.