Mavericks' 111-105 Win: 5 Key Stats to Know

A Comeback for the Mavs

The Dallas Mavericks (3-7) managed to pull themselves out of a slump and ended their four-game losing streak on Saturday with a 111-105 victory against the Washington Wizards (1-9) at Capital One Arena. The game started slowly for Dallas, but they quickly adjusted in the first quarter. Although they faced some challenges in the second and third quarters, key contributions from Naji Marshall and Moussa Cisse helped the team regain control when it mattered most.

The Mavericks' bench played a crucial role in the win, with Cooper Flagg and P.J. Washington making significant plays in the final moments to prevent a rare season sweep by one of the league's weakest teams.

The Mavericks' reserves outscored their Washington counterparts 59-44, with Marshall leading the way with 30 points. The Mavs also secured 10 offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter, which proved vital in securing the win. Here are five key stats that highlighted the Mavericks’ latest victory:

4-of-5: CJ McCollum’s Strong Start

After allowing Ja Morant to start hot in Friday's game against the Grizzlies, CJ McCollum mirrored that performance against the Mavericks. He scored 11 points in the first five minutes on 4-of-5 shooting, giving the Wizards an early 16-9 lead and forcing Mavs head coach Jason Kidd to call a timeout.

Some troubling trends have emerged for the 2025-26 Mavericks: a lack of improvement from previous games and slow starts. Another issue from the night before resurfaced in the first quarter against Washington: Max Christie fouled McCollum on a three-point attempt, which led to a Dallas timeout after the Mavs had fouled three three-point shooters in the first half of Friday's loss to Memphis.

McCollum finished the first quarter with 14 points and four rebounds.

19-0: Mavericks' First-Quarter Run

However, the Mavs showed signs of life after the timeout with 7:06 left in the first quarter. The Mavericks' second unit fueled a 19-0 run over the next five-plus minutes.

Marshall contributed six points during the run, while Moussa Cissé, the two-way rookie from Guinea, grabbed four rebounds and blocked shots. Marshall intercepted a bad pass from McCollum and found a streaking Flagg for a high-flying transition dunk, putting Dallas up 28-16. The Mavericks' bench accounted for 15 of the 19 points during the run.

Dallas outscored the Wizards 26-8 to end the first quarter, taking a 35-24 lead. Marshall led the charge with nine points, two boards, and two steals in the frame, showing promise as he continues to find his fit with this iteration of the Mavericks.

12-2: Wizards' Second-Quarter Run

McCollum took over in the second quarter, scoring nine points during a 12-2 Washington run that brought the Wizards within four, down 42-38 with 8:13 left in the first half. McCollum was the only effective weapon for the Wizards, but it was enough to keep them close throughout the first half.

McCollum led all scorers with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting at the half. After a three-game cold stretch where he scored just 21 points combined, McCollum broke out with 25 points in 28 minutes in Friday's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Four minutes later, Corey Kispert's first three-pointer of the game brought the Wizards back within three, down 48-45. The Mavs made just four field goals in the first 9:50 of the second quarter, allowing the Wizards to get back into the game. Dallas is showing that they are not clearly better than anyone in the NBA.

The Mavericks took a 57-53 lead into the locker room at halftime after scoring just 22 points and turning the ball over six times in the second quarter.

21: Third-quarter Scoring from Alex Sarr and Cam Whitmore

The Wizards took the lead in the third quarter thanks to Alex Sarr and Cam Whitmore. The Mavs finally held McCollum scoreless in the third quarter, but that opened things up for Sarr, who scored eight, and Whitmore, who added 11 more as Washington moved ahead 86-82 heading into the fourth quarter.

Kyshawn George found Whitmore open inside on a broken play for a slam, bringing the Wizards to within 71-70 with 5:29 left in the third. Sarr then tipped home his own miss on a turn-around hook shot to give Washington a 72-71 lead, their first since midway through the first quarter.

The Wizards took an 86-82 lead into the fourth quarter before McCollum scored his first bucket of the second half with 11:05 left to put Washington up 90-82. That would be the only two points McCollum would score in the second half, finishing with a team-high 25 points and six rebounds in the loss.

30/8: Naji Marshall’s Big Night

Marshall scored seven big points down the stretch and hit 3-of-4 from three-point range to steady the Mavs during tough stretches against the lowly Wizards. He was the constant on a night the Mavericks desperately needed someone to step up.

Flagg found him streaking down the floor in transition with a nice touch pass that Marshall gathered in despite it being tipped on its way to him for a bucket to put Dallas up 104-101 with just over four minutes remaining. His third three-pointer of the game came six minutes earlier when the Mavs had a chance to unravel, down 90-82 with 10 minutes left in the game.

The Mavs helped their own cause in the fourth quarter, gaining extra possessions with 10 offensive rebounds in the frame. Marshall led all scorers with 30 points and pulled down eight rebounds (three on the offensive glass) in the win. He led the Mavs’ bench to a 59-44 advantage over the Wizards’ reserve unit to help secure the victory.

“Shoutout to the bench mob, for sure,” Marshall said in his televised postgame interview. “It was a blessing.”