The Mavericks may have to navigate Saturday’s matchup with the Cavaliers without Max Christie, who landed on the injury report as questionable because of an ankle issue.
If Christie can’t go, it would be just the second game he has missed this season for injury reasons. His only other absence came Nov. 4, when a hip injury kept him out of Dallas’ tight loss to the San Antonio Spurs. For now, the clearest update on his availability figures to come closer to tipoff.
Christie’s season has been uneven even before the ankle concern entered the picture. In his second full year with Dallas after arriving in the Luka Doncic trade in 2024-25, he has not yet settled into the kind of steady groove the Mavericks saw from him after the deal. He had started to look like a reliable double-digit scorer and a usable starter, but that version of Christie has not shown up consistently this year.
Through 12 games, the former Michigan State guard has played in 11 and started seven, logging a little over 18 minutes per night. His numbers reflect the rough patch: 5.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, with shooting splits of 33.3 percent from the field, 27.3 percent from 3-point range and 100 percent at the free-throw line.
Christie, the No. 35 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, spent two and a half seasons with the Lakers before coming to Dallas. He had begun to find a more consistent rhythm under head coach JJ Redick before being part of the Doncic trade.
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Mavericks Just Got Exposed In A Way Dusty May Couldnt Ignore
The Mavericks latest loss was the kind that lingers, not just because of the score, but because it laid bare a problem Dallas could not hide for long. Minnesota rolled to a 133-94 win, and LaMelo Ball was at the center of it, carving up the defense and forcing Dallas to spend the night reacting instead of dictating.
Dusty May acknowledged Balls impact after the game, a reminder that the Mavericks are still searching for cleaner answers when a high-end creator starts controlling the tempo. Dallas sits at 7-5 now, and with the Cavaliers up next, the margin for another uneven defensive showing is already shrinking. [Read more 🡒]
Wembanyama Is Forcing A Spurs Debate Fans Never Expected So Soon
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For a franchise that has spent years searching for its next cornerstone, the debate around Wembanyama is no longer about potential. It is about how quickly he is forcing himself into the leagues top tier, and how far this version of the Spurs can go with him driving the conversation on both ends of the floor. The numbers keep getting stranger, the ceiling keeps rising, and the rest of the NBA is left trying to catch up. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Blowout Loss Exposed A Problem Fans Can't Ignore
The Mavericks had a decent opening stretch against Minnesota, but it did not last long. The Timberwolves, playing without Anthony Edwards because of a knee injury, steadily took control and turned the game into a lopsided 133-94 loss, building a big cushion by halftime and never letting Dallas back into it. Several Mavericks struggled to find any rhythm as the night slipped away, leaving the kind of result that sticks with a team long after the final buzzer.
Caleb Martin was one of the few Dallas players who offered anything resembling a positive sign, giving the staff at least one usable takeaway from an otherwise ugly performance. But the broader issue was hard to miss: when the game tilted, the Mavericks had no real answer, and that is the sort of problem that becomes impossible to ignore when a loss gets this out of hand. [Read more 🡒]