The Mavericks’ season is over and everyone knows it

The season is over, Mavericks fans. If there was any lingering doubt, Tuesday night should have erased it. The Dallas Mavericks lost to a Milwaukee Bucks team that did not have Giannis Antetokounmpo in the starting lineup and still couldn’t find a way to compete for four quarters in a 123-99 defeat.

Sure, some Mavericks fans will convince themselves this is all part of a bigger plan. Every loss helps the draft position. Every ugly night improves the odds of adding another young piece next to Cooper Flagg .

That may be true in the long term. But in the short term? Allowing Kuzma and AJ Green to combine for 37 points is embarrassing.

Flagg finished with a double-double, 19 points and 10 rebounds, but he shot just 6-of-19 from the field (32 percent) marking his second straight game shooting under 40%. For a rookie who once looked like he had a real chance to make a late push in the NBA ’s Rookie of the Year race, the recent slump has likely slammed that door shut. Still, this is where context matters.