With a reputation of doing a bit of everything to help his team in the win column, it’s no surprise that Olivier-Maxence Prosper was willing to battle for his first NBA basket. After calling for a skip pass from a teammate, Prosper loses one defender with a pump fake, drives hard along the baseline and absorbs help-side contact en route to two points. The Dallas Mavericks rookie finished the November 12, 2023 contest with four points.

Olivier-Maxence Prosper

Olivier-Maxence Prosper soars along baseline for first career bucket

Climb the ladder! Rookie wing Josh Green corrals an errant rebound in transition and finishes with a breakaway slam against the LA Clippers on December 27, 2020. Green’s Dallas Mavericks walked away with an historic 124-73 victory on the afternoon.

Josh Green

Josh Green throws down transition slam in 51-point victory over Clippers

Even when backed into a literal corner, Luka Dončić is savvy enough to find a way out. When the Dallas Mavericks’ four-time All-Star chased down a pass he had juggled in the corner, he was promptly met by a pair of Indiana Pacers defenders. With his back to the basket and few options at his disposal, Dončić surveyed the scene before leaving his feet and firing a bullet to the other side of the court into the waiting hands of an all-alone Jaden Hardy for a corner 3-pointer. Dončić scored a team-high 25 points while mixing in seven rebounds, six assists and zero turnovers to help Dallas prevail 127-104 on March 27, 2023.

Luka Dončić

Luka Dončić leaps out of bounds to wire baseball pass cross-court for three

Positioned to make an instant impact with the size and athleticism he brings to the Dallas Mavericks, it was Dereck Lively II’s motor down the stretch that shined in his debut. Embroiled in a tight, fourth-quarter battle between division rivals, Lively II battles for position on the glass with fellow rookie Victor Wembanyama, deflects the ball to a teammate, then loops back around to the hoop to throw down a putback slam off a miss. Lively II recorded a double-double in his first game as a pro, dropping 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting and added 10 boards in the October 25, 2023 win.

Dereck Lively II

Dereck Lively II battles for fourth-quarter putback in first NBA game

Cut to the hoop and let Luka Dončić take care of the rest. The Dallas Mavericks superstar dumps a pass behind the back of Phoenix Suns defender Deandre Ayton to a streaking Dorian Finney-Smith in an opening night battle on December 23, 2020.

Luka Dončić fakes pass, tucks dime around defender for cutter

Oh, Luka! Dallas Mavericks superstar guard Luka Dončić nails the clutch stepback three pointer to win game 4 of their opening round matchup against the LA Clippers and tie the series at two games apiece on August 23, 2020.

Luka Dončić drains game-winner vs. Clippers in 2020 Playoffs

Good things come to those who wait. Dwight Powell had played only seven minutes in the first four games of the 2022-23 Dallas Mavericks season before he was tabbed to start the fifth against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Powell made the most of his opportunity, playing pick-and-roll with Luka Dončić and soaring into the air to catch and slam an underhanded alley-oop flick pass from his superstar teammate. Powell scored 13 points in 18 minutes while also grabbing two rebounds in the October 29, 2022 contest.

Dwight Powell

Dwight Powell rolls to rim for lob through outstretched arm of defender

Not many men are capable of putting 7-foot Brook Lopez on a poster, much less someone six inches shorter than the veteran big man. Spencer Dinwiddie cares very little about height differences, as the Dallas Mavericks guard drives strong into the lane and takes flight before throwing down a ferocious one-handed dunk over the Milwaukee Bucks center. In addition to his throwdown, Dinwiddie’s night featured 15 points, four rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block on December 9, 2022.

Spencer Dinwiddie

Spencer Dinwiddie attacks through gap in defense for poster dunk on help-side

The Dallas Mavericks are going to need more than just their superstar to step up and play the hero from time to time. Enter Dorian Finney-Smith. Now in his seventh season in Dallas, the veteran forward shows no fear, taking a pass from Dončić atop the key and burying a straightaway go-ahead three-pointer with 17.3 seconds remaining to down the Denver Nuggets. Finney-Smith’s 19 points, one rebound, three assists, three steals and five triples were instrumental in his squad’s 116-115 nail-biting victory on December 6, 2022. 

Dorian Finney-Smith

Dorian Finney-Smith drains go-ahead triple in tight game with Nuggets

It’s difficult to lose a basketball game when a guy on your team can’t miss. When his superstar teammate fails to convert a wide-open layup, Josh Green is there to provide a spark off the Dallas Mavericks’ bench. Following a rare point-blank miss from Luka Dončić, the Mavericks maintain possession thanks to a fortuitous deflection off the offensive glass. Aiming to take advantage of the second chance, Green breaks toward the basket and gets a perfect feed in stride from Maxi Kleber before throwing down a vicious two-handed slam. The third-year guard scored 16 points — on 5-for-5 from the field, 2-for-2 from behind the arc and 4-for-4 at the stripe — to pair with five rebounds and two assists in his squad’s 96-94 win over the Brooklyn Nets on November 7, 2022.

Josh Green capitalizes on chaos with power dunk down middle of the paint

Reggie Bullock was so fired up for his first game with new teammate Kyrie Irving that he nearly shot the lights out of the building. Bullock got the Dallas Mavericks rolling right away in the first quarter, draining a wide open corner three-pointer off a dish from Tim Hardaway Jr — one of five first-quarter triples for Bullock, who scored 15 of Dallas’ 41 points in the period. Bullock finished with 18 in the game on 6 of 12 from downtown while adding five rebounds, six assists and two steals as the Mavs secured a 110-104 victory over the LA Clippers in Irving’s debut on February 8, 2023.

Reggie Bullock

Reggie Bullock drills fifth three of red-hot first quarter

Marketplace

Olivier-Maxence Prosper

Josh Green

Luka Dončić

Dereck Lively II

Luka Dončić

Luka Dončić

Dwight Powell

Spencer Dinwiddie

Luka Dončić

Dorian Finney-Smith

Josh Green

Reggie Bullock