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Come Fan with UsTuesday, August 4, 2026

Rick Carlisle laments Mavericks’ selfish play

Following Dallas’ 129-91 loss to the Spurs, head coach Rick Carlise criticized his team’s lack of competitiveness.

Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Mavericks suffered a smackdown at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, losing 129-91 even with Dirk Nowitzki making a surprise return after missing several weeks due to surgery.

Looking at the scoreline, it's easy to see that it was it was an off night for the Mavs defense, but Dallas' offense never really got going, either. None of their starters were able to put up more than 10 points, and Darren Collison's 15 points off the bench led the team. They scored 25 of their 91 points in the fourth quarter, long after the game was essentially over.

After the game, Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle spoke to the Dallas Morning News about the team's 'selfish' play hurting them. "We showed a lack of competitiveness, selfishness and a lack of commitment to each other," Carlisle said. "The whole game was disappointing. It's something we can't accept, and I have to work harder at turning these guys into a team."

He later added, “At this point, we don’t look like we are very close, but we are going to keep at it.”

Dallas will move on to another tough ask in their next game, going to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder on Thursday.

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