Mavericks Starter, Daniel Gafford made all nine of his field goal attempts in the Mavericks’ win over the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. By doing so, he set a new record for consecutive field goals made in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98). The previous record was 22, set by Derrick Favors in the 2019/20 season.
Maverick Starter Sets Record In Dominant Win Over The Chicago Bulls
Gafford is a career 70 percent shooter, scoring his points on putbacks, dunks, and touches around the rim. Still, what the newly acquired Mavs Center is doing is incredible. He has made 28 consecutive field goals. He is now seven shy of the all-time record set by Wilt Chamberlain in 1967.
28 straight field goals made for Daniel Gafford!
3/5: 7-7 FG
3/7: 5-5 FG
3/9: 7-7 FG
Tonight: 9-9 FG https://t.co/JNuxauCjxh pic.twitter.com/hGPxTguiBg— NBA (@NBA) March 12, 2024
Daniel Gafford was acquired via a trade with the Washington Wizards on Feb. 8, the NBA’s trade deadline. In that deal, the Mavs sent a 2024 first-round pick and Richaun Holmes to the Wizards in exchange for Gafford.
The Mavericks made the trade to shore up their big-man rotation. Defensively, he provides them with elite rim protection. Offensively, he gives them another rim-running option.
As one of six players to not attempt a three this season, his points were expected to be almost solely off being the roll option in the Pick-n-roll. Having a superstar point guard in Luka Dončić has helped him massively. Gafford is averaging 10.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks since joining the Mavericks.
Gafford and Dereck Lively II went a combined 20-for-21 on field goal attempts as the Bulls’ top-ranked paint defense in the league had a bad day at the office. The Mavericks outscored the Bulls in the paint 56-46.
Luka Dončić ended the night with his seventh consecutive triple-double. This included 14 assists from the entry passes and lobs thrown to Gafford and Lively.
Back on track
The Mavericks have put together a three-game streak. This is in stark contrast to the previous seven games before this run where they had won only one game in that span. During those games, there were fears that the team would fall apart like they did last term. Kyrie Irving spoke about it during a recent post-game interview:
“We’re going to be okay, that’s for everybody that’s watching at home. We’re going to be okay. We gotta trust that we’ll be able to put the work in necessary to get us these wins. We’ve shown it before. We took a bit of a dip in the last few games, some tough losses on the road… We have to take accountability for that as players… No more excuses. We got 20-something games left. We know the positioning we’re in right now, we know what happened last year when we didn’t make it. We know what it’s like to fail miserably… There’s no excuses. “
With their recent win streak, the Mavericks have put themselves back in the race for the No. 6 seed in the West. They are currently tied for the No. 7 seed with the Sacramento Kings and just one game behind the No. 6 seed Phoenix Suns.
During this run, Gafford has been crucial for the Mavs, with his efficient scoring and elite paint defense propelling the team forward.
The Mavericks have two of the best scorers on the planet in Luka and Kyrie. The Mavs are capable of going on a run down the stretch and making some noise in the playoffs. There are shades of their 2021-22 team that made the Western Conference finals in this team.
