NEW YORK — Last winter, Max Christie felt like he was floating as he walked out of Madison Square Garden.
On Feb. 1, Christie scored 15 points for the Los Angeles Lakers as they earned a convincing win over the New York Knicks. Christie was elated that the Lakers were able to beat a team that had hopes of emerging from the Eastern Conference. But that quickly changed when he received word a major deal was about to go down.
Christie learned he was being traded to the Dallas Mavericks in the Luka Dončić deal. The Mavericks sent the Lakers their then-25-year-old superstar who eight months earlier had led them to the NBA Finals. They got back Anthony Davis, the Lakers’ unprotected 2029 first-round pick and Christie, a former second-round pick.
The Mavericks were roundly — and justifiably — criticized for too meager a return. When he was dealt, Dončić had already been named to the All-NBA First team five times.
Thus far, Davis’ time in Dallas has been a disaster. Due to injury, he has played in only 31 games with the Mavericks, who are contemplating trading him. Christie, though, looks like he will be a Maverick for years to come. The 22-year-old has been one of the most accurate outside shooters in the NBA this season. On Monday, Christie had a career night, knocking down eight 3s in the Mavericks’ 114-97 rout of the Knicks.
“Being in the zone, you are kind of unconscious,” said Christie, who scored a game-high 26 points. “You don’t really feel what’s going on around you. You kind of just are in flow state. Your body is obviously taking over. It’s a great feeling. Being able to make that many 3s is something I’ll be chasing for sure.”
Christie had never made more than five 3s in an NBA game before Monday. He blew past that mark in the first half. Christie splashed his sixth triple with 51 seconds remaining in the second quarter, a shot that caused the Mavericks’ lead to balloon to 30 points.
The Knicks were booed as the halftime buzzer sounded. The Mavericks scored only 39 points after the break, but it didn’t matter because they were so far ahead.
Dallas (18-26) earned its third consecutive victory and won on the road for just the fifth time this season.
“It was incredible,” said Cooper Flagg, who returned after missing the previous two games with a left ankle sprain and scored 18 points. “Max has been a hot player for us all. Honestly, there have been some times when he’s passed up some shots, hasn’t been as aggressive as we needed him to be. I thought he did a great job tonight being ready, aggressive and asserting. That’s what we needed.”
The shooting-starved Mavericks have prodded Christie to take more 3-pointers all year. While he is knocking them down at a smoldering 45.9 percent rate, he is only attempting 5.5 triples per game, the 78th-most in the NBA.
“Ten attempts is a good mark for me right now,” Christie said. “Continuing to hunt those shots and hunt those 3s. I think I can continue to get more up, that will help the team.”
The Mavericks, even after three straight strong offensive performances, rank 27th in points scored per 100 possessions. Their perimeter play has been a major problem. Dallas lacks on-ball creators and outside shooters. Klay Thompson leads the team with 122 3-point makes. Christie (101) isn’t far behind him.
There is a steep drop-off after them. Reserve guard Jaden Hardy ranks third on the team with 43 3-point makes.
“I think it’s been mental for me,” Christie said. “Just continuing to be shot aggressive in my shot. I’ve been really putting in the work each and every day helps. For the most part, it’s just being mentally aggressive.”
Flagg is a lock to represent the Mavericks at All-Star Weekend in the Rising Stars Challenge. Christie is hopeful he can be there too as part of the NBA’s 3-point shooting contest.
“That would be great,” Christie said. “That would be super cool. Something I definitely wouldn’t turn down. Something that would be a dream come true for me. If I get the nod, that would be amazing.”
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