At 6:36 of the fourth quarter, Zaccharie Risacher turned a P.J. Washington miss into a putback. One minute and 10 seconds of game time later, he cut into space and finished a dunk after Naji Marshall’s pass. Neither basket required Risacher to dominate the ball, which is exactly why they matter for the Dallas Mavericks’ still-forming lineup.
Risacher’s second half supplied a practical answer to a familiar roster question: how can another forward help when Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg handle much of the creation? He moved, found openings and finished close to the rim. He also did it after Atlanta had already made the game lopsided, a distinction that belongs beside the tidy shooting line.
Dallas finished Friday’s home game with a 135-111 defeat against Atlanta. Risacher’s flawless finish was encouraging, but it was not a preseason declaration that he has secured a starting job.
The rough part came first
Risacher scored four points on 2-for-6 shooting before halftime. In the second quarter, he missed a 20-foot jumper, a 25-foot three and another two-point attempt before committing an out-of-bounds bad-pass turnover with 4:47 left. Caleb Martin replaced him at that point.
That stretch does not make the performance a failure. It does explain why the later surge needs less trumpet music. Atlanta led 39-34 after one quarter, extended the margin to 73-54 by halftime and reached 102-78 after three. The competitive portion had largely disappeared before Risacher’s best work arrived.
He finished with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists while shooting 8-for-12. His six baskets after intermission all came from inside 10 feet, and he scored 12 points in the final period while converting each of his five attempts.
The important detail is how those chances developed. The putback came from following a teammate’s miss. The dunk came from cutting rather than waiting for an isolation touch. Those are modest actions, but they fit beside Irving, who made 5 of 7 three-pointers, and Flagg, who scored 26 points with 12 rebounds and four assists.
Dallas does not need every forward to become a second primary ballhandler. It needs supporting players who can contribute without monopolizing the ball. Risacher showed a version of that role: move into a scoring position, offer a passing option and finish the chance. His four assists added another layer, although one exhibition cannot establish a lasting offensive identity.
Atlanta had already won the argument
The game turned sharply in the second quarter. After Irving’s pull-up made the score 49-40, Atlanta answered with a 14-1 stretch lasting 4:45 of game time. Dallas did score during that sequence—Irving made one free throw—but the Hawks still built a 63-41 advantage when Jalen Johnson finished a dunk.
