INGLEWOOD, California. Cooper Flagg contains a lot of history Dallas Mavericks“Back-to-back games against two NBA teams from Los Angeles.
On Friday night, Flagg had 11 assists, the most among 18-year-olds, in a loss to Lakers.
Twenty-four hours later, Flagg became the youngest player to score 35 points in a game, a feat that was much more satisfying because it came as he led an injury-depleted Dallas team to a 114–110 victory over the team. Clippers at Intuit Dome.
“He's only 18 years old, but he seems like he's played in this league before,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “He did it all tonight. He had the ball. You can call him a point guard or whatever, but he ran the offense for us. [was impressive]. He performs at a very high level. You saw it tonight, but you saw it last night.”
LeBron James is the only 18-year-old player to score 35 points in an NBA game, and he did it twice as an NBA rookie. Cleveland Cavaliers in December 2023. James' first 35-point game came when he was 18 years 348 days old, five days older than Flagg on Saturday night.
Flagg's most productive performance culminated with an impressive two-handed slam and dunk over the Clippers center. Ivica Zubacselected last season for all defenders. Flagg attacked the basket relentlessly throughout the game, going 13-for-22 from the floor with eight buckets within three feet of the basket.
“Being aggressive right now is obviously the right thing for me and that's what coach emphasized to me,” said Flagg, who also had eight rebounds and two assists in 38 minutes. “I have to be aggressive and we will accept some mistakes, but you just have to be aggressive and trust the whole job. My teammates have tremendous confidence in me and I feel it. And when they have confidence in me, it allows me to just be free.”
Flagg, who struggled on the second night of their previous back-to-back meetings, started the game hot, scoring 12 points in the first quarter and 21 in the first half. He also finished strong, holding his own after a pair of costly fourth-quarter turnovers and scoring eight points in the final 2 minutes, 47 seconds.
“Cooper's potential is limitless,” Mavs shooting guard Klay Thompson said. “He has everything to become great. Sometimes I can't believe he has to be a freshman in college.”
It was Flagg's oldest teammate, Thompson, 35, who made sure the No. 1 rookie had the opportunity to shut down the Clippers. Thompson scored 17 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter. This is the kind of brilliant streak he became famous for, playing for four championship teams with Golden State Warriors.
Thompson, who was briefly sidelined with right knee soreness on the official injury report Saturday before changing his mind after a swim in the ocean, was 6 of 8 from the floor and 4 of 6 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter. His 28-foot putt with 1:52 remaining gave the Mavs the lead for good.
“It was like a relief,” Thompson said. “I didn't throw the ball very well in the first 20 games, at least not at my level. So when you have a night like that after a rough start, it just gives you a relief to keep going. It really motivates me to be there as much as I can.”
It was a rough start for Thompson and the 6-15 Mavs, who received more bad news minutes before tipoff as they started ahead. PJ Washington landed on a basketball and sprained his right ankle. Washington joined Kyrie Irving (knee surgery), Anthony Davis (treatment of calf injuries), Daniel Gafford (treatment of ankle injuries) and Derek Lively II (foot) as key Mavs who were missing against the Clippers.
As unfortunate as the Mavs were, they got incredibly lucky when they acquired Flagg, winning the draft lottery despite only having a 1.8% chance.
“It’s really cool to be a part of this,” Thompson said, referring to the start of Flagg’s career. “We can all witness what he's going to do for a long time to come.”
