Cooper Flagg left his mark on the history of the Dallas Mavericks in their two consecutive games against the two NBA teams from Los Angeles. If on Friday night, Flagg dished out 11 assists, the most in history by an 18-year-old, in the loss to the Lakers, the best would come a day later.
Flagg became the youngest player to score 35 points in a game, a feat only LeBron James had.and it was all the more satisfying because he did it while leading an injury-depleted Dallas team to a 114-110 victory over the Clippers at the Intuit Dome.
“He's only 18, but he looks like he's played in this league before,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “He did it all tonight. He had the ball. You could call him a point guard or whatever, but he ran the attack for us. He drove the ball. The ball hit the paint. He got to the rim, he got to the free throw line, he stepped up and made free throws for us in the final minutes. His composure on both ends was impressive. He competes at a very high level. You saw it tonight, but you also saw it last night,” he said.
Flagg celebrates an action in the victory against the Clippers where he achieved his scoring record in his first year in the NBA / NBA
Beats LeBron himself
LeBron James is the only other 18-year-old player to score 35 points in an NBA game, having done so twice as a rookie with the Cleveland Cavaliers in December 2023. James' first 35-point game came when he was 18 years and 348 days old, five days older than Flagg on Saturday night.
The highlight of Flagg's performance, The biggest score of his career was a spectacular drive and a two-handed dunk on Clippers center Ivica Zuba.c, selected to last season's All-Defensive Team. Flagg attacked the basket relentlessly throughout the game, going 13 of 22 from the field, eight of them within three feet of the basket.
Not even James Harden could stop Cooper Flagg on his most inspired night / NBA
“Being aggressive right now is obviously the right thing for me, and that's what coach has insisted on me,” Flagg said, who also grabbed 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 in all the work. My teammates have a lot of confidence in me, and I notice it. And when they trust me, it allows me to feel free up there,” said the young star, who comes to the NBA from Duke.
