Cooper Flagg scored 43 points with 10 rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Indiana Pacers 125-122 on Monday night, improving their record to 7-4.
Flagg, the reigning Rookie of the Year, became only the second teenager in NBA history to finish a game with at least 40 points and 10 rebounds, joining Kevin Durant. It was the fifth 40-point performance of his career. The rest of the teenagers to play in the league have combined for 10.
“It’s unbelievable. He’s a 19-year-old doing this,” Mavericks coach Dusty May said.
Flagg was 16-of-25 from the floor and 3-of-6 from three-point range. Before the game, he had felt regret about a missed snack. As he sat down in the interview room, he said he had forgotten his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which he has been eating during recent games as he works to add weight to his 19-year-old frame. “Oh, I forgot my peanut butter and jelly,” Flagg said. “I was supposed to bring the peanut butter and jelly. Dang it!”
Irving and the Mavericks close it out
Kyrie Irving also starred, scoring 35 points on 11-of-18 shooting in 38 minutes. It was the first time he had played in both games of a back-to-back set since recovering from a torn ACL that sidelined him for all of last season. Irving, 34, is an eight-time All-Star who has long been one of the league’s elite scorers.
Flagg and Irving combined for 26 points in the fourth quarter as the Mavericks closed out the Pacers.
“Tonight, me and Kai had it going,” Flagg said. “There’s hopefully going to be a lot of nights like that.”
Flagg’s season so far
Flagg is averaging 25.9 points on 50% shooting from the floor this season. He also averages 6.9 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 2.0 steals. Only Luka Doncic, the former Mavericks star who is on a historic run with the Los Angeles Lakers, matches that combination of points, rebounds, assists and steals across the league.
Irving praised his younger teammate’s maturity and willingness to share the ball.
“We keep calling him a teenager, but he plays way beyond his years,” Irving said. “Got to give him his flowers. The way he’s always in attack mode, the way he sees the game and he gets others involved — very selfless. It helps out our team a lot, including myself. Just seeing him being able to make plays for others, but also when he’s calling his own number, he’s getting in that paint and trying to get the most efficient shot possible.”
The midrange jumper has become an extremely efficient weapon for Flagg. He finished his 43-point performance with a pair of pull-up 18-footers in the final minute. According to NBA.com tracking, Flagg has shot 29 of 49 (59.2%) on attempts between 10 and 19 feet this season.
“I think just being able to get to my spots at a higher level and being more comfortable with that has allowed me to take a little bit of load off my body,” Flagg said. “Just kind of stop it short, raising up over people. It’s taxing to get downhill all the way to the rim and try and finish over 7-footers all night, every night. I think just adding that in there, it definitely allows me to pace myself a little bit.”
Flagg is also proving himself as a clutch scorer in his second season. He ranks fourth in the league in clutch scoring with 27 points on 11-of-13 shooting.
Mavericks forward Naji Marshall said he is still surprised by how quickly Flagg has developed.
“I’m not even going to lie: I didn’t think he was going to be this good,” Marshall said. “I knew he was good. I didn’t think he was going to be this good. Every day, bro, he just breaks the standard for what I thought he was going to be.”