Cooper Flagg made NBA history on Saturday night. The Dallas Mavericks rookie became the youngest player ever to score 35 points in a game and led his team to a 114-110 comeback victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. He accomplished the feat when he was 18 years and 343 days old, five days younger than LeBron James was when he first turned 35 in 2003.
Flagg shot 13-of-22 from the field, added eight rebounds and controlled large parts of his twentieth NBA game. His performance also pushed the Mavericks out of a three-game losing streak.
Kidd and Thompson praise Flagg’s poise
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd didn’t hold back when asked about the rookie’s performance. “He’s only 18 years old, but he looks like he’s been in this league before,” Kidd said. He highlighted Flagg’s ability to run the offense, attack the paint and withstand late-game pressure. “Just his calmness on both sides [impressed me]. He competes at a very high level.”
Flagg had also impressed against LeBron James and the Lakers the night before, when he recorded 11 assists, the most ever by an 18-year-old in an NBA game. His teammate Klay Thompson echoed the praise. “The benefits of Cooper are limitless,” said Thompson. “He has all the tools to be great. Sometimes I can’t believe he should be a freshman in college.”
Aggression fuels Flagg’s breakthrough
Flagg remained aggressive throughout the game, punctuating his evening with a powerful dunk over Ivica Zubac. He credited Kidd with pushing him to stay in attack mode. “Being aggressive right now is obviously good for me, and that’s what Coach has emphasized to me,” Flagg said. He added that he has to trust his work and live with the mistakes that come with playing boldly.
Thompson delivered a performance of his own. He hit four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead goal with 1:51 left. He scored 23 points, including 17 in the final period.
Clippers continue to struggle
Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 30 points and eight rebounds. James Harden added 29 points, 11 assists and eight boards. John Collins scored 21 and Zubac had 19 points and 11 rebounds. Despite strong individual efforts, Los Angeles fell to 5-15 and lost its seventh straight home game at Intuit Dome.
Dallas improved to 6-15 by forcing 18 turnovers and scoring 20 of them, with Flagg’s historic night steering the win.
#Cooper #Flagg #breaks #LeBrons #record #35point #breakout