Cooper Flagg Just Did Something Only Kobe’s Done Before
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg delivered a breakout performance in his third NBA game on Sunday against the Toronto Raptors. The 18-year-old tallied a career-high 22 points, powering Dallas to a 139-129 victory that helped the Mavs avoid an 0-3 start. Among various winning plays, Flagg notched the first highlight dunk of his young career.
Flagg finished with four rebounds, four assists and a block to go along with his 22 points. His viral dunk came in the third quarter. Catching pass from D’Angelo Russell in transition, Flagg took one dribble with his left hand before exploding into the air and slamming a one-handed flush over 6-foot-11 Raptors center Sandro Mamukelashvili while drawing a foul.
Entering the fourth, Toronto mounted a 7-0 push, but Flagg steadied the Mavs ship with a timely 3-pointer from the wing—his second of the night—pushing his total past 20 for the first time in the NBA and restoring a 12-point cushion.
Anthony Davis led the Mavs in scoring with 25 points and 10 rebounds on 11-for-14 from the field. Russell erupted for 24 points off the bench to go along with six assists and five boards. The Mavericks shot a blistering 58.8 percent from the field, converting 10 of 26 threes.
For the Raptors, Scottie Barnes finished with a monster line of 33 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Brandon Ingram managed 22, while RJ Barrett and Mamukelashvili added 16 each. The Raptors, fatigued from a three-games-in-four-nights stretch, couldn’t match Dallas’ bench output of 61 points.
Flagg’s 20-plus points and zero turnovers marked only the second time in NBA history that a player has achieved both feats in the same game at 18 years old. The other player to do it was none other than Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant in 1997.
Flagg is now averaging 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists through three games in the NBA. Flagg will turn 19 on December 21.