Cooper Flagg scored a career-high 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. The performance made Flagg, the reigning Rookie of the Year, just the second teenager in NBA history to finish a game with at least 40 points and 10 rebounds, joining Kevin Durant.
Flagg was less pleased with his pregame preparation. Settling into his seat in the interview room, he realized he had left his snack at home. “Oh, I forgot my peanut butter and jelly,” Flagg said. He has been caught eating the sandwiches during recent games as he works to add weight to his 19-year-old frame. “I was supposed to bring the peanut butter and jelly. Dang it!”
The 43-point night was the fifth 40-point game of Flagg’s career. All of the other 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.
Irving and the Mavericks Close Strong
Kyrie Irving delivered a strong performance of his own. Playing in both games of a back-to-back set for the first time since recovering from a torn ACL that sidelined him all of last season, Irving scored 35 points on 11-of-18 shooting in 38 minutes. Flagg and Irving combined for 26 fourth-quarter points as Dallas closed out Indiana to improve to 7-4.
“Tonight, me and Kai had it going,” Flagg said. Flagg shot 16-of-25 from the floor and 3-of-6 from 3-point range. “There’s hopefully going to be a lot of nights like that.”
Flagg’s Early-Season Production
Irving, 34, is an eight-time All-Star who has long been one of the league’s elite scorers. Flagg has joined that group quickly, averaging 25.9 points on 50% shooting from the floor this season. He is also averaging 6.9 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 2.0 steals per game. The only other player in the league averaging as many points, rebounds, assists and steals is Luka Doncic, the former Mavericks star who is on a historic run with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Irving praised his teammate’s all-around game. “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.”
A Efficient Midrange Game
Flagg has made the midrange jumper an extremely efficient weapon. He capped his 43-point night 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.
Flagg said the adjustment helps him manage his workload. “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,” he 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 has also become a dependable closer 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 has been impressed 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.”