Cooper Flag sends the perfect reminder despite the loss to the Bucks
DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks suffered a competitive 116-114 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night. Cooper Flagg he played a key role in keeping Dallas in the game, scoring 26 points and adding nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. He was also incredibly efficient, going 9-15 from the field.
Flagg is not used to losing. This is something that rarely happened to him in high school and college. After the game, the rookie discussed the NBA loss amid the team’s overall struggles to start the season.
“That’s the hardest part,” Flagg he told reporters. “You’ve had bad games before, you don’t play up to your standard, it’s a little bit easier to look past when you know your team is winning… But at the end of the day, we play so many games, you can’t do anything if you don’t play up to your standard. I don’t know if I’ve done that a lot this year, I can keep working, at least I can keep working, everything’s fine. Meeting with coaches, watching film, just keep the confidence.
“I know who I am and what I’m capable of.”
Flagg, the Mavericks’ No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA drafthe endured some ups and downs early in his career. The 18-year-old rookie entered Monday night’s contest averaging 13.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals per outing. Patience will be required as Flagg adjusts to the NBA, but he reminded everyone of his extremely high ceiling on Monday.
In the world of sports, critics are quick to speak out when players are going through adversity. Flagg wasn’t perfect (nobody did) so he was sometimes criticized. However, despite Monday’s loss, Flagg reminded the NBA world of his all-around talent. He also showed fearlessness, scoring goals Giannis Antetokounmpo late in the fourth quarter to give the Mavs a one-point lead. The lead didn’t hold, but Flagg’s effort was still respectable.
Dallas will resume play on Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns with tip-off set for 8:30pm EST. Now 3-8 overall, the Mavs need to start winning on a consistent basis soon.
2025-11-11 04:51:00
