Cooper Flagg is making rookie history not seen since LeBron James
Dallas Mavericks newcomer Cooper Flagg just brought down the club usually reserved for LeBron James and then raised it. He became a flag for the first time at the age of 18 years and 343 days the second youngest player in NBA history to score 30-plus points in a game, trailing only LeBron James, according to NBA Insider Brett Siegel. Then he continued to cook. By the final buzzer of the Mavericks’ 114-110 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, Flagg had 35 points and a career high the youngest player ever with a game of 35 points.
Flagg finished with 35 points on 13-of-22 shooting and 9-of-11 from the line, adding eight rebounds as Dallas went on a four-game losing streak for the second night of a back-to-back, per ESPN Box Score. He scored from all three levels, bullied switches in the paint and continued to attack even when the Clippers sent in extra help.
He didn’t do it alone. Klay Thompson turned back the clock with 23 points, drilling six 3-pointers and scoring 17 in the fourth quarter to pull Dallas over the finish line. The Mavericks outscored the Clippers 31-27 in the final frame and needed almost everything after trailing by seven at halftime.
On the other hand, the Los Angeles Clippers got stellar nights and still lost. Kawhi Leonard dropped 30 points on 10-of-20 shooting and went 7-of-7 at the line, while James Harden added 29 points and 11 assists. The Clippers shot better from the field and dominated the glass 46-37, but coughed up 18 turnovers, which turned into runway opportunities for Flagg.
Dallas moved to 6-15 with the win, while the Clippers fell to 5-15 in what has quietly turned into a rocky start. The bigger story, however, is that he is only 18 years old put himself in post-LeBron sentence territory again. If this is what Cooper Flag looks like in November of his rookie year, the rest of the league is underway.
2025-11-30 06:42:00
