Cooper Flagg scored 43 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out six assists as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Indiana Pacers 125-122 on Monday night. Flagg realised he had forgotten a snack before he even sat down for his post-game interview.
“Oh, I forgot my peanut butter and jelly,” Flagg said, referring to the sandwiches he has been eating during recent games as he works to put weight on his 19-year-old frame. “I was supposed to bring the peanut butter and jelly. Dang it!”
Flagg did almost everything else right. He also added three steals and a block, and he finished 16-of-25 from the floor and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. The reigning Rookie of the Year became only the second teenager in NBA history to record at least 40 points and 10 rebounds in the same game, joining Kevin Durant. It was the fifth 40-point performance of Flagg’s career, while the rest of the 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 fourth-quarter finish
Kyrie Irving, the elder statesman of the Mavericks’ roster, was also superb. Playing in both games of a back-to-back for the first time since recovering from a torn ACL that sidelined him all of last season, he scored 35 points on 11-of-18 shooting in 38 minutes.
Flagg and Irving combined for 26 fourth-quarter points as the Mavericks closed out the Pacers to improve to 7-4.
“Tonight, me and Kai had it going,” Flagg said. “There’s hopefully going to be a lot of nights like that.”
An elite scorer in his second season
Irving, 34, is an eight-time All-Star who has long been one of the NBA’s elite scorers. Flagg has already joined that company, 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. The only other player in the league averaging as many points, rebounds, assists and steals is Luka Dončić, the former Mavericks star who is on a historic run for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Irving praised his young teammate’s maturity and unselfishness.
“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
The midrange jumper has become an extraordinarily efficient shot for Flagg. He finished his 43-point performance 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.
“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,” Flagg 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 is also thriving in clutch moments. He ranks fourth in the league in clutch scoring with 27 points on 11-of-13 shooting.
Teammates taking notice
Mavericks forward Naji Marshall was struck 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 told ESPN. “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.”