Cooper Flagg Reacts to Breaking LeBron's Record and Making NBA History in Mavs' Loss
Dallas Mavericks star rookie forward Cooper Flagg turned in a record-breaking performance Monday night, but it wasn't enough to lift the Mavs over the Utah Jazz.
In Dallas' 140-133 overtime loss to Utah, Flagg scored the most points ever by an 18-year-old in an NBA game. His 42 points surpassed the previous record of 37 set by LeBron James in 2003.
Flagg suggested that the result of the game tempered his excitement for the accomplishment, telling reporters, "Obviously, we didn't win. So, it's tough for me to want to be happy or any of that. But obviously, it's a success."
After his rookie campaign got off to something of a slow start, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft has come into his own recently.
Flagg has scored 20 or more points in five of his past seven games, and he is averaging 25.7 points per game during the stretch. For the season, the former Duke standout is putting up 18.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals per contest, placing him firmly in the NBA Rookie of the Year conversation.
It comes as little surprise that Flagg is already establishing himself as an NBA star, given that he won National College Player of the Year honors last season as a freshman at Duke.
Just as he did at Duke, Flagg is impacting the game in myriad ways for the Mavs, and that was the case again Monday, as he recorded seven rebounds and six assists in addition to the game-high 42 points.
Per ESPN, Flagg is only the third teenager in NBA history to record at least 40 points, five rebounds and five assists in a game, joining future Hall of Famers Kevin Durant and James.
Despite Flagg's recent production and the immense potential he has shown, the Mavericks continue to scuffle as a team.
They are just 12th in the Western Conference at 10-17, placing them one game behind the Jazz for the 10th seed, which represents the final spot in the postseason play-in tournament.
Dallas has been adversely impacted by injuries, as star big man Anthony Davis has played in only 11 games, and guard Kyrie Irving has yet to play this season after tearing his ACL last season.
A healthy trio of Flagg, Davis and Irving could conceivably make the Mavs a playoff threat in the Western Conference, but they have yet to play a game together.
It is unclear if Davis and Irving are in the Mavericks' long-term plans, but it looks like the organization could have a perennial All-Star on its hands with Flagg.
