SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Cooper Flagg became the leading scorer by an 18-year-old in NBA history, but he couldn’t enjoy the accomplishment because it was a loss.
Flagg scored 42 points in Monday night’s 140-133 loss to the Utah Jazz, surpassing LeBron James’ previous record of 37 points set on Dec. 13, 2003.
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“Obviously we didn’t win. So it’s hard for me to be happy, or anything, but obviously it was a success,” said Flagg, who ended the regular season with a bag of ice rolled on his ankle.
Flagg also became the fifth rookie in the past 15 years to score 40 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. He scored 7 rebounds and 6 assists.
“The more time he spends on the floor and the more he sees, the better he gets. He showed that tonight,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said.
Flagg has been playing some of his best basketball over the past few weeks, with the No. 1 pick averaging 25.7 points over the past seven games. He also played aggressively enough, shooting 15-of-20 from the field against the Utah Jazz.
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“It’s been a long way since the season started, so I was proud of the fourth quarter,” Flagg said. “It’s a new game…but I’m getting more and more comfortable…honestly, I’m just being myself and letting the game come to me.”
He scored 12 points in the fourth quarter and sent the game into overtime with a savvy performance, but he intentionally missed a free throw, causing teammate Max Christie to grab a rebound and be fouled with 3.9 seconds left.
With Anthony Davis out and several other Dallas teammates out with injuries, this game could be a harbinger of things to come, with Flagg set to be the centerpiece of the Mavericks’ offense.
“We’re going to Coop. He was killing them all game, so they ended up trying to double-team him,” P.J. Washington said. “It doesn’t surprise me at all. I know exactly what he’s capable of. He’s a special player, so there’s more to come.”
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Flagg also tied Mark Aguirre for the most points scored by a rookie in Dallas history as he began to make his mark on the team. But despite the throbbing ankle, he couldn’t stop thinking about what he could do to win. The Jazz went on an 11-0 run and dominated overtime as Flagg was held scoreless in overtime.
“I’ve got to do a better job. I had a couple dumb turnovers, missed a couple simple turnovers, but I’ve got to do a better job executing like that,” Flagg said.
Setting the record might be nice, but Flagg thinks it just means he keeps getting better, which is his goal all season long.
“I don’t really focus on a lot of things (the record). I’m more focused on being out there every day, trying to get better and get our team to win as many times as we can,” Flagg said.
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AP NBA: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NBA
