Cooper Flagg became the youngest player in NBA history to score at least 40 points in a game as the Dallas Mavericks lost 140-133 to the Utah Jazz after overtime.
The No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, the 18-year-old forward scored 42 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out six assists at Salt Lake City’s Delta Center.
advertise
Only Cliff Robinson (45), GG Jackson (44) and LeBron James (43) scored more points in a game as teenagers, and Flagg tied Mark Aguirre’s Mavericks rookie scoring record.
Flagg, who turns 19 on Sunday, is the third teenager in the league’s 79-year history, joining James and Kevin Durant, to score 40 points, five rebounds and five assists.
The Mavericks led 75-71 at halftime — with Flagg scoring 24 points — and led 124-116 late in the fourth quarter.
However, after blowing an eight-point lead at 129-127, they needed one of two free throws from Max Christie to tie the game with less than five seconds left.
advertise
The Jazz won their 10th game of the season in overtime as Keyonte George scored 37 points and Lauri Markkanen scored 33 points.
The Jazz are ranked 10th in the Western Conference and the Mavericks are ranked 12th.
Who is Cooper Flagg?
The 6-foot-8 Flagg became the first freshman to be named Maine Player of the Year after leading Nokomis Area High School to a state championship in 2021.
He transferred to Montverde College in Florida, where he won the 2022 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year award and the 2024 National High School Player of the Year award.
He won the 2022 Under-17 World Cup with the United States and was named to the all-tournament squad.
advertise
In the 2024-25 season, Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 37 games in his first season at Duke.
They made it to the Final Four and he was named the national college player of the year.
Flagg made his debut with the Mavericks in October against the San Antonio Spurs and is averaging 17.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists after 25 games.
