Duke's Cooper Flagg makes lasting memory in NBA showcase at Madison Square Garden
NEW YORK — The moment so many of these fans came to see — the ones proudly wearing blue and white, anyway — unfolded barely a minute into the second half of an already lopsided affair. A turnover by Illinoispoint guard Kasparas Jakucionis, the highly talented B-side of Saturday's primetime showcase, gave way to Duke star Cooper Flagg loping across midcourt with nary a body between him and the hoop. Flagg gathered the ball in his mitt-sized right hand and then vaulted into the air for a vicious slam that set Madison Square Garden ablaze, extending the Blue Devils' lead to 19 before scores of spectators had even returned from their halftime concession runs.
