Cooper Flagg outduels Derik Queen in career night as Mavs win - ESPN

DALLAS — Cooper Flagg had to stifle a frown when he swapped jerseys with his former high school teammate Derik Queen after the two rookie lottery picks' first meeting as NBA foes earlier this month. That's because Flagg was frustrated after missing a potential tying pull-up jumper in the final seconds of the Dallas Mavericks' loss to Queen's Pelicans that night.

But Flagg was all smiles when he exchanged a hug with Queen after the buzzer Friday night, as the No. 1 pick had just scored 12 of his career-high 29 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Mavs to a 118-115 comeback win at the American Airlines Center.

On this occasion, it was Queen who missed with an opportunity to tie the score in the final seconds, airballing a 3-pointer on the Pelicans' final possession. It was a rough finish to an otherwise phenomenal performance for Queen, who had 20 points, seven rebounds and a career-high 11 assists.

«I [saw] him laugh at me,» Queen said of his postgame meeting with Flagg, his former teammate at Montverde Academy in Florida. «That's probably what he was laughing at, but yo, that's crazy. Full circle.»

Flagg, who missed Wednesday's loss to the New York Knicks with an illness, was a dominant force down the stretch against the Pelicans. After Queen's running hook shot gave New Orleans a lead with 3:12 remaining, Flagg scored or assisted on five of the Mavs' final eight possessions. He had six points and two assists during the closing kick, including a feed to Naji Marshall for the 3 that gave the Mavs the lead for good with 32 seconds remaining.

While the 5-12 Mavs have had trouble closing games, Flagg has consistently shown fearlessness late in close games. He is tied for sixth in the league with 31 points on 10-of-16