INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Cooper Flagg packed a lot of history into the Dallas Mavericks' back-to-back games against the NBA's two Los Angeles squads.
On Friday night, Flagg dished out 11 assists, the most ever by an 18-year-old, in a loss to the Lakers.
Twenty-four hours later, Flagg became the youngest player to score 35 points in a game, a feat that was much more satisfying because it occurred as he led an injury-depleted Dallas team to a 114-110 win over the Clippers at the Intuit Dome.
«He's only 18 years old, but he seems like he's been in this league before,» Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. «He did it all tonight. He had the ball. You can call it point guard or whatever, but he ran the offense for us. He drove the ball. The ball touched the paint. He got to the rim, got to the free throw line, stepped up and made free throws for us late. Just his composure on both ends [was impressive]. He competes at a very high level. You saw that tonight, but you saw that last night, too.»
LeBron James is the only other 18-year-old to score 35 points in an NBA game, having done so twice as a rookie for the Cleveland Cavaliers in December 2023. James' first 35-point game occurred when he was 18 years, 348 days old, five days older than Flagg on Saturday night.
The highlight of Flagg's career-high scoring outing was a spectacular drive and two-hand dunk over Clippers center Ivica Zubac, an All-Defensive selection last season. Flagg attacked the basket relentlessly throughout the game, going 13-of-22 from the floor with eight buckets within three feet of the basket.
«Being aggressive right now is obviously right for me, and that's what Coach has stressed to me,» said Flagg, who also had eight rebounds and two assists in 38 minutes. «I've
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