Flagg Breaks LeBron’s Record, But Dallas Loss Is All He Sees

Summary:

• Cooper Flagg scored 42 points, the most ever by an 18-year-old in the NBA, breaking LeBron James’ record.
• Despite the milestone, Dallas lost to Utah, and Flagg focused more on missed chances late than on the history he made.
• The rookie continues a strong stretch of play, showing he is becoming a central part of the Mavericks’ offense.

When Cooper Flagg went off the floor on Monday night with ice cooling his injured ankle, he likely had a lot on his mind, as he had just scored more points than any 18-year-old in the history of the National Basketball Association. Still, the one thought that he could truly focus on at the time was the final score.

The Newport, Maine, native, who will celebrate his 19th birthday in just five days managed to pour in no less than 42 points in Dallas’ 140 to 133 loss to the Utah Jazz. He, this way, broke the mark that LeBron James set back in December 2003.

The night was truly remarkable by many standards, especially for a teenager who is still struggling to discover his footing in the big league. However, Flagg found that the defeat made it difficult to fully appreciate his feat.

“Obviously, we didn’t win. So it’s tough for me to want to be happy, or any of that, but obviously it’s a success” Flagg said, sitting with a bag of ice on his ankle after rolling it late in regulation.

The No. 1 overall pick has a stat line that reads like that of a well-seasoned player in the NBA. Besides the 42 points, he also grabbed seven rebounds, gave out six assists, blocked two shots and came up with a steal.

That type of performance easily places him in rare company alongside LeBron James and Kevin Durant, turning him into the third teenager ever to post at least 40 points, five rebounds and five assists in a single game.

Dallas coach Jason Kidd witnessed Flagg’s growth up close and personal. “The more time he spends on the floor, the more he sees, the better he gets. He displayed it all tonight” Kidd said.

However, his surge did not come out of the blue, as, over his last seven games, he averaged 25.7 points while visibly playing with a lot more confidence and attacking often enough to live at the free-throw line. Against Utah, Flagg went 15 for 20.

It’s come a long way from the start of the season, so I’m proud of that fourth quarter. It’s a new game … but I am getting more and more comfortable … and just settling in, honestly, just being myself and letting the game come to me.

He scored 12 points in the fourth and even made the heads-upheads up play veterans talk about, intentionally missing a free throw so Max Christie could rebound and draw a foul to force overtime. Still, the ending lingered. Utah closed regulation on an 11 to 0 run and took control in overtime, where Flagg did not score.

I gotta be better. I had a couple of dumb turnovers, missed a couple easy ones, but I gotta be better, executing down the stretch like that

Flagg also tied Mark Aguirre for the most points ever scored by a rookie for the Dallas Mavericks history. Records, though, are not what he is chasing.