Cooper Flagg pushed his total of 40-point games as a teenager to an all-time record of five this past week, leading the Mavericks to a 3-1 run that puts them at 7-5 overall. Seriously, the kid is only 19 and doing stuff nobody else has! He led the team with an insane 25.3 points per game across their four games, helping them snag wins against Utah, Brooklyn, and Indiana before a brutal loss on the road.
Flagg’s Historic Teen Takeover
Let’s talk about Cooper Flagg for a second. The dude is getting straight A’s in our book for his individual play, and you can see why. He is awesome. Over the three-game win streak alone, Flagg averaged 29.7 points, 8.3 boards, and 8.3 dimes. He was draining threes at a 7-of-15 clip and racked up nine stocks, too. Oh, and yeah, that week included a 43-point, 10-rebound masterpiece! That makes five 40-point games as a teenager, which is an all-time record. Think about that for a second. He is also only behind LeBron James for 25-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist games as a teenager, with Flagg currently at 17 to LeBron’s 22, and he has 13 more games plus the NBA Cup before he even turns 20.
He is a joy to watch, a fierce competitor who gets better almost every single game. When that three-point shot is on, like it was over the last four games, he is truly unguardable at age 19. Of course, he still has those weird off-nights, like the stinker against Minnesota, but he is not even 20. Those will phase out as he grows into an even bigger monster. One thing is crystal clear after 12 games: a team with Cooper Flagg on it just will not lose very often.
A Wild Ride for the Mavs
While Flagg was on fire, the Mavericks’ week was a bit of a rollercoaster, earning them an A- overall. They ripped off three straight home wins, taking care of business against Utah with a 112-100 win, absolutely obliterating Brooklyn 130-93, and grinding out a 125-122 victory over an Indiana team that always gives them headaches. Then, BAM! Minnesota came to town and just pummeled them, winning 133-94 on the road. It was an embarrassing loss, similar to how they apparently struggled against the Kings before. The Timberwolves got any shot they wanted, exposed the Mavs’ lack of size and point-of-attack defenders, and effectively ended the game by the second quarter. Talk about a buzzkill after a hot streak.
Still, there were other bright spots. Morez Johnson Jr. has been awesome in his minutes, especially with a massive 13-point, 17-rebound, 10-offensive-board performance against Utah. He truly looked like the ninth pick in the draft for the first time, and after that game, he said he was “back,” implying an early-season injury had finally cleared up. Caleb Martin is doing work as a defensive connector, and P.J. Washington’s jump shot is looking so much better, probably because he is using his legs more. Kyrie Irving is getting healthier, playing his first back-to-back of the season against Brooklyn and Indiana, and his chemistry with Flagg continues to develop. Zaccharie Risacher’s minutes have been a bit up and down, matching his game-to-game play, which is something to watch. However, Naji Marshall just has not felt right with this team, and his trade status will absolutely need to be monitored. And speaking of things that didn’t feel right, Daniel Gafford, on the other hand, “failed the assignment.”
The Mavericks have got to wash the stink of that Timberwolves loss off them quick, because they are heading straight into a tough road stretch. They have a Saturday/Sunday back-to-back coming up against Cleveland and then Boston. Then, they get to come back home to face Golden State on Wednesday. It is going to be a real test of their early-season grit.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Mavs Moneyball.
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