SALT LAKE CITY — History accompanied the Dallas Mavericks on their quick trip to Utah and attached itself to the garments of the youngest player in the NBA.
Cooper Flagg stamped his name at the top of the league’s history books with a career-high 42 points, the most ever scored by an 18-year old and the second-most by a Mavericks rookie since Mark Aguirre — the only other No. 1 pick in franchise history.
However, the milestone was bittersweet because the Mavericks suffered a desolating 140-133 loss to the Jazz at Delta Center.
“It’s tough,” Flagg said. “I want to look at it [in] wins and losses. Obviously we didn’t win. It’s tough for me to want to be happy, but obviously it’s a success and we’re going to try to keep getting better from here.”
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Flagg helped send the game into overtime when he intentionally missed a free throw with four seconds left, which allowed Max Christie to come up with an offensive rebound. Christie drew a foul by Jazz rookie Ace Bailey and knocked the subsequent free throws down to seal an extra five minutes of play.
The Mavericks were outscored 11-4 in the overtime period, which led to their latest loss.
Flagg sent a message that he wanted to assert his will early and often on the first sequence of Monday’s game in Utah. The Mavericks rookie countered an emphatic one-handed putback dunk by Bailey, his fellow 2025 draft classmate, by taking two dribbles on the other end before scoring a floater.
Simple. Not flashy, but effective.
Monday’s game was a shootout in every sense of the word. Both teams scored over 70 before halftime and both produced efficient shooting percentages. The Mavericks were led by Flagg, who exploded for a career-high 42 points with seven rebounds and six assists.
After leading by as many as nine to start the fourth quarter, Utah ended regulation on a 13-5 run. Flagg had two consecutive uncharacteristic turnovers in the fourth, that led to a brief trip to the bench. But Flagg scored eight seconds after returning, which gave him 34 points. The basket set up his right-handed floater at the 4:15 mark that gave him a new scoring milestone.
It was the second game of at least 30 points of his career, surpassing his former career-high of 35 points against the LA Clippers on Nov. 29. Flagg now has at least 20 or more points in five of his last seven games. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd was asked if Flagg’s latest milestone night is just the beginning of what to expect from the No. 1 overall pick.
“I think we said that when we drafted him,” Kidd said. “I think he’s understanding the more time he’s on the floor, the more he sees, the better he gets. And he displayed that tonight.”
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The Mavericks rookie propelled an explosive first quarter for the Mavericks that led to a season-high 43 points, the most they’ve scored in any quarter this season. He scored 14 in 10 minutes of that frame, which marked a career-high for the most points Flagg has scored in any quarter this season. Flagg also had 24 points through the first half, which were also the most he’s scored in any half and the most by any Maverick this season.
Flagg reached his new scoring feat by driving to the basket and reading the defense to connect on his signature midrange jumper. He made 13 of 27 field goals and made an intentional effort to get to the free-throw line with 15 of 20 from the stripe.
He added to his two-way highlight reel in the second quarter when he poked the ball away from Kyle Anderson, leading to a steal. He finished the play with an impressive left-handed floater through contact that helped him reach another milestone.
Flagg, who is still an 18-year-old until Sunday, recorded history with that bucket when he passed Tracy McGrady for the third-most points by a player before his 19th birthday. The only names ahead of Flagg are LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, which is pretty good company to keep.
P.J. Washington added 25 points and 13 rebounds. Ryan Nembhard, who went scoreless in Friday’s win over Brooklyn, rebounded with an efficient double-double of 14 points and 11 assists on 6-of-12 shooting.
Although they made the trip, Davis and Williams sat toward the end of the bench in street clothes while Flagg produced another career-night. Davis suffered a left calf contusion in Friday’s win over Brooklyn, so the Mavericks held him out as a precaution. Williams woke up Monday with soreness in his right Achilles so the Mavericks rested him as well. Their status is unclear for Thursday’s home game against the Detroit Pistons.
Without Davis starting at center, Daniel Gafford made his return after a three-game absence because of right ankle injury management. The Mavericks big man finished with just two points, two rebounds and three fouls in 13 minutes. He was on a minutes restriction of 17-20, which wasn’t needed since Kidd also used Dwight Powell for the majority of the game and two-way center Moussa Cisse in spurts.
While Flagg had it going for Dallas, the Jazz’s offense was fueled by a Lewisville native. Keyonte George continued his impressive display of scoring on Monday by pouring in a team-high 37 points, which featured eye-popping highlights throughout the night. Lauri Markkanen added 33 points and 16 rebounds. Kyle Filipowski had 25 points and nine rebounds.
Late in the second quarter, George knocked down a corner 3-pointer that gave him 22 points, but just as Flagg showed on the first possession of the game, he showed no fear. He calmly drilled his lone triple of the game. The last time Flagg scored 30, he did so without making any 3-pointers, a rare occurrence in today’s NBA climate.
After another career night, Monday’s scoring outburst wasn’t a message to just the Jazz or anyone else paying attention in the Western Conference. Perhaps it was a statement to the rest of the NBA.
The competitor in Flagg won’t allow himself to fully appreciate the historic night because he wishes it resulted in a win for his team.
“It’s cool,” Flagg said, “but it would’ve been great to get a win. That’s what I’m more focused on.”
X/Twitter: @MikeACurtis2
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