Flagg surpasses LeBron: New points record with the Mavs at 18 years old

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Cooper Flagg has written an important page in basketball history, leaving his mark in the two recent consecutive games of the Dallas Mavericks against the Los Angeles teams. On Friday night, Flagg showcased his skill by dishing out 11 assists, setting a record for an 18-year-old player, despite the loss to the Lakers. Just 24 hours later, Flagg became the youngest player to reach 35 points in a game, an achievement even more significant as he led an injury-hit Dallas team to a 114-110 victory over the Clippers at the Intuit Dome.

He’s only 18, but it seems like he’s been in this league before. He did everything tonight. He had the ball. You can call it base or whatever, but he directed the offense for us. He drove the ball. The ball touched the paint. He got to the rim, went to the free throw line, stepped up and made free throws for us at the end. His composure on both ends [was impressive]. He competes at a very high level. You saw it tonight, but you also saw it last night.
Jason Kidd, coach of the Mavs

LeBron James is the only other 18-year-old player to have scored 35 points in an NBA game, having achieved this feat twice during his rookie season with the Cleveland Cavaliers in December 2023. James’ first 35-point game occurred when he was 18 years and 348 days old, five days older than Flagg on Saturday night. The highlight of Flagg’s historic night was a spectacular two-handed dunk over Clippers’ center Ivica Zubac, a player known for his defense. Flagg relentlessly attacked the basket throughout the game, shooting 13 of 22 from the field, including eight baskets within three meters of the hoop.

Being aggressive right now is obviously the right thing for me, and that’s what the coach has emphasized to me. I have to be aggressive, and we will live with some of the mistakes, but you just have to be aggressive and trust all the work. My teammates trust me a lot, and I feel it. And when they trust me, it allows me to be free up there.
Cooper Flagg

Flagg, who had struggled in the second night of his previous back-to-back games, started the game strong, scoring 12 points in the first quarter and 21 in the first half. He also had a solid finish, keeping his cool after a couple of costly turnovers in the final quarter to score eight points in the final two minutes and 47 seconds.

Cooper’s potential is limitless. He has all the tools to be great. Sometimes I can’t believe he’s supposed to be a freshman in college.
Klay Thompson, Mavericks guard

It was Flagg’s most veteran teammate, 35-year-old Thompson, who made sure that the number 1 rookie had the opportunity to close out the game against the Clippers. Thompson scored 17 of his 23 points in the final quarter, the same streak that made him famous while playing on four championship teams with the Golden State Warriors. Thompson, who was briefly listed as out due to a right knee issue on Saturday’s official injury report before changing his mind after swimming in the ocean, was 6 of 8 from the field and 4 of 6 from 3-point range in the final quarter. His 28-foot shot with 1:52 remaining gave the Mavs the ultimate lead.

It felt like a relief. I haven’t shot the ball well in these first 20 games, at least not for my standards. So when you have a night like that after the difficult start we’ve had, it just gives you relief to keep going. It really inspires me to be out there as much as I can.
Klay Thompson

It’s been a tough start for Thompson and the Mavs, who with a 6-15 record, received more bad news a few minutes before the tip-off when starting forward P.J. Washington landed on a basketball and twisted his right ankle. Washington joined Kyrie Irving (knee surgery), Anthony Davis (calf injury management), Daniel Gafford (ankle injury management), and Dereck Lively II (foot) as key Mavs players who were unavailable against the Clippers. Despite the bad luck the Mavs have had, they got incredibly lucky when they got Flagg by winning the draft lottery despite only having a 1.8% chance.