‘A Dream Come True’: Cooper Flagg Makes NBA History Again As Dallas Mavericks End 14-Game Home Skid With 134-128 Win Over Los Angeles Lakers

DALLAS — Jason Kidd said it before the game. He said everything. Asked what he would like Cooper Flagg to absorb from studying LeBron James, the Dallas Mavericks head coach did not hesitate for a single beat.

“Everything,” Kidd said. “You talk about winning. You talk about longevity. You talk about always improving their game each year. It’s not easy to be a GOAT or to be considered one of the best to do it. But the biggest thing is LeBron’s put in the time.”

Sunday night at a roaring, sold-out American Airlines Center, the 41-year-old king and the 19-year-old heir apparent shared the same hardwood for the final time this season — and what unfolded was one of the most compelling individual performances in rookie history wrapped inside the most emotionally significant Mavericks victory in months.

Flagg scored 45 points, added 8 rebounds and 9 assists, and Dallas ended its 14-game home losing streak — the longest at American Airlines Center in franchise history, and the longest for the organization in 32 years — with a 134-128 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers arrived shorthanded and wounded. Luka Dončić, the NBA’s leading scorer at 33.5 points per game, was out with a left hamstring strain suffered Thursday in Oklahoma City and has been ruled out for the remainder of the regular season. Austin Reaves, Los Angeles’s second-leading scorer at 23.3 points per game, missed the game with a left oblique strain and could miss time in the playoffs as well. Marcus Smart was also sidelined with a right ankle contusion, leaving James as the unquestioned focal point of a depleted roster.

Dallas was without its own share of key contributors. Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II both remain out following surgeries, Caleb Martin missed the game with a right plantar fascia strain, and Moussa Cissé was with the G League affiliate. The Mavericks have navigated an injury-ravaged season all year, and Sunday night, they finally had something to show for their perseverance.

James finished with 30 points, a season-high 15 assists, and 9 rebounds in 38 minutes. It was not enough. For the second consecutive game, nothing was.

“Tonight for sure,” Flagg said when asked if the last two nights rank among his favorite moments this season. “Anytime you can have a good individual performance followed up with a team victory is much better for me, and that’s what I always look for.”

Dallas dominated the opening quarter with pace and precision, survived a stunning Lakers second-quarter surge that trimmed a 22-point deficit to six at halftime, then answered every punch Los Angeles threw in the second half to hold on and deliver a home crowd something it has desperately needed: a win worth remembering.

Flagg was the overwhelming story, but the Mavericks played their most complete game in weeks — organized, turnover-conscious, and relentless in transition. It was the kind of night that offered a genuine glimpse of what this franchise could become, one that produced 134 points — the franchise’s 13th game this season with at least 130, tying for the third-most such games in a single season in team history.

The Historical Freight Train That Is Cooper Flagg

Two nights after becoming the first NBA teenager to score 50 points in a game, dropping 51 on the Orlando Magic, Flagg delivered 45 more against a Lakers defense that had no answers for him from the opening tip-off.

The result made him the second rookie since the NBA/ABA merger in 1976-77 to record consecutive 40-point games, joining Allen Iverson from the 1996-97 season. He is also just the third rookie in NBA history to record back-to-back games with at least 45 points in a debut season, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Walt Bellamy.

With 51 points Friday and 45 Sunday, Flagg tied Chamberlain for the fifth-most points in a two-game span by a rookie in NBA history at 96. Chamberlain holds the top four spots on that list.

The milestones cascaded from there. His fourth 40-point game of the season gives him the most 40-point games by a teenager in NBA history, surpassing James, who had three. His full line of 45 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block made him just the third player this season to reach those thresholds in a game, joining Dončić and Cade Cunningham.

He also notched his second career 40-5-5 game, becoming the first rookie with multiple such performances since Iverson (1996-97), and his third career 35-5-5 game breaks a three-way tie with Doncic and Kevin Durant for second-most such games by a teenager in NBA history. He now sits just one shy of James (four) for the all-time teenage record. His 11th career 25-5-5 game tied Dončić for the second-most by a teenager in NBA history.

The first quarter alone carried its own historical weight. Flagg became the first teenager in the play-by-play era to score at least 19 points in an opening quarter, going 7-of-10 from the field with four free throws in 12 minutes. He also became the first rookie in the play-by-play era to record 26 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and a block in a single half — joining James Harden, Stephen Curry, Dwyane Wade, Bradley Beal, Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Irving as the only players in that era to put together such a half.

“I think it’s definitely some sort of statement,” Flagg said of his two-game stretch. “But it just goes back to what I said — I’m confident in myself, and I know what I’m capable of, and I just let the rest of the stuff figure itself out.”

When MVP chants broke out from the capacity crowd late in the game as Flagg stepped to the free-throw line, he kept his composure and his perspective.

“It was pretty cool,” he said. “We haven’t given the fans a ton to show up for and be excited for all year long. So it’s cool to see the fans showing up every single night still and supporting us in a big way.”

Kidd, who shared the 1994 Rookie of the Year award with Grant Hill, was careful with his framing when asked postgame whether Flagg was making a closing statement in the race.

“I don’t know if he’s making a closing statement,” Kidd said. “I think he’s just doing what he’s been doing all season — being able to play different positions, being able to be uncomfortable, has never complained, and has delivered for us. And again tonight, being able to do it on national television — 40 points is not easy, especially coming off a 50-ball.”

Flagg, for his part, had not even known until Sunday that Kidd was a Rookie of the Year himself.

“Not really,” Flagg said when asked if the two had discussed Kidd’s own rookie experience. “I was actually just talking in the locker room about it — I didn’t even know that. So maybe I will talk to him about it.”

A Dominant First Quarter for the Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks sent an immediate message on the opening possession. Naji Marshall stole a James pass in the game’s first sequence, and 27 seconds later, Flagg knocked in a mid-range pull-up off a Max Christie feed to make it 2-0. Flagg stripped James again on the next possession, and the tone was set.

Dallas rolled from there in one of the most emphatic opening quarters the franchise has produced this season, and the Mavericks’ defensive activity was apparent from the jump — they would finish the night with 11 steals, their 15th game this season with 11 or more, the most in a single season since 2014-15.

Christie knocked down a corner three, Marshall slithered to the rim for a layup, and P.J. Washington converted a cutting layup off a Marshall feed to push the lead to 14-7.

Rui Hachimura kept Los Angeles afloat, burying two three-pointers in the first five minutes to keep the game within reach. Luke Kennard collected a steal and the Lakers briefly took their only lead of the night at 20-19 following a Jarred Vanderbilt three — a lead that lasted roughly 13 seconds before Flagg answered with a driving bank hook.

From there, Dallas took over. Marvin Bagley III buried a three from the corner, Flagg converted a fast-break and-one to extend the lead to nine, and Khris Middleton dialed in a three-pointer off a Brandon Williams feed. At the buzzer, Klay Thompson canned a pull-up three off a Marshall assist to send the sellout crowd into a frenzy, pushing the lead to 11 heading into the second quarter. Dallas shot 61.5% from the field in the period in a dominant display of pace-and-space basketball.

“We wanted to play with great pace and get up the floor really fast, just to keep the rhythm in our favor,” Flagg said.

Kidd had emphasized that approach in his pregame availability, describing how the Mavericks had worked to build their transition attack around their rookie’s instincts.

“For him to understand at that speed how to make plays — he’s not always looking to score, but he’s trying to make the game simple and fun,” Kidd said.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ Second-Quarter Blitz

The second quarter opened with Dallas picking up right where it left off. Gafford stole another James pass — the fourth turnover for the Lakers’ star in the first 13 minutes — and converted both free throws. Flagg then stripped James again on the very next possession, and Williams finished on the break to make it 45-30.

Thompson knocked in a Flagg-assisted corner three to push the margin to 18, and Middleton buried another triple off a Flagg feed at the 8:53 mark to give Dallas its largest lead of the night at 58-36.

Then James reminded everyone why he remains among the best to ever play the game.

The 41-year-old shifted into a higher gear over the final nine minutes of the period, scoring 16 points in the quarter alone. He converted a turnaround bank shot, then a foul-line pull-up, then back-to-back dunks — including one where he received a Kennard lob at the rim — to begin slicing into the Mavericks’ cushion. The Lakers rattled off 19 of the next 27 points to cut it to 67-61 heading into halftime.

Dallas went cold in the period, shooting just 34.8% from the field, and the Lakers capitalized on five Mavericks turnovers. Still, the six-point halftime edge felt comfortable enough. Dallas had shot 91.7% from the free-throw line in the first half and outscored Los Angeles 18-7 in fast-break points — a gap that would grow to 24-14 by game’s end — and finished the night 14-of-32 from three, the Mavericks’ 16th game this season with at least 14 three-pointers on 40.0% shooting or better.

Dallas Mavericks Regain Control After Halftime

The Lakers were not done. Early third-quarter baskets from Kennard and Deandre Ayton trimmed the lead, and after James collected a Flagg turnover near half-court, flipped it to Kennard, and received the return alley-oop lob for a slam, the margin was down to two at 72-70.

That was as close as Los Angeles would get.

Washington answered immediately with a three-pointer off a Flagg assist to push the lead back to five, and Dallas gradually extended its advantage the rest of the period. Flagg drove for a floating bank shot, Washington knocked in another three from the wing, and Marshall added a driving floater to make it 82-74.

After Gafford finished a fast-break dunk off a Flagg pass to push the lead to eight, Bagley converted a coast-to-coast alley-oop layup off another Flagg feed to extend it to 10. Williams emerged as a key secondary playmaker in the third, converting free throws and a mid-range pull-up while running effective pick-and-roll action with Flagg.

Poulakidas buried a corner three off a Powell feed late in the period to push the lead back to 12, and Williams drove in the final layup at the buzzer to make it 107-97. Dallas shot a scorching 73.7% from the field in the third quarter.

Closing It Out

Los Angeles made one final run. Hayes had been a consistent interior presence all evening for the shorthanded Lakers, and he opened the fourth with a tip layup to cut the deficit to eight. But Flagg answered with a driving layup, converted the ensuing free throw to push it back to 11, and a Williams finger roll off a Thompson assist made it 112-99 with 10:53 left.

The Lakers trimmed the margin to five at 112-107 on a LaRavia fast-break dunk with 8:45 remaining, prompting Kidd to call timeout. Dallas did not crack. Bagley cleaned up an offensive rebound for a putback slam, Williams made both free throws after drawing a foul, and Washington converted an alley-oop dunk off a Williams feed to push the lead back to nine.

At 3:26, with Dallas leading 124-116, Flagg caught a pass in the mid-post, spun, and buried a turnaround fadeaway that effectively ended the suspense. The Mavericks shot 40% from the field in the fourth quarter but were 10-of-13 from the free-throw line and committed zero turnovers — a crucial statistic down the stretch of a game they could not afford to give away.

“I thought it was great,” Flagg told Dallas Hoops Journal about the offensive performance. “It’s something I always come back to when we have a better offensive game — we’re organized. When guys are on the same page, it looks a lot better out there.”

LeBron James and the Generational Storyline

Before the game, Kidd was asked about the parallels between James’ and Flagg’s entrances into the league — two teenagers handed impossible expectations on rebuilding franchises and asked to deliver night after night.

“It’s just with all the excitement or the hype of being able to play a game as a teenager in a man’s game,” Kidd said. “And the understanding of the expectations on a nightly basis — taking on the number one or number two defender, or being double-teamed. The similarities of being able to score the ball, to be able to play the game at a high level, and have fun doing it.”

Kidd also marveled at James’ sustained excellence in a way that carried real weight, given that he was Flagg’s coach and would be facing the 41-year-old across the court.

“There’s so much attention, so much weight that he has to carry on a daily basis when he takes the court, and he’s been able to deliver,” Kidd said pregame. “Understanding a lot of these young kids that he’s playing against were in diapers or some of them weren’t born. For him to compete, he loves competition.”

After the game, James offered his own read on the parallels — and his own scouting report on the rookie he had watched from the AAU circuit to this moment.

“He’s been in a zone over the last couple of games,” James said of Flagg. “But also just been playing consistent basketball all year. As a fan of him and a fan of the game, from early in the season to where he is today, that’s great.”

On whether he sees similarities between Flagg’s introduction to the NBA and his own teenage years as a franchise cornerstone, James was pointed.

“I love what he’s doing. I love what he’s bringing to this franchise,” James said. “He looks like he loves the game. He’s putting in the work. J-Kidd got a little scrutinized early on because they started him at PG at times. I thought that was unfair. I think it’s great to put the ball in somebody’s hands so they can just go through the rough patches — when you go through the rough patches it allows you to grow at a rate faster than other players. That’s what Paul Silas, rest his soul, did for me. My rookie year, I basically started at PG early on. He allowed me to make mistakes and read tough defenses. So I see similarities in that on the basketball floor. Off the court, it’s a little different.”

On the Rookie of the Year race, James needed very little prompting.

“He’s obviously special,” James said. “I’ve seen that all the way back to the AAU days when he was coming up in the ranks and playing with his team out of Maine. He’s just taken that from what he was doing back home to the AAU circuit to Duke, and now here he is just getting better and better and better.”

James was careful to credit the broader rookie class — mentioning VJ Edgecombe in Philadelphia, Kon Knueppel in Charlotte, and Dylan in San Antonio as players making impacts on their respective teams — before landing on what felt like the night’s defining statement on the state of the league.

“The league’s in good hands with those rookies,” James said.

After the game, Flagg addressed what it meant to share the floor with someone he grew up watching.

“It’s pretty cool,” Flagg said. “Obviously, he’s somebody that when I was a little kid, I was watching him go through his whole career. So it’s really impressive, first of all, just to watch him and see him be able to do the things that he’s still able to do out there. But it’s a dream come true.”

Flagg was born on Dec. 21, 2005 — more than two years after James made his NBA debut on Oct. 29, 2003.

James finished with a season-high 15 assists on top of his 30 points and nine rebounds. Kennard recorded his first career triple-double with 15 points, a career-high 16 rebounds, and 11 assists in 41 minutes. Hachimura put together 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting, and Hayes was a consistent interior force with 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting in 27 minutes.

Kidd acknowledged the defensive challenge James presented even in a shorthanded context.

“Going against some of the guys in this league that can play defense at a high level — when he has to look across each time he’s on the floor, he’s got one of the best defenders,” Kidd said of Flagg’s nightly challenge. “For him to be able to deliver, it’s not easy. I know he makes it look easy — that’s how special he is.”

P.J. Washington’s Return, Naji Marshall’s Consistency, and the Supporting Cast

Washington made his return after missing time with an injury, and his presence was felt immediately in ways that extended beyond his 15-point final line. He knocked in three three-pointers — two of them in consecutive possessions during the third quarter that helped Dallas stabilize its lead after the Lakers had trimmed it to two — and added six rebounds in nearly 30 minutes.

“It felt great to be out there and contribute to a win for my team,” Washington said. “So it’s been special — being able to watch Cooper do his thing.”

Washington spoke glowingly about Flagg’s hunger and professionalism in terms that carried the weight of a veteran who has seen plenty of young talent come through NBA locker rooms.

“At his age, doing the things he’s doing is literally unheard of. It is a grown man’s league, and he’s getting better each and every game,” Washington said. “My biggest thing with him is just how hungry he is each and every day — he’s trying to learn, he’s talking, he’s asking questions, he’s picking people’s brains, and he’s putting the work in. That’s exactly what you want to see from a guy like that. Obviously he’s going to be one of the best to play the game, for sure.”

Washington also credited the offense’s collective rhythm, amid Flagg’s individual performance, emphasizing how the team effectively targeted the right defenders in actions and moved the ball.

“We did a good job of bringing who we wanted into the pick-and-roll and letting Cooper kind of do his thing,” Washington told Dallas Hoops Journal. “He made the right reads on pretty much every possession. We passed the ball, we got good shots, we hit. The ball was humming, and I just felt like everybody had a great game and we just played together.”

Marshall delivered yet again in his complementary role, finishing with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals for his ninth 10-5-5 game of the season — a total that already eclipses his combined output from his previous two seasons (eight such games). His playmaking was particularly effective in the first quarter, when he racked up 4 assists and made a series of reads out of ball-screen coverage that kept Dallas’s offense humming.

Williams was steady in his facilitator role, finishing with 13 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals in nearly 25 minutes. His ability to run two-man actions with Flagg and attack the paint created consistent advantages in the second and third quarters, and he delivered two clutch free throws in the fourth when the Lakers were threatening.

Kidd credited both Williams and Marshall for keeping the offense organized when Flagg needed a breather.

“I think we’re getting a little bit better at taking care of the ball,” Kidd told Dallas Hoops Journal. “When we do take care of the ball, we get good looks. Tonight’s another example of that. Brandon Williams — we’ve been talking about him running the team — he’s been doing a great job. I think Naji also loves playing the point guard position, so being able to play through him and for him to get us organized has been great. And then again, Cooper handling the ball down stretches has been good for us, too.”

Thompson contributed 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting with three three-pointers in 18 minutes, leaving him just three triples shy of his 11th career 200-three-pointer season — which would be the second-most such seasons by any player in NBA history.

Bagley was useful in his return from a left shoulder issue, adding 9 points, 4 rebounds, and a pair of emphatic putback dunks that brought the building to its feet at critical moments. Gafford finished with 7 points, seven rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in under 20 minutes before leaving the game due to a right shoulder strain.

Jason Kidd on the Luka Dončić Situation and What Comes Next

Kidd was asked pregame about the 65-game minimum threshold for awards eligibility — a policy that now stands to cost Dončić consideration for the scoring title and potentially other postseason honors after he was ruled out for the rest of the regular season.

“It’s unfortunate — not just for Luka, but there’s others in that same situation,” Kidd said. “Luka is having an MVP season. He was playing at a very, very high level. And for him to get hurt and not be rewarded for that season is unfortunate. So hopefully, as I know the NBA will look at these cases, they can find a way to make sure that guys don’t get left off the list.”

On the resilience required to absorb a season’s worth of injuries and keep competing, Kidd drew on his experience navigating Dončić’s absence in the 2022 playoffs.

“There was no panic,” Kidd said. “We’ve played without Luka now — our record might not have been as good as we wanted — but there was no panic in the locker room.”

Flagg was already focused on what comes next.

“Now I’m trying to get ready for the Clippers and get ready for the next — I think we’ve got four more — the last four games of our season,” he said.

When asked what he would carry from this season, Flagg’s answer was refreshingly honest.

“I think the losing,” Flagg said. “That’s something that me personally, but I think the whole team in general, will definitely take away from this year. That’s a terrible feeling — it’s not fun to lose so many games. So just taking that and using that as motivation all summer long and getting ready for another season. And I would also say the growth — there’s been a lot of growth throughout the season from a lot of different guys.”

Up Next

The Mavericks go on the road to face the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night.

More Cooper Flagg & Dallas Mavericks Coverage

• ‘He Will Be Unstoppable’: Cooper Flagg’s Three-Point Statement Gives Blueprint For NBA Dominance
• ‘They’re Very Similar’: Jason Kidd Breaks Down The LeBron James Parallels For Cooper Flagg
• ‘He’s In Rare Air’: Cooper Flagg Scores 51 Points In Historic Performance, But Dallas Mavericks Fall To Orlando Magic
• ‘I Wish We Could Give It To Both’: Dirk Nowitzki Calls For Co-Rookie Of The Year For Cooper Flagg And Kon Knueppel
• ‘He’s Given Me That Confidence’: Cooper Flagg Credits Jason Kidd For Playmaking Evolution
• ‘Mentally Taxing’: Cooper Flagg Opens Up On Weight Of Losing Dallas Mavericks Season
• ‘We Don’t Talk About Rookie Of The Year’: Cooper Flagg And Kon Knueppel Keep Duke Brotherhood Above The Race
• ‘I Like Making The Right Play’: Cooper Flagg Shows Decision‑Making Beyond His Years As NBA’s Youngest Player
• ‘I’ve Learned A Lot’: Khris Middleton Is Helping Cooper Flagg Grow As A Professional Scorer