‘The Main Thing Is Winning’: Cooper Flagg Scores 42 As Dallas Mavericks Squander Lead In OT Loss Against Utah Jazz

Grant AfsethDecember 16, 2025December 16, 2025

Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, NBA

Photo via Dallas Mavericks

Cooper Flagg’s historic night unfolded the way so many breakout performances do early in an NBA career: brilliant, demanding, and ultimately incomplete.

Flagg authored one of the most prolific scoring performances ever by an 18-year-old, pouring in a career-high 42 points and tying Mark Aguirre for the most points scored by a rookie in Dallas Mavericks history. But after leading most of the night, Dallas watched control slip away late as the Utah Jazz closed regulation and overtime on a decisive 24–9 run to secure a 140–133 victory Monday night at Delta Center.

“It’s tough,” Flagg said afterward. “I want to look at it through wins and losses. Obviously, we didn’t win, so it’s hard for me to feel happy or anything like that. At the same time, you try to take whatever positives you can and keep getting better from here. But the main thing is winning, and we didn’t do that tonight.”

The loss dropped the Mavericks to 10–17 on the season and 3–8 on the road. Utah improved to 10–15.

Dallas entered the game depleted before the opening tip.

Anthony Davis was downgraded to out with a left calf contusion, while Brandon Williams was also unavailable due to right Achilles soreness. The Mavericks were already without Kyrie Irving (left knee surgery), Dereck Lively II (right foot injury management), Danté Exum (right knee surgery), and D’Angelo Russell (illness).

Daniel Gafford returned after missing three games with right ankle injury management, but did so on a minutes restriction and while still managing pain.

“I’m trying to fight through a lot of stuff,” Gafford said. “I’m staying on top of it, trying to fight through pain, fight through discomfort — really just fight through everything right now.”

That reality shaped both Dallas’ approach and the margin they were forced to play with all night.

A Shootout Ignites Early

The opening quarter immediately settled into a track meet.

Dallas leaned heavily into weak-side stagger actions involving Klay Thompson and Max Christie, not necessarily to free shooters, but to occupy help defenders and allow Flagg to dictate the possession. If Utah stayed attached to the action, Flagg attacked the on-ball defender. If help showed, he flowed into the read.

The result was immediate pressure.

Flagg scored 14 points in the first quarter, repeatedly getting downhill with floaters and finishes through contact. Utah countered with five-out spacing that pulled Dallas’ help defenders away from the rim, creating driving lanes and kick-outs.

Keyonte George erupted for 12 first-quarter points, briefly pushing Utah ahead by as many as 10. Still, Dallas stabilized and closed the quarter strong, leading 43–37 despite the early hole.

Utah’s ability to maintain five-out spacing throughout the night consistently stretched Dallas’ defensive coverage. The Jazz paired that spacing with constant off-ball movement and screening, creating driving lanes and forcing late rotations that became harder to manage as the game wore on.

“They play really fast and get out in transition,” Flagg said. “They’ve got good guards, and obviously Lauri Markkanen is really good at spreading the floor. They run a lot of off-ball actions, and that’s tough to guard. It’s a different offense, and we could’ve cleaned some things up.”

Jason Kidd later pointed to Flagg’s comfort growing in real time.

“I think we said this when we drafted him,” Kidd said. “The more time he’s on the floor, the more he sees, the better he gets. And he displayed that tonight.”

Second Quarter Reveals The Margin

The second quarter exposed just how thin Dallas’ margin for error was.

Gafford picked up his third foul with 9:48 remaining before halftime, forcing Dallas deeper into its bench. Utah responded by sliding Kyle Anderson to center, increasing spacing and ball movement while Dallas countered with Moussa Cissé.

Defensively, the Mavericks struggled to contain re-drives and spray-outs. One breakdown left Cody Williams completely alone in the corner for a three, cutting the deficit to 46–45 with 9:01 left before halftime.

Even so, Flagg continued to dictate terms. Seeing Anderson switched onto him, he attacked downhill and finished a floater through contact for an and-one.

Dallas entered halftime clinging to a 75–71 lead after shooting 27-of-41 from the field. Flagg had 24 points at the break — the most by any Maverick in a half this season.

Adjustments And Control After Halftime

Dallas adjusted coming out of the break by involving Flagg more frequently as a screener for Ryan Nembhard. The action forced switches and created mismatches, allowing Flagg to seal defenders or attack on the catch.

The Mavericks extended their lead behind interior scoring from P.J. Washington and continued downhill pressure from Naji Marshall. Dallas entered the fourth quarter up 99–92 and appeared to have the game trending its way.

“He doesn’t surprise me at all,” Washington said of Flagg. “I know exactly what he’s capable of. He’s a special player, so there’s a lot more to come.”

Dallas still led 124–116 with under four minutes remaining in regulation.

That’s when Utah flipped the script.

The Jazz became far more aggressive sending quick doubles at Flagg, committing to getting the ball out of his hands. With Utah rotating sharply behind the play, Dallas struggled to punish mismatches or generate clean secondary actions.

“I’ve got to be better,” Flagg said. “I had a couple of dumb turnovers and missed a couple of easy ones. Late in games like that, you’ve got to execute. We need good looks every possession, and whether the shot goes in or not, if it’s a shot we can live with, that’s what matters.”

Utah closed regulation on an 11–0 run, capped by Isaiah Collier’s driving basket with 53.6 seconds remaining.

“Definitely felt like we could have executed a lot better in overtime,” Washington said. “The pace kind of got to us. Obviously, we had it to start overtime, so we were down three, but I felt like we could have executed better, got better shots as a whole.”

Still, Dallas had one final response.

Trailing 129–127 with 4.5 seconds left, Flagg made the first free throw, then intentionally missed the second. Max Christie crashed in, secured the offensive rebound, drew contact, and buried both free throws to force overtime.

“It’s something you actually have to practice a little bit,” Flagg said. “We talked about it early in the season at training camp and worked on it some. I’m glad we did, because it paid off. I’m also glad Max came flying in there and we were able to make a play.”

Overtime Belongs To Utah

The momentum evaporated quickly.

George scored the first five points of overtime, including a deep three, and Lauri Markkanen took over on the glass. Utah dominated the extra period 11–4 as Dallas went just 1-for-9 from the field.

“At the end of overtime, I felt like we kind of let go of the rope,” Gafford said. “Some of the possessions were empty possessions. We were shooting early in the shot clock when we could’ve used the full clock.”

Kidd echoed the simplicity of the outcome.

“They made baskets. We didn’t,” Kidd said. “We had some good looks that just didn’t go down, and they capitalized to start the overtime. But that being said, it was still a five-point game and we just couldn’t get one to fall for us to get closer.”

Markkanen finished with 33 points and 16 rebounds, while George added 37 points and six assists.

A Historic Night, Still Incomplete

Flagg finished with 42 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, becoming the first 18-year-old in NBA history to score 40 points in a game. Still, the rookie remained focused on the result rather than the milestone.

The performance capped a recent surge. Flagg is averaging 18.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 26 games this season, but has elevated his production to 25.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists over his last seven games as Dallas has leaned more heavily on his shot creation amid injuries.

Still, the rookie remained focused on the result.

“It’s cool,” Flagg said. “But it would’ve been great to get the win. That’s what I’m more focused on.”

Gafford echoed that sentiment while praising Flagg’s persistence.

“He never quit,” Gafford said. “He just kept attacking the basket, taking the shots he felt comfortable with, and giving us the edge we needed throughout the game.”

Dallas fell to 10–17 and is now 6–5 with Anthony Davis available this season, compared to 4–12 without him.

The Mavericks will host the Detroit Pistons on Thursday, searching for consistency — and a wider margin — as the season continues.

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Grant Afseth

Senior Writer

Grant Afseth is a Senior Writer for DallasHoopsJournal.com, where he leads in-depth coverage of the Mavericks, Wings, and more. Between a focus on the latest news, closer looks at games, front office strategy, and more, Afseth provides objective coverage. Afseth contributes broader NBA coverage across platforms and has been cited in national outlets for his reporting and analysis. With nearly a decade of journalism experience, Afseth has covered the NBA and WNBA for multiple major outlets, including Athlon Sports, BallIsLife, Sportskeeda, and RG.org. He previously reported on the Indiana Pacers for CNHI’s Kokomo Tribune and the Mavericks for FanNation.

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