The final score was not what Cooper Flagg wanted. But for the first time since returning from injury, the Dallas Mavericks rookie said he felt like himself again.
Flagg scored 25 points on 8-of-16 shooting with 5 assists and 4 rebounds in Friday night’s 138-105 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers at American Airlines Center — his first 20-point performance since coming back from a left midfoot sprain that sidelined him for three weeks. The efficiency was there. The free-throw line was there, going a perfect 8-of-8. And in the third quarter, a thunderous dunk that briefly jolted the home crowd to life signaled something Flagg had been waiting to feel since his return.
“It was okay. I really feel like I haven’t come back with my pop — my athleticism has been lacking a little bit since I got hurt and came back,” Flagg said. “I finally felt like I was getting my pop back a little bit tonight. I’ve just got to keep getting back into the flow. It’s hard to play so much basketball and then miss three weeks like that. That was tough and different for me. I’ve just got to keep getting my body back into rhythm and finish these last 15 games strong.”
Cooper Flagg’s Shooting Efficiency Finally Turning a Corner
The field-goal numbers tell the story. Flagg is shooting 46.9% across 55 games this season. Since the All-Star break, he has shot just 37.3% over 6 games, averaging 17.2 points per game — a drop that covers both the injury and the scramble to get right again.
It got worse before it got better. Flagg had shot 31.8%, 30.4%, 41.2%, 37.5%, and 37.5% in his previous five outings, never once getting to 50%. Friday marked the first time since the break he cracked 50% from the field. His 64% true shooting was his best of the stretch by a wide margin.
Worth noting — his assist numbers have actually gone up as teams have played aggressive defensive coverages like the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks. When the shot wasn’t there, he kept the ball moving. The scoring just wasn’t coming. Until Friday.
Cooper Flagg Feeling Better Pace in His Game
Flagg wasn’t just talking about the shooting numbers, though. Since coming back, he said, the game had felt fast — too fast. His timing was off, and he knew it. Friday felt different.
“Just trying to find my rhythm and get back into the swing of things. Trying to pick my moments and be aggressive,” Flagg said. “I thought I played with better pace tonight. I had been a little sped up recently, so it was about getting back to a better pace, drawing contact, getting to the line, getting comfortable. But overall we’ve just got to get better. It’s tough — they knocked down a lot of shots, so you’ve got to give them credit.”
Kidd noticed it too, particularly in the third quarter when Flagg began to impose himself on the game.
“I thought you could see Cooper had a step tonight, especially playing last night. I thought the effort was there. Again, I thought his game picked up after his dunk. He started to be a little bit more aggressive,” Kidd said. “I think just for us, it’s tired bodies and tired minds right now.”
The performance came in the second game of a back-to-back. Flagg said the fact that his athleticism showed up under those conditions was a good sign.
“Yeah, for sure. It gives me a good idea that I’m taking care of myself the right way,” Flagg said. “I just have to stay at it, stay hungry, and keep getting better.”
Building a Foundation with the Dallas Mavericks
At 19, Flagg is playing more basketball than he ever has — and losing more than he ever has. The injury was just another chapter in a season that has asked a lot of him. Asked what this season has taught him, Flagg didn’t stay on basketball long.
“I’m learning a lot. I’m learning a ton throughout this whole year about myself, about the game of basketball, about the people around me,” Flagg said. “I’ve learned a lot about life. It’s been a big learning year for me, and I’ve had to mature a lot. So it’s been a great year.”
Kidd traces that toughness back to where Flagg came from — a childhood in Maine that shaped how he carries himself long before any NBA spotlight found him.
“When you look at growing up in Maine, his family and his brothers, playing outside when it’s cold — that builds toughness,” Kidd said. “He’s not afraid of the moment. He’s played on a big stage and had success on a big stage. To be 19 years old and playing the game at a high level says a lot.”
That foundation is shown in how Flagg handles the grind. He stays accountable in postgame settings, finds solutions when things go wrong, and on Friday turned his attention immediately to what Dallas needs to fix before Sunday’s rematch in Cleveland.
“I think a big part of it is just our presence. I don’t think they really felt us out there tonight,” Flagg said. “We’ve got to show more presence and more physicality. They started out killing us in the paint and that led to a lot of easy spray-out threes. We’ve just got to take pride on that end of the floor and give more presence. It’s got to start there, and I think we can work it out from there.”
That foundation is shown in how Flagg handles the grind. He stays accountable in postgame settings, finds solutions when things go wrong, and with 15 games left, his focus is squarely on finishing strong. Friday was a step in the right direction.
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