Cooper Flagg walked into Rocket Arena on Sunday, March 15, and put on a show. The Dallas Mavericks rookie scored 27 points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished out 10 assists on 10-of-17 shooting as the Mavs stunned the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-120. In doing so, the 19-year-old Duke phenom etched his name into the record books alongside two of the greatest players the NBA has ever seen.
Cooper Flagg Joins LeBron James and Luka Dončić in Elite Company After Cavs Win
Flagg is perhaps the only consolation in an otherwise disappointing season for the Mavs. After scoring 25 points against the Cavaliers in the first game of a back-to-back, the rookie sensation followed it up with another record-breaking performance in the second game.
StatsMuse highlighted Flagg’s milestone on X after the game.
“Teens to record 20 or more 15/5/5 games: LeBron, Luka, and Cooper Flagg,” the post read.
That was not the only record Flagg rewrote on Sunday. With his 27-6-11 stat line, he became the second-youngest player in NBA history to record a game with 25 or more points, 10 or more assists, and five or more rebounds in the regular season.
The only player to do it at a younger age was King James, who achieved the feat at 18 years and 355 days on Dec. 20, 2003, against the Chicago Bulls. Flagg was 19 years and 84 days old on Sunday.
In his previous game, Flagg had already passed Kobe Bryant for the sixth-most 20-point games by a teenager in NBA history. The milestones are coming in bunches now.
But Flagg did not do it alone. Naji Marshall matched his energy with 25 points, five rebounds, and seven assists, while PJ Washington added 20 points, 11 rebounds, and five steals.
The Cavs fought hard with plenty of outstanding performances of their own. Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 26 points and 11 assists. Max Strus, making his return, contributed 24 points, eight rebounds, and 6-of-7 three-pointers. Evan Mobley finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, four rebounds and four blocks.
James Harden added 13 points and seven assists, but also turned the ball over six times. These performances, however, were not enough as the Mavs controlled the game and handed the Cavaliers their 27th loss of the season.
On the season, Flagg is averaging 20.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game across 56 games on 47.1% shooting from the field and 29.5% from three in 33.6 minutes. He is firmly in the Rookie of the Year conversation, and the numbers are only adding to his case.
The context around him, however, is complicated. The Mavericks are 23-45 and 12th in the Western Conference with 14 games remaining. With a nine-game deficit to the play-in spot, a postseason run is highly unlikely at this stage. The Mavs would likely need to win all 14 remaining games to reach 37 wins, which may still not be enough to crack the play-in picture.
None of that changes what Flagg is doing individually. A 19-year-old sharing records with James and Dončić on a rebuilding team that has given him the keys to run the offense is a remarkable story. The Mavericks may not be going anywhere this season, but Flagg is just getting started.
