Milwaukee Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo showed out in his first matchup against Dallas Mavericks rookie sensation Cooper Flagg on Monday, leading his squad to a hard-fought 116-114 road victory.
Along the way, the two-time MVP went viral for a vicious left-handed poster jam over Flagg and another Mavericks defender, giving the 2025 No. 1 pick a memorable welcome to the NBA moment.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Gets Best of Cooper Flagg In First Showdown
Antetokounmpo posted a game-high 30 points, eight rebounds, six assists, one steal, three blocks, and one 3-pointer, shooting an efficient 11-for-18 (61.1%). 15 of his points came in the fourth quarter as Milwaukee rallied from a 13-point deficit to emerge victorious in what proved to be a back-and-forth final frame.
While Bucks guard Ryan Rollins made the biggest basket of the game, a go-ahead layup through traffic to put his team in front 114-113 with 17.9 seconds remaining, Antetokounmpo’s first-half throwdown garnered the most coverage.
Early in the second quarter, Antetokounmpo secured an offensive rebound and had the ball poked away by Mavericks big man Daniel Gafford. Upon regaining control on the baseline, the nine-time All-Star drove around Gafford and rose for a highlight finish, with Flagg unsuccessfully coming over to help and ending up as collateral damage.
GIANNIS BULLIED GAFFORD AND COOPER FLAGG 💪 pic.twitter.com/0oyLJd8FOY
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 11, 2025
Flagg still did his part to give his shorthanded squad a chance to win, though, showcasing his three-level scoring, playmaking, and defensive abilities. The 18-year-old tallied a career-high 26 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals, one block, and one triple, shooting 9-for-15 (60%).
He also converted a contested go-ahead driving layup over Antetokounmpo to give Dallas a 113-112 advantage with 28.7 seconds to go before Rollins’ response.
Amazing bucket by Cooper Flagg through Giannis pic.twitter.com/y9Nf8Rz37V
— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnor) November 11, 2025
The 6-foot-9 point forward earned the respect of Antetokounmpo, who raved postgame about his versatility and long-term upside.
“High ceiling, great player, high IQ, can read plays, can get downhill. A guy for his size to be able to handle the ball and make plays for himself or for his teammates is incredible,” Antetokounmpo said.
“Obviously, has a great coach that will give him the opportunity to have the ball in his hand because that’s very important in our league. … Sky is the limit, and for sure we’re going to be listening to his name for a while.”
With its comeback win, Milwaukee improved to 7-4, good for fifth in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, Dallas dropped to 3-8 (14th in the Western Conference) and 1-5 without superstar forward Anthony Davis (calf), albeit while delivering a respectable offensive effort considering its personnel.
