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Tim McMahon
DALLAS–On the first offensive possession of his NBA career, cooper flag Pushed the ball down the floor in transition, turned it over anthony davis And flew into the air to catch the 10-time All-Star’s lob pass, much to the delight of the sellout crowd at American Airlines Center.
But Flagg couldn’t complete the highlight by throwing down a dunk. As the ball left the rim, he crashed onto the baseline and landed on his back.
It was a sequence that foreshadowed the No. 1 pick’s NBA debut – plenty of anticipation, but disappointing results for Flagg and dallas mavericks,
Flagg was held scoreless in the first half and finished with 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting San Antonio Spurs rolled for one 125-92 defeat Wednesday night. The 6-foot-9 Flagg started at point guard, a position he had never played before joining the Mavs, and recorded three turnovers with no assists.
When asked to rate his performance, Flagg replied, “Not very good.” “Obviously, didn’t play incredibly well, but we’ve got to move on from that, keep our focus and start looking toward Friday [against the Washington Wizards],
Spurs center dominated the game Victor WembanyamaThe No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, who had 40 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks. spurs guard stephen castleLast season’s Rookie of the Year averaged 22 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals while harassing Flagg as his primary defender.
Cassel said of Flagg, “He didn’t shoot the ball well, but he seemed more balanced than I thought.” “I mean, my first game I was nervous. He made some good reads. He didn’t seem too nervous, so I think he’s going to have a great year.”
san antonio guard dylan harperThe No. 2 pick after Flagg, had a more impressive start. He scored 15 points on 7-of-14 shooting in 23 minutes off the bench.
Flagg, on the other hand, did not score until making a midrange jumper on the opening possession of the second half.
“Game one. I mean, he’s still a rookie,” said Davis, who had a team-high 22 points on 7-of-22 shooting as the Mavs’ offense went haywire. “You come in and the preseason was obviously good, but when that game comes [in a] Packed stadiums, nationally televised games… I’m not sure if he’s a social media guy or not, but you saw it – everything from No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg and the Wembley match and all that stuff. So you start hearing it, and I’m not sure if he gets it or not, but it’s that first game jitters when it comes time for the real thing. Then he’ll be fine.”
Flagg managed to become the fifth Dallas player to record a double-double in his NBA debut, grabbing 10 rebounds in his 32 minutes. That list also includes his coach Jason Kidd, who did not find the 18-year-old’s debut discouraging.
“I thought he played well. Now, the stat line isn’t saying that, but no one in this room is sitting in his shoes. As a rookie, he played well and he’s going to learn from this game. We’re all going to do that, and be better the next time we take the field,” Kidd said.
According to ESPN Research, the Mavs scored only eight points on the 19 possessions that Flagg brought the ball on the floor. He is listed as a point guard in the Supersized Lineup at 6-foot-6 inches tall clay thompson Is the smallest player, but Mavs intend to keep the forward pj washington And Davis shares playmaking responsibilities with Rookie in a system designed around player and ball movement.
“We’ve just settled down a little bit,” Flagg said. “It’s early, so we’ve got to keep working on it, figuring it out, getting our flow a little better.”
Flagg attempted only two shots from the floor in the first half. He came out of halftime determined to be more aggressive, going 4-of-11 from the floor in the third quarter, as the Spurs outscored the Mavs by a 33–21 margin.
“I thought Cooper played within himself,” Kidd said. “He’s taken what the defense gave him. He’s making plays. He’s diving down the floor. He’s someone who’s not going to be out here and shoot every time he touches it. He tries to make plays the right way, and I thought he did that in the first half. I thought he was comfortable and came out there in the third, started to get aggressive looks to take some shots that he knocked down.”
With Flagg on the floor the Mavs were outscored by 29 points, the worst plus-minus of the game.
“I’m excited to move forward,” Flagg said. “Obviously it hurts, first losses are like that, but I’m just trying to look forward to the next one, turn the page and get ready. We know we have to be better than that, so just stay positive and stay prepared and just focus on the next one.”
