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Tim McMahon
Dallas– cooper flag He had to raise his eyebrows when he swapped jerseys with his former high school teammate derrick queen That follows the two rookie lottery picks’ first meeting as NBA foes earlier this month. That’s because Flagg was frustrated after missing a potential tying pull-up jumper in the final seconds dallas mavericks‘Losing the Queens Pelicans that night.
But he was all smiles as Flagg hugged Queens after the buzzer on Friday night, as the No. 1 pick scored 12 of his career-high 29 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Mavs to a 118-115 comeback win at American Airlines Center.
On this occasion, it was Queen who missed the opportunity to tie the score in the final seconds, airballing a 3-pointer on the Pelicans’ final possession. It was a tough end to an otherwise phenomenal performance for Queen, who had 20 points, seven rebounds and a career-high 11 assists.
“I [saw] He laughs at me,” Queen said of his postgame meeting with Flagg, his former teammate at Montverde Academy in Florida. “Maybe that’s what he was laughing at, but hey, it’s crazy. full circle.”
Flagg, who missed Wednesday’s loss new York Knicks With an illness, there was a dominant force against the Pelicans. Queen’s running hook shot gave New Orleans the lead with 3:12 remaining, Flagg scored or assisted on five of the Mavs’ final eight possessions. He had six points and two assists, including a feed to the final kick. nazi marshal For a 3 that gave the Mavs the lead for good with 32 seconds left.
While the 5-12 Mavs have had trouble closing out games, Flagg has consistently shown fearlessness in close games. He ranked sixth in the league with 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting in clutch situations, which is defined as the final five minutes of regulation or overtime with the score within five points. He also ranks second in clutch rebounds (14) and fifth in assists (six).
“Clutch [situations]He’s not afraid,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “We give him the ball, and it looks like he’s been there before. To be able to score when you need a bucket, when everyone knows you’re coming to him, that’s intentional. For an 18-year-old, that’s pretty special.”
Dallas had to overcome a 15-point deficit, partly because the 20-year-old Queen gave the Mavs problems, especially with his passing. He had seven assists in the first quarter alone.
“Everyone has seen he’s a special player,” Flagg said. “He has a special way of finding teammates and finding shots around the rim. It’s really incredible.”
The Mavs trailed by 14 at the half when Kidd challenged Flagg to attack the paint instead of relying on his jumper, a work in progress.
Flagg responded in the second half by scoring 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting. All but one of his buckets after halftime came in the paint, and the exception was a turnaround jump shot after picking up and pivoting off the dribble on the block.
“I was settling too much, settling for jump shots,” Flagg said. “Not that they’re bad shots, but just getting settled a little bit more. You’ve got to put more pressure on the defense.”
According to ESPN Research, Flagg finished with 20 points in the paint and became the second-youngest player to do so in the NBA. Lebron James He had 20 points in the paint in a game when he was 18 years, 334 days old, one day short of the flag on Friday night.
Flagg, who had seven rebounds and five assists, joined James as the only 18-year-old players to have at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in a game.
“He’s developing into who we all know he is,” Mavs added pj washington (24 points, nine rebounds) said of Flagg. “Just being yourself, embracing the big moments and making a difference. Getting in the paint, getting to your spots and making the right decisions every time.”
