salt Lake City — cooper flag The most points scored by an 18-year-old player in NBA history, but he could not enjoy the feat because he suffered a loss.
Flagg had 42 points – up from his previous score of 37. Lebron James On December 13, 2003 — in a 140–133 loss utah jazz Monday night.
“Obviously we didn’t win. So it’s hard for me to be happy, or anything like that, but obviously it’s a success,” said Flagg, who had a bag of ice on his ankle, which he turned in at the end of regulation.
Flagg, who turned 19 on Sunday, had 7 rebounds and 6 assists as well as 2 blocks and a steal in an early career performance from the No. 1 pick. He is the third teenager in NBA history to average at least 40 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, joining LeBron James. Kevin Durant,
Dallas coach Jason Kidd said, “The more time he spends on the floor, the more he sees, the better he gets. He displayed all that tonight.”
Flagg has been playing his best basketball the past few weeks as the No. 1 overall draft pick has averaged 25.7 points over the last seven games. He’s been playing very aggressively getting to the line and shot 15 of 20 against Utah.
“It’s been a long time since the beginning of the season, so I’m proud of that fourth quarter,” Flagg said. “It’s a new game… but I’m getting more and more comfortable… and honestly, I’m just being myself and letting the game come to me.”
He scored 12 points in the fourth quarter and made a smart play to take the game into overtime when he intentionally missed a free throw with a teammate’s huge carrom. max christie Got the rebound with 3.9 seconds left and was fouled.
with anthony davis With several other Dallas teammates out and injured, this game could be a harbinger of things to come as Flagg becomes the focal point of the Mavericks’ offense.
“We were going cop. He was hitting them the whole game, so they finally tried to double him.” pj washington Said. “It doesn’t surprise me at all. I know exactly what he’s capable of. He’s a special player so there will be more to come.”
Flagg has tied Mark Aguirre for most points by a rookie in Mavs history as he begins to make his mark on the franchise. But he couldn’t stop thinking about what he could have done to win despite the sore ankle. The Jazz went on a late 11–0 run and then dominated in overtime as Flagg did not make a basket in the extra period.
“I have to get better. I had some dumb turnovers, missed some easy ones, but I have to get better at executing down the stretch like that,” Flagg said.
Setting records may be nice but Flagg feels it means he is constantly improving and that has been his goal throughout the season.
Flagg said, “I’m not really focused too much on that thing (records). I’m more focused on being there day by day and trying to get better and getting my team as many wins as possible.”
The Associated Press and ESPN Research contributed to this report.
