Cooper Flagg on Monday scored the most points by an 18-year-old in NBA history, but he could not enjoy the accomplishment because it came in a loss.
Flagg had 42 points — topping the previous mark of 37 set by LeBron James on Dec. 13, 2003 — in a 140-133 loss to the Utah Jazz.
“Obviously we didn’t win. So it’s tough for me to want to be happy, or any of that, but obviously it’s a success,” said Flagg, who had a bag of ice on his ankle after rolling it at the end of regulation.
Photo: AP
Flagg also became just the fifth rookie to record 40 points, five rebounds and five assists in the past 15 years as he finished with seven board and six assists.
“The more time he spends on the floor, the more he sees, the better he gets. He displayed it all tonight,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said.
Flagg has been playing his best basketball the past few weeks as the No. 1 overall draft pick has averaged 25.7 points in the past seven games. He is also playing aggressive enough to get to the line and went 15 for 20 against Utah.
“It’s come a long way from the start of the season, so I’m proud of that fourth quarter,” Flagg said. “It’s a new game ... but I am getting more and more comfortable ... and just settling in, honestly, just being myself and letting the game come to me.”
He scored 12 points in the fourth quarter and made a savvy play to get the game into overtime when he missed a free throw on purpose with such a big carom that teammate Max Christie got the rebound with 3.9 seconds remaining and was fouled.
Flagg also tied Mark Aguirre for the most points by a rookie in Mavs history as he begins to make his mark on the franchise.
Elsewhere on Monday night, the Denver Nuggets eked out a 128-125 victory over the Houston Rockets in overtime, the Memphis Grizzlies mauled the Los Angeles Clippers 121-103, the Detroit Pistons defeated the Boston Celtics 112-105 and the Toronto Raptors stayed cool to beat the Miami Heat 106-96.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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