Flagg powers Mavericks past Toronto for first win of season
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Dallas, Oct. 26, 2025 — Rookie forward Cooper Flagg delivered 22 points, four rebounds and four assists Sunday night, lifting the Dallas Mavericks to a 139-129 victory over Toronto at the American Airlines Center and ending the club’s 0-2 start.
Flagg, 18 years and 309 days old, became the fifth-youngest player in league history to reach the 20-point mark, according to ESPN Research. Only Jermaine O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and LeBron James did it earlier. Flagg and Bryant are the only players to score at least 20 without committing a turnover before turning 19.
The No. 1 overall pick electrified the crowd midway through the third quarter, catching a long outlet, taking one dribble and hammering an and-1 dunk over Sandro Mamukelashvili. The slam capped a 26-9 run that flipped a seven-point deficit into a double-digit lead, prompting teammates to spring off the bench.
“We want to build off tonight, use it as a baseline,” Flagg said. “This team needs to just keep building and getting better.”
Seven Mavericks scored in double figures. Anthony Davis led with 25 points, while D’Angelo Russell came off the bench for 24 and a team-high six assists a game after sitting the entire second half for strategic reasons. Dallas piled up 25 fast-break points, 70 points in the paint and went 29-for-39 at the foul line.
“When he’s getting the crowd going like that, our team feeds off it,” Russell said of Flagg’s highlight dunk. Center Dereck Lively II, whose rebound and outlet pass started the play, added, “As soon as he took off, I knew it was going to be butter.”
Dallas entered the night ranked last in offensive efficiency while star guard Kyrie Irving continues recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in March. The win was the club’s first under those constraints and the first of Flagg’s NBA career.
Source: ESPN
