Cooper Flagg shows two-way impact in first Mavericks outing
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FORT WORTH, Texas — No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg stuffed the stat sheet in his first NBA preseason appearance, helping the Dallas Mavericks defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 106-89 at Dickies Arena on Monday night.
The 18-year-old rookie logged 14 minutes, all in the first half, finishing with 10 points, six rebounds, three assists and one block without committing a turnover. Flagg shot 3-of-6 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc while also handling stretches of the offense as a secondary ball handler.
“That’s a fun brand of basketball to play when the ball’s moving around,” Flagg said postgame. “Just taking whatever the defense gives me — pass or shot, whatever that is.”
All of Flagg’s scoring came during a 2-minute, 38-second burst in the second quarter. He opened the run by taking a defensive rebound coast-to-coast for a contested layup with 5:32 left in the period. On Dallas’ next possession, he buried a pick-and-roll three-pointer, then added two free throws after drawing contact on a spin move in the lane. The flurry ended with another pull-up three.
His night’s first highlight arrived just 85 seconds into the game when Flagg rotated from the weak side to block Isaiah Joe’s driving layup, triggering a fast break that Anthony Davis capped with a dunk.
“You got to see the defensive side, you got to see the playmaking and then the scoring,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “He was really, really good.”
Oklahoma City, the reigning NBA champion, rested all regular starters after defeating the Charlotte Hornets in Charleston, South Carolina, on Sunday, completing a back-to-back preseason set.
Source: ESPN
