Hornets edge Mavericks 123-121 as Knueppel tops Flagg’s record 49 in rookie thriller
hornets-top-mavericks-knueppel-flagg-rookie-thriller
DALLAS — Kon Knueppel sank two free throws with 7.6 seconds left and the Charlotte Hornets held on for a 123-121 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, spoiling a historic 49-point outing by fellow rookie Cooper Flagg at American Airlines Center.
Knueppel, the No. 4 overall pick, finished with 34 points on 10-of-16 shooting and hit a franchise rookie-record eight three-pointers. The 20-year-old also triggered the decisive sequence when he doubled Flagg near midcourt, deflected the ball and chased down the loose possession that led to his game-winning trip to the line.
Flagg, selected first in last year’s draft, set an NBA mark for points by a teenager and broke the Mavericks’ rookie single-game record he had shared with Mark Aguirre, whose No. 24 jersey was retired during halftime. The 19-year-old forward went 20-for-29 from the field, added 10 rebounds and became the first rookie with at least 20 made field goals since Brandon Jennings scored 55 in November 2009.
Rookie race spotlight
DraftKings Sportsbook entered the night listing Flagg as a –400 favorite and Knueppel at +280 for Rookie of the Year. They responded by becoming the first pair of former college teammates to score 30 or more against each other as NBA rookies. Their combined 83 points are the most by two first-year players in a game since Tiny Archibald and Pete Maravich totaled 91 in 1971.
“He was the best player on the floor tonight,” Knueppel said of Flagg. “It was fun competing against the best.” Flagg echoed the sentiment: “We’ll be talking about this night for the rest of our lives.”
Late-game drama
Flagg’s pull-up three with 33.5 seconds remaining tied the score at 121-121, and his rebound on the next possession gave Dallas a chance to win. Charlotte coach Charles Lee sent a second defender, and Knueppel’s timely double forced the turnover that swung momentum. After Knueppel’s free throws, Flagg’s contested jumper at the horn hit the back rim.
“Our guy ends up making the biggest play of the game,” Lee said of Knueppel. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd lauded Flagg’s mindset despite the loss, saying, “He’s not about numbers, he’s about wins and losses.”
Notable numbers
- Charlotte recorded its fifth consecutive victory and improved to 19-28; Dallas fell to 18-29.
- Knueppel is averaging 18.9 points with a 61.1% effective field-goal rate, the highest efficiency for a rookie scoring that much.
- Flagg’s 19.5 points per game now lead all rookies, and he joined LeBron James and Anthony Edwards as the only teenagers with multiple 40-point NBA performances.
After the buzzer, Flagg exchanged jerseys with Hornets rookie and former high school teammate Liam McNeeley, capping a night that figures to be revisited often as the two friends continue their Rookie of the Year chase.
Source: ESPN
