SALT LAKE CITY — Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg poured in 42 points Monday night, setting an NBA record as the youngest player ever to reach the 40-point mark in a single game, but the Mavericks fell 140-133 to the Utah Jazz in overtime.
Flagg, who turns 19 on Sunday, also collected seven rebounds, six assists, two blocks and a steal. The No. 1 overall pick became only the third teenager with at least 40 points, five rebounds and five assists, joining LeBron James and Kevin Durant. His 42 points tied Mark Aguirre for the most by a rookie in franchise history and raised his scoring average to 25.7 over the past seven games.
Utah countered with 37 points from Keyonte George and 33 from Lauri Markkanen. The Jazz erased a 124-116 deficit late in regulation with an 11-0 run, capped by Isaiah Collier’s driving layup with 53.6 seconds left.
Flagg scored on the next possession but missed the free throw that would have tied the game. Markkanen responded with a contested baseline jumper, and Flagg then hit one of two free throws to trim the margin to 129-127 with 4.5 seconds remaining. He intentionally missed the second shot; Max Christie grabbed the rebound, drew a foul and sank both free throws to force overtime.
In the extra period, Dallas went 1-for-9 from the field while Utah pulled away. Both clubs played without their starting centers: the Jazz rested Jusuf Nurkic, and the Mavericks held out Anthony Davis because of a left calf bruise. Utah also sat rotation regulars Kevin Love and Svi Mykhailiuk to give additional minutes to younger players.
The Associated Press and ESPN Research contributed to this report.
Source: ESPN
