TITLE: Cooper Flagg shines in first preseason game; projection favors Cavaliers; Thunder lose Nikola Topic to surgery
SLUG: cooper-flagg-debut-cavaliers-projection-nikola-topic-sidelined
CONTENT:
Dallas rookie Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick in June, filled the stat sheet in his first NBA preseason appearance, helping the Mavericks defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 106-89.
Mavericks
The 19-year-old forward scored 10 points, grabbed six rebounds, handed out three assists and blocked a shot in just 14 minutes on the floor. All 10 of his points came during a 2½-minute stretch of the second quarter that included a coast-to-coast layup and a pull-up three-pointer. His night began with a block of Isaiah Joe 85 seconds after tip-off, triggering a fast break that Anthony Davis finished 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, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “He was really, really good.”
Cavaliers
Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes projects the Cleveland Cavaliers to secure 57 wins and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference for a second straight season, despite early-camp injuries to Darius Garland and Max Strus. The forecast credits a deep roster led by Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, with Mobley flagged as a potential top-five MVP candidate. Newly added guard Lonzo Ball and the steady presence of Jarrett Allen are cited as additional stabilizing factors. Health remains the club’s primary concern as head coach Kenny Atkinson enters his second year in Cleveland.
Thunder
The Thunder announced that second-year guard Nikola Topic underwent a testicular procedure and will be reevaluated in four to six weeks, postponing his long-awaited regular-season debut. Topic, the No. 12 pick in the 2024 draft, missed all of last season with a torn ACL. He played 31 minutes in Sunday’s preseason opener, totaling 10 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Oklahoma City’s deep backcourt rotation will absorb his absence while he recovers.
Source: Hoops Wire
