DALLAS — Cooper Flagg needed to stifle a frown when he swapped jerseys together with his former highschool teammate Derik Queen after the 2 rookie lottery picks’ first assembly as NBA foes earlier this month. That is as a result of Flagg was annoyed after lacking a possible tying pull-up jumper within the ultimate seconds of the Dallas Mavericks’ loss to Queen’s Pelicans that evening.
However Flagg was all smiles when he exchanged a hug with Queen after the buzzer Friday evening, because the No. 1 decide had simply scored 12 of his career-high 29 factors within the fourth quarter to steer the Mavs to a 118-115 comeback win on the American Airways Heart.
On this event, it was Queen who missed with a possibility to tie the rating within the ultimate seconds, airballing a 3-pointer on the Pelicans’ ultimate possession. It was a tough end to an in any other case phenomenal efficiency for Queen, who had 20 factors, seven rebounds and a career-high 11 assists.
“I [saw] him snicker at me,” Queen stated of his postgame assembly with Flagg, his former teammate at Montverde Academy in Florida. “That is in all probability what he was laughing at, however yo, that is loopy. Full circle.”
Flagg, who missed Wednesday’s loss to the New York Knicks with an sickness, was a dominant power down the stretch towards the Pelicans. After Queen’s working hook shot gave New Orleans a lead with 3:12 remaining, Flagg scored or assisted on 5 of the Mavs’ ultimate eight possessions. He had six factors and two assists through the closing kick, together with a feed to Naji Marshall for the three that gave the Mavs the lead for good with 32 seconds remaining.
Whereas the 5-12 Mavs have had bother closing video games, Flagg has constantly proven fearlessness late in shut video games. He’s tied for sixth within the league with 31 factors on 10-of-16 taking pictures in clutch conditions, outlined as the ultimate 5 minutes of regulation or time beyond regulation with the rating inside 5 factors. He’s additionally tied for second in rebounds (14) and fifth in assists (six) within the clutch.
“Clutch [situations], he isn’t afraid,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd stated. “We get him the ball, and he looks like he is been there earlier than. Having the ability to rating while you want a bucket, when everybody is aware of that you simply’re coming to him, he is deliberate. For an 18-year-old, that is fairly particular.”
Dallas needed to rally from a 15-point deficit, partially as a result of Queen, 20, gave the Mavs issues, particularly together with his passing. He had seven assists within the first quarter alone.
“All people has seen that he is only a particular participant,” Flagg stated. “He has a particular approach about him of simply discovering teammates and simply discovering photographs across the rim. It is actually unimaginable.”
The Mavs trailed by 14 on the half, when Kidd challenged Flagg to assault the paint as an alternative of counting on his jumper, which is a piece in progress.
Flagg responded by scoring 21 factors on 8-of-9 taking pictures within the second half. All however one among his buckets after halftime got here within the paint, and the exception was a turnaround leap shot after selecting up his dribble on the block and pivoting.
“I used to be settling an excessive amount of, settling for leap photographs,” Flagg stated. “Not that they are dangerous photographs, however simply settling a bit of an excessive amount of. You bought to place extra stress on the protection.”
Flagg completed with 20 factors within the paint, turning into the second-youngest participant to try this within the NBA, in accordance with ESPN Analysis. LeBron James had 20 factors within the paint in a recreation when he was 18 years, 334 days previous, a day youthful than Flagg on Friday evening.
Flagg, who had seven rebounds and 5 assists, additionally joined James as the one 18-year-olds to have a minimum of 25 factors, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a recreation.
“He is blossoming into who everyone knows he’s,” Mavs ahead P.J. Washington (24 factors, 9 rebounds) stated of Flagg. “Simply being himself, taking over the large moments and changing. Attending to the paint, attending to his spots and making the best resolution every time.”
