Former Duke basketball start Cooper Flagg had a career night in the Dallas Mavericks‘ 118-115 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, Nov. 21 in the NBA Cup.
Flagg posted 29 points with seven rebounds and five assists for his best performance in the league after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Mavs in the 2025 NBA Draft. He helped the Mavs overcome a 14-point halftime deficit with 21 of his points coming in the second half on 8-of-9 shooting. He was up against former Montverde teammate and now-New Orleans center Derik Queen, evening the NBA series between the two at one game a piece with the win.
The performance comes after Flagg missed the potential game-tying shot the last time the two teams met on Nov. 5, leaving the court visibly frustrated.
Prior to Friday night, Flagg had posted 26 points in a loss to Milwaukee on Nov. 10 and 21 in a 138-133 overtime win against Portland on Nov. 15. At Duke, Flagg posted a career-high 42 vs. Notre Dame and had 30 against Arizona in Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
The 18-year-old is averaging 16.4 points per game, 6.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. The Mavs are 5-12 to start the 2025-26 season.
Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at asnyder@usatodayco.com or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.Â