Losing Luka Doncic still stings for Dallas Mavericks fans, but Cooper Flagg is helping them move on from the shocking February trade that sent the Slovenian superstar to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Although wins have been hard to come by for the Mavs so far in the 2025-26 NBA season, that hasn’t stopped Flagg from shining on the court.
On Saturday, the former Duke Blue Devils star showed another glimpse of his immense potential to become Dallas’ cornerstone. Against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., the 19-year-old Flagg put up 23 points on 7-for-13 shooting from the field with 6 rebounds and 5 assists, albeit in a 113-107 loss.
With his performance against the Kings, Flagg became just the third teenager in the history of the league to have three straight games with at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, according to ESPN Insights. The only other two players to pull off such a feat before turning 20 years old are Doncic and LeBron James.
Flagg had 5 turnovers against the Kings, but those are simply part of his learning curve in the pros.
One area where he just keeps on getting better is in his outside shooting, as he went 3-for-4 from behind the arc. Over the last three Mavs games, he’s gone 8-for-13 from deep, while averaging 27.7 on an excellent 61.8% shooting from the floor.
Flagg will look to keep it going on Monday, when Dallas plays the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center in Portland, Ore., for the Mavs’ final game in 2025.