March 15, 2026, 9:19 p.m. ET
No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg registered another double-double on Sunday, leading the Dallas Mavericks to a road victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Flagg finished with 27 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and two blocked shots in the 130-120 win at Rocket Arena. He shot 10-of-17 from the field, including 1-of-3 from 3-point range, in nearly 33 minutes as the Mavericks won for the second time in three games.
Playing in his seventh game since returning from a foot injury, Flagg tallied 19 points in the second half alone. He stayed in attack mode throughout the contest, helping the team get out in transition and holding a 24-14 advantage in fastbreak points.
“I feel great,” Flagg said. “Every day, I’m feeling better and better, just getting back into a rhythm. I’m glad to be back out there fighting with the guys, night in and night out. Just finding my rhythm.”
Flagg is averaging 20.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.1 steals on 47.1% shooting from the field in 56 games with the Mavericks. He is second among rookies in total scoring (1,129 points) and is tied for the second-most double-doubles (10).
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The former Duke All-American became the second-youngest player in history to score 1,000 career points, trailing only LeBron James (19 years, 74 days). He and Kon Knueppel are the only two rookies to reach that mark this season.
Flagg is in the midst of a historic rookie campaign and is impressing those around him along the way. He is emerging as a franchise cornerstone and should be instrumental in helping the Mavericks return to the postseason in the future.
“He is so young, but he is making improvements each and every game,” P.J. Washington said. “He is seeing things a lot slower now and finding a rhythm each and every night. Ten assists, he is basically being a point guard at his size. He is amazing. … I want to play the rest of my career with him.”