Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd leaves little room for debate. Asked Friday night whether helping Cooper Flagg win Rookie of the Year is a priority for the organization, the coach was clear.

“Yeah, it’s a big priority,” Kidd said. “It’s a big award — you’re only a rookie once. Cooper has to do his part, and he is. He’s having a historic year. When you put his numbers up against past rookies who have won, it’s clear-cut — it’s not even close. Sometimes voting can be influenced differently — popularity, trends — but strictly based on numbers, Cooper is as good as anybody.”

Flagg backed up those words Friday with 24 points, including 20 in the first half on 7-of-11 shooting and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, in a 100-93 win over the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. It was his 11th career 20-point half — more than the rest of this year’s rookie class combined, per Elias Sports.

Over his last three games, Flagg is averaging 27.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists while shooting 57.4% from the field. Since the All-Star break, he is averaging 20.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6.5 assists in 13 games. For the season, he is averaging 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in 62 games — numbers that, as Kidd noted, stack up favorably against any rookie season in recent memory.

Flagg said the rhythm that has defined his recent stretch was missing for a period after he returned from injury.

“I thought before I got hurt, I had an incredible rhythm, and everything was just feeling — I don’t want to say easy — but just a great rhythm,” Flagg said. “When I came back, it was tough just getting your foot back in and getting your rhythm back. But I feel like lately I’ve started to get that rhythm back a little bit. My teammates have done a great job helping me, being supportive.”

Flagg acknowledged that playing on a 24-50 team — one that has lost 24 of its last 28 games — could make it easy to lose motivation, but said the organization has never let that become an issue.

“Yeah, a hundred percent,” Flagg said. “I’ve felt the support the whole year, and I think they’ve put me in incredible positions to succeed. I said that at the start of the year — if I go out there and be myself, I can kind of drown out the pressure and whatever other people are saying, and everything else will work itself out if I just play to my capabilities.”

Flagg’s Duke teammate Kon Knueppel of the Charlotte Hornets is among the names mentioned in the Rookie of the Year conversation. Flagg said their friendship has not been affected by the race.

“No, we don’t talk about Rookie of the Year at all. Not at all,” Flagg said. “But I’ve definitely kept in touch with him throughout the whole year. That’s one of my brothers, and he’ll be one of my best friends the rest of my life. We’ve stayed connected and shared thoughts on things we see in our own individual games and try to help each other out as much as possible. That brotherhood and relationship is never going to die.”

Asked if there was any trash talk postgame — a check-out-my-box-score moment — Flagg smiled.

“No, nothing like that,” Flagg said.

The Blue Devils had beaten St. John’s 80-75 in the Sweet 16 earlier Friday, before Dallas even tipped off. When asked if there was a touch of Blue Devil magic at Moda Center, Flagg grinned.

“I guess so. Two Duke wins, so I mean… the Dallas Blue Devil was one as well,” Flagg joked.

Kidd pointed to a specific sequence just before halftime as a window into what separates Flagg from the field — a dead sprint up the court against Jrue Holiday in which Flagg, carrying the ball, simply outran one of the quickest defenders in the league.

“Right before halftime, it was a race between him and Holiday,” Kidd said. “Holiday didn’t have the ball; he just had to run. Cooper had the ball, and Cooper left him. It was pretty impressive because Holiday is one of the quicker defenders. It’s just amazing — his strides, his speed, and then his ability to finish with that speed.”

Flagg has now logged 62 games, more minutes than most rookies play in an entire season, carrying a shorthanded Dallas roster through injuries, a 12-game home losing streak, and back-to-back overtime losses. Through all of it, his approach has not changed.

“I said that at the start of the year — if I go out there and be myself, everything else will work itself out,” Flagg said. “I just play to my capabilities.”

Through 62 games, that has been more than enough.