At just 18, he delivers a historic performance and gets the Mavericks back on track
Cooper Flagg finally showed his full potential in the Dallas Mavericks‘ 139-129 victory over the Toronto Raptors. The 18-year-old rookie had his best NBA game yet: 22 points on 8/14 shooting, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. With this performance, he led Dallas to their first win of the season.
After two losses to the Spurs and the Wizards, the Mavericks finally found the right formula. Flagg, well supported by Anthony Davis (25 points) and D’Angelo Russell (24 points), lit up the American Airlines Center with his spectacular plays.
OMG COOPER FLAGG POSTER 🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/UsoSRbHHzq
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 27, 2025
A game-changing dunk
The turning point came in the third quarter. Down 76-69, the Mavericks watched Cooper Flagg receive a transition pass, take one dribble and soar for a thunderous dunk over Sandro Mamukelashvili. The Texas crowd erupted.
« When he gets the crowd going like that, we feed off it, » said D’Angelo Russell, who assisted on the play. « Everyone wants to see him succeed. When he plays like that, it’s contagious.«
This dunk sparked a decisive 13-0 run, allowing Dallas to take control of the game (95-85). Flagg added 7 points and 3 assists during the 26-9 run that turned the game around.
At 18 years and 309 days, he becomes the fifth youngest player in NBA history to score at least 20 points, joining Jermaine O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and LeBron James. He’s also the second, after Bryant, to score 20 points without a turnover before turning 19.
« The fans have been there from the start, but tonight we finally gave them a real emotional moment, » Flagg said after the game. Dallas will now try to build on this momentum against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Commentaires