Don't sleep on Cooper Flagg.
The second-year star had 43 points in the Dallas Mavericks' 125-122 win against the Indiana Pacers on Monday, Nov. 9 at the American Airlines Center. He added 10 rebounds for a double-double and six assists with three steals for good measure.
According to the NBA, the 19-year-old joins Kevin Durant as the only other player in league history to have at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a game as a teenager. ESPN adds that this is the 14th game in which Flagg has scored at least 30 points before turning 20 years old. Only LeBron James has more with 20 such games before he reached his 20th birthday.
Flagg had back-to-back dunks in the first quarter to cap an 11-0 run by the Mavericks. In one key play with
less than 30 seconds left in the game, he dribbled against Andrew Nembhard, then drained a step-back jumper. The bucket extended Dallas' lead to four.
COOPER FLAGG WITH A PAIR OF SLAMS!
— NBA (@NBA) November 10, 2026
Steal, sprint, and jam.
Fake, drive, and slam. pic.twitter.com/SMNR7dBViy
Kyrie Irving contributed 35 points for the Mavericks, while Pascal Siakam had 29 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for Indiana.
This is the first time this season that Flagg has crossed the 40-point mark and the fifth of his young NBA career. In April during his rookie season, the former Duke standout scored a career-high 51 points in a loss to the Orlando Magic. At 19 years old, he was the youngest player in NBA history to reach the 50-point mark.
He won last season's Rookie of the Year award after averaging 21 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.
Cooper Flagg's stats this season
Flagg is averaging 24 points, 6.6 rebounds and 7.0 assists per outing this season.
He missed one game last month against the San Antonio Spurs due to a shoulder injury suffered in an earlier game against the Pacers.
Cooper Flagg's 40-point games
Cooper Flagg has had five 40-point games in a season and a third in the NBA. Here's his highest-scoring games:
- 51 points vs. Orlando Magic on April 3, 2026
- 49 points vs. Charlotte Hornets on Jan. 29, 2026
- 45 points vs. Los Angeles Lakers on April 5, 2026
- 43 points vs. Indiana Pacers on Nov. 9, 2026
- 42 points vs. Utah Jazz in overtime on Dec. 15, 2025
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cooper Flagg joins elite company with 40-point game in Mavs win over Pacers
