The Cleveland Cavaliers faced unprecedented circumstances Saturday night. After a loss against the Miami Heat Friday, Cleveland's team plane was held overnight, causing them to arrive in Cleveland just hours before tip-off for a contest against the Dallas Mavericks on the second night of a back-to-back. Because of this, Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson decided to rest all of his starters, setting up a prime opportunity for former Duke point guard Tyrese Proctor against his former college teammate Cooper Flagg.
In his second start of the year for the shorthanded Cavaliers, Proctor posted the best game of his young NBA career. The 2025 second-rounder posted a triple-double, tallying 24 points on 10-for-19 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds,
10 assists and only one turnover.
In doing so, he outdueled Flagg, who finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, five assists and one block. Although Proctor was Cleveland's leading scorer, another Duke alum, Kyrie Irving, was the only player to outscore him, as Irving finished with 34 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Despite missing all five of their starters, Proctor and the Cavaliers earned a 127-117 win.
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This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: Cooper Flagg gets outdueled by former Duke teammate as Mavs fall to Cavs
