"He's only 18, but he looks like he's been around this league. He runs the offense, carries the ball, gets into the paint, draws fouls, and stays composed on both ends of the court," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said, as quoted by ESPN in Jakarta on Monday.
Flagg had 35 points, eight rebounds, and two assists in 38 minutes of play, shooting 13-of-22 from the field, including eight close-range finishes. His highlight came with a two-handed drive and dunk over Ivica Zubac, the Clippers' star guard and All-Defensive Team last season.
Flagg acknowledged that aggression is key to his best performance. "Being aggressive is definitely the right thing for me, and that's what the coach emphasizes," he said.
“We're going to accept some mistakes, but you have to stay aggressive and believe in all the work that's been done.”
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The performance also served as an outlet after he had just recorded a record 11 assists, the most by an 18-year-old player, the day before in a loss to the Lakers.
This time, Flagg started the game hot and scored 12 points in the first quarter and 21 points in the first half, and then closed the game with eight points in the final three minutes.
Klay Thompson, who was on fire in the fourth quarter, expressed confidence in Flagg's future. "Cooper's potential is limitless. Sometimes I can't believe he should be a freshman in college," Thompson said.
Thompson, the oldest player on the Dallas squad, scored 23 points and was a key factor in the outcome. He scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, including a 28-foot three-pointer with 1:52 remaining that sealed the Mavericks' lead.
The Mavs played with a limping squad after PJ Washington suffered an ankle injury just before the game, along with the absences of Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II.
