Cooper Flagg sets new record as youngest NBA player to score 40 points

4 weeks ago 21

Flagg joins LeBron James and Kevin Durant arsenic lone 3rd teen with astatine slightest 40 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

Published On 16 Dec 2025

Cooper Flagg has scored the astir points by an 18-year-old successful NBA history, but helium could not bask the accomplishment due to the fact that it came successful a loss.

Flagg had 42 points – topping the erstwhile people of 37 acceptable by LeBron James connected December 13, 2003 – successful a 140-133 nonaccomplishment to the Utah Jazz connected Monday night.

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“Obviously, we didn’t win. So it’s pugnacious for maine to privation to beryllium happy, oregon immoderate of that, but evidently it’s a success,” said Flagg, who had a container of crystal connected his ankle aft rolling it astatine the extremity of regulation.

Flagg besides became conscionable the 5th rookie to grounds 40 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists successful the past 15 years, arsenic helium finished with 7 boards and six assists.

“The much clip helium spends connected the floor, the much helium sees, the amended helium gets. He displayed it each tonight,” Dallas manager Jason Kidd said.

Flagg has been playing his champion hoops the past fewer weeks arsenic the fig 1 wide draught prime has averaged 25.7 points successful the past 7 games. He is besides playing aggressively capable to get to the enactment and went 15 for 20 against Utah.

“It’s travel a agelong mode from the commencement of the season, truthful I’m arrogant of that 4th quarter,” Flagg said. “It’s a caller crippled … but I americium getting much and much comfy … and conscionable settling in, honestly, conscionable being myself and letting the crippled travel to me.”

He scored 12 points successful the 4th fourth and made a savvy play to get the crippled into overtime erstwhile helium missed a escaped propulsion connected intent with specified a large carom that teammate Max Christie got the rebound with 3.9 seconds remaining and was fouled.

Flagg ties Mavs rookie scoring mark

With Anthony Davis retired and Dallas missing respective different teammates to injuries, this crippled whitethorn beryllium a harbinger of things to travel arsenic Flagg becomes a centrepiece of the Mavericks’ offence.

“We were going to Coop. He was sidesplitting them the full game, truthful they yet tried to treble him,” PJ Washington said. “It doesn’t astonishment maine astatine all. I cognize precisely what he’s susceptible of. He’s a peculiar player, truthful determination volition beryllium a batch much to come.”

Flagg besides tied Mark Aguirre for the astir points by a rookie successful Mavs past arsenic helium begins to marque his people connected the franchise. But helium could not halt reasoning of what helium could person done to get the triumph contempt the throbbing ankle. The Jazz made a precocious 11-0 tally and past dominated successful overtime arsenic Flagg did not people a handbasket successful the other period.

“I gotta beryllium better. I had a mates of dumb turnovers, missed a mates [of] casual ones, but I gotta beryllium better, executing down the agelong similar that,” Flagg said.

Setting records mightiness beryllium nice, but Flagg feels it conscionable means helium is consistently improving, and that has been his extremity each season.

“I’m not truly focused connected a batch of that worldly [the records]. I’m much conscionable focused connected being present, day-to-day, and trying to get amended and getting our squad arsenic galore wins arsenic we can,” Flagg said.

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