Dallas Mavericks star rookie Cooper Flagg led the way with 20 points and nine rebounds on Wednesday night, but his late floater rimmed out as the Mavs suffered another heartbreaking defeat.
Dallas fell 101-99 at home against the New Orleans Pelicans (2-6), marking the team’s third straight loss within the last week.
New Orleans got a season-high 22 points and nine boards from Saddiq Bey, and six different Pelicans scored in double figures in a tight contest decided in the final minute.
Despite the competitive showing, the Mavericks have now fallen to 2-6 on the season and last place in the Western Conference.
“I mean, for me, it’s the most I’ve lost since, you know, I think ever,” Flagg told reporters after the game. “So, it’s obviously a lot different. You have to adapt to just playing a lot more games and, you know, get used to that. But, I wouldn’t say anybody’s happy.”
“Guys are obviously trying to stay level-headed and know that we got a lot more games to go and it’s still really early. But, I mean, speaking personally, I know it’s not fun to just keep losing. Hopefully (we) start taking steps in the right direction.”
Flagg entered college basketball as the nation’s top recruit and left Duke after a decorated freshman season that included National Player of the Year honors and All-American recognition.
He finished the 2024-25 campaign with 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks across 37 games, while shooting 48.1% from the floor and 38.5% from three.
After declaring for the 2025 NBA Draft, Flagg was selected No. 1 overall by the Mavericks, becoming just the second No. 1 overall pick in franchise history.
Flagg’s transition to the NBA has produced both flashes and growing pains, as to be expected from the heralded 18-year-old.
Through the first eight games, he has averaged 14.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game, while shooting 39.4% from the field and 29.0% from deep.
He’s already registered two 20-point games and recorded his first career double-double in his NBA debut on Oct. 22 against the San Antonio Spurs.
While Flagg’s early production shows he can shoulder a larger workload, it has yet to translate into wins, emphasizing the importance of veteran leadership for a team that entered the year with title aspirations.
Next up, Dallas heads to FedEx Forum on Friday to face the Memphis Grizzlies (3-6) and then visits DC on Saturday to play the Washington Wizards (1-7), a road swing that might be crucial to regain momentum before games start to slip away.
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