Kon Knueppel praised Cooper Flagg after their epic duel on Thursday, saying he played like the best player they’ve faced all season.
One of the games of the season took place in Dallas on Thursday night as two of the top NBA rookies, Charlotte Hornets sharpshooter Kon Knueppel and Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, put on a historic rookie duel.
Reigning No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg went off for 49 points, but he and the Mavericks came up short as the Hornets seized a 123–121 victory.
Kon Knueppel had the last laugh, dropping 34 points and hitting eight triples to lead the Hornets to a massive win.
After the game, Knueppel didn’t hold back praise for his good friend, whom he played with last year at Duke, saying Flagg played like the best player he had faced all season.
"This was awesome," Knueppel said postgame. "Cooper, he played like the best player we’ve played all season tonight."
"It was great to get the win—I would’ve been pretty pissed off otherwise. He just had a heck of a game. He’s a heck of a player, and he’s gonna have a heck of a career," he added.
When asked about the Rookie of the Year race with Flagg, Knueppel downplayed it, saying he’ll be happy for whoever wins.
“We both like to win, but we don’t talk about it. He probably jumps me with 49 and 10. Whoever gets it, I’ll be happy for him,” he said.
In this game, Knueppel broke the Hornets’ single-game three-pointer record with eight threes and set a career-high with 34 points.
Meanwhile, Flagg recorded the most points ever by a teenager in NBA history. The previous record was 45 points, set by 19-year-old Cliff Robinson in 1980.
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