Kon Knueppel, Cooper Flagg
Former Duke teammates Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg crossed paths for the first time in their NBA careers on Thursday, Jan. 29, and the moment lived up to every ounce of hype.
What looked like a late-January matchup between two teams under .500 quickly turned into one of the most electric rookie showdowns the league has seen in years. Inside the American Airlines Center, Knueppel and Flagg delivered career nights, pushing each other possession by possession while putting the national spotlight firmly on Dallas, FayObserver reports.
Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick, poured in 49 points, setting the NBA record for most points scored by a teenager. The performance also broke the Dallas Mavericks’ rookie scoring mark he previously shared with Mark Aguirre, whose No. 24 jersey was honored during a halftime ceremony. Still, it was Knueppel, the No. 4 pick, who walked off the floor with the win as the Charlotte Hornets edged the Dallas Mavericks 123–121 for their fifth straight victory.
Knueppel finished with 34 points and authored the decisive sequence in the closing seconds. He forced Flagg into a turnover with 7.6 seconds left, then drew a foul in transition and calmly knocked down the game-winning free throws. Flagg’s final jumper, heavily contested, rattled off the rim as time expired.
“Just a crazy ending to a phenomenal game,” Knueppel said afterward. “He was the best player on the floor tonight. Probably, I mean, that’s the best player that’s played against us all season. It’s just fun competing against the best, and obviously, being close with him, that kind of adds to the competitiveness. So, it was really fun.”
Former Duke Teammates Deliver a Historic Night
The buzz surrounding the matchup extended well beyond the final score. Entering the night, Flagg and Knueppel held the top two odds to win Rookie of the Year, with Flagg listed as the favorite and Knueppel close behind. That context helped turn a routine regular-season game into must-watch television.
Both rookies exceeded expectations in historic fashion. They became the first former college teammates to each score at least 30 points while facing each other as NBA rookies. According to ESPN Research, their combined 83 points marked the most by a rookie duo in a single game since Tiny Archibald and Pete Maravich combined for 91 back in 1971.
For Flagg, the moment carried personal significance as much as statistical weight.
“It’s incredible,” Flagg said. “I wouldn’t want to be in any other position. We’ll both be looking back on this night and this whole year in general for the rest of our lives, and we’ll be talking about it and stuff like that. It’s just so special to have this opportunity in general.”
The two stars shared the spotlight during their final season at Duke, leading Jon Scheyer’s 2024–25 team to ACC regular-season and tournament titles, along with a Final Four appearance. Thursday night felt like a continuation of that shared journey, just on a much bigger stage.
Knueppel Points to Hornets’ Growing Confidence
While the Flagg duel grabbed headlines, Knueppel made it clear the bigger picture mattered just as much. Charlotte’s recent surge has changed the tone inside the locker room, and the rookie believes belief has become a defining trait.
“We just got a spirit about us right now,” Knueppel said. “It kind of starts when you go on the road and beat OKC. The best team in the league gives you some confidence. We’re a good basketball team and so we’re starting to really believe that about ourselves and coming out and hunting every night. We’re getting hot and I think we’re gonna stay hot.”
For one night in Dallas, two former college roommates turned rising NBA stars reminded everyone why the league’s future remains in good hands.