DALLAS (WBTV) - Former Duke star teammates and star NBA rookies Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel put on a show Wednesday night in Dallas as they combined for 83 points in the first-ever meeting in the NBA.
Both Knueppel and Flagg scored career-highs on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at the American Airlines Center. The No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Flagg, scored 49 points while shooting 69% from the field, while the No. 4 pick, Knueppel, scored 34 while going 8-for-12 from behind the arc.
Although Flagg may have gotten the upper hand in the battle between his former teammate, it was Knueppel who got the win as the Charlotte Hornets won their fifth straight, 123-121.
The 83 points scored between Flagg and Knueppel became the most since 1971 when Tiny Archibald and Pete Maravich combined for 91 in a game. They shot a combined 67% from the field, and shot a combined 11-for-17 from three.
Flagg finished with 49 points, the most in NBA history by a teenager, while shooting 69% from the field, and grabbed 10 rebounds, his sixth double-double of the season.
“He was the best player on the floor tonight. Probably, I mean, that’s the best player that’s played against us all season,” Knueppel said.
He also became the youngest player to score more than 20 points in a single quarter in the play-by-play era, according to ESPN.
The No. 1 overall pick is averaging 19.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 48% from the field.
Knueppel finished with 34 points while shooting 63% from the field and going 8-for-12 from three, he also grabbed four rebounds and dished out three assists.
The No. 4 overall pick is averaging 18.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists while shooting 48.6% from the field and 43% from three.
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