Cooper Flagg is on an unprecedented scoring streak for the Dallas Mavericks.
On Thursday night, the rookie out of Duke scored 32 points to lead his team in a 135-123 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Flagg made 14 of his 27 shots from the field while also contributing 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals in 39 minutes.
The performance was his fourth consecutive 30-point game. Flagg scored 36 against Boston on Tuesday, 34 against Houston on the road last Saturday, and a career-high 49 against Charlotte last Thursday.
In doing so, he became the youngest player in NBA history to score 30 or more in 4 straight games. He also became the first rookie since Michael Jordan (1985) to have 4 straight 30-point/5-rebound games, and the first rookie since Allen Iverson (1997) to score more than 150 points over any 4-game stretch.
Dallas is 0-4 in those games, which actually makes it that much more remarkable. The Mavs lost to the Spurs by 12 and the Celtics by 10. Despite Flagg putting up All-NBA caliber numbers, his team hasn’t come close to a win.
The Mavs are 3-7 in their last 10, and they just traded Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards for spare parts earlier in the week. Dallas is still without lead guard Kyrie Irving, who tore his ACL last March, which has forced Flagg to handle more offensive responsibilities as a rookie.
On a team without much else — no one else averages more than 15 points per game — Flagg is excelling. He leads the Mavs in points, steals, and minutes. He ranks second on the team in assists and third on the team in rebounds.
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Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
