Mavericks' Cooper Flagg drops 31 points, falls to Dylan Harper, Spurs in second game
Flagg produced a game-high 31 points, four rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot in the 76-69 loss on Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. He went 10 of 20 from the field and 8 of 13 from the free-throw line in 31 minutes of work.
The 6-foot-8 forward is one of three players to score at least 30 points in a game in Las Vegas over the first two-plus days of action. He opened the contest with only one field goal in the first quarter, before settling in and going 9 of 16 the rest of the way.
No. 2 pick Dylan Harper, who missed the Spurs' stint in the California Classic and their first game in Las Vegas with a groin injury, scored 16 points and six rebounds in 17 minutes for the Spurs. David Jones Garcia led the group with 21 points off the bench.
Flagg debuted with the Mavericks on Thursday, recording 10 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block in 31 minutes. He struggled from the field, going 5 of 21, but showed flashes of brilliance on the court, which excited the packed crowd.
The former Duke All-American played as the primary ballhandler and back-to-the-basket for stretches in that contest. On Saturday, Flagg faced up more on offense and managed to get downhill and to the line nearly more than the Spurs as a team, who had 15 attempts.
The Mavericks have allowed Flagg to log substantial minutes and appear comfortable with him playing in longer stretches through their first two games. He looked increasingly comfortable on the court on Saturday after playing in a different role than in his debut.
After falling to the Spurs on Saturday, Flagg and the Mavericks return to action on Monday against the Charlotte Hornets (6:30 p.m. EDT, NBA TV). It will be his first game against former Blue Devils teammates Kon Knueppel and Sion James.
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