Cooper Flagg Shines Again, But Mavericks Continue to Slide as Trade Deadline Looms
DALLAS - If there’s a silver lining to the Mavericks’ latest loss, it’s wearing No. 32 and redefining what’s possible for a teenager in the NBA. Cooper Flagg poured in 36 points, added nine rebounds, six assists, and two blocks, and looked every bit like the future of the franchise. But once again, his brilliance wasn’t enough to carry Dallas past a surging Boston Celtics team, who handed the Mavs a 110-100 loss Tuesday night at American Airlines Center.
That makes five straight losses for Dallas - their longest skid of the season - and while Flagg’s historic run continues to turn heads, the team around him is struggling to keep pace. With the trade deadline just days away, the Mavericks look like a group caught in limbo: banged up, inconsistent, and searching for answers.
Flagg’s Record-Breaking Stretch
Let’s start with the obvious - Cooper Flagg is doing things we’ve never seen from a teenager in this league. His 36-point effort marked his third straight game with 30 or more, making him the first teenager in NBA history to accomplish that feat. That’s 119 points over his last three games, and he’s doing it with efficiency, poise, and a level of maturity that’s rare at any age, let alone 19.
Flagg now sits alongside some elite company. His latest performance tied Kevin Durant for the third-most 35-point games by a teenager.
Only LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony had more. And with four career games of 30 points, five rebounds, and five assists, he joins a short list of rookies in the last 15 years - Victor Wembanyama, Luka Dončić, and Trae Young - who’ve hit those marks multiple times.
But ask Flagg about the numbers, and you won’t get much chest-pounding. For him, it’s about staying true to his approach.
“I’m just being confident, being aggressive, getting to my spots, with good pace, and it’s worked out well,” Flagg said after the game. “I never doubted myself or fell into what everybody was saying about a ‘rookie wall.’ I might’ve fallen down a little bit, but I got back up stronger.”
That mindset is part of what’s made his transition to the league so seamless. He’s not forcing things. He’s letting the game come to him - and dominating while doing it.
A Team Searching for Balance
While Flagg continues to ascend, the rest of the Mavericks are still trying to find their footing. Tuesday’s loss followed a familiar script: a strong start, a second-quarter collapse, and a deficit that proved too steep to overcome. Boston outscored Dallas 34-21 in the second quarter, and the lead ballooned to as many as 23 in the fourth.
Head coach Jason Kidd pointed to the team’s shooting woes - not for lack of effort, but execution.
“He’s in a groove,” Kidd said of Flagg. “He’s scoring the ball, he’s attacking, he’s making plays for his teammates.
We’re just not shooting the ball straight. We’re getting some great looks that just haven’t gone down.”
The Mavericks did manage to hit the 100-point mark for the 32nd straight game - tying their longest such streak in the last six seasons - and committed just nine turnovers, their sixth game this year with fewer than 10. So, the fundamentals are there. But without consistent shot-making and defensive stops, the margins get thin fast - especially against a team like Boston.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 33 points and 11 boards, and the addition of Nikola Vučević - acquired earlier in the day - only deepens an already loaded roster. Boston looked every bit like a contender. Dallas, on the other hand, looked like a team waiting for reinforcements.
Health, Help, and the Deadline Clock
Kidd didn’t mince words when asked how the Mavericks can ease the burden on Flagg.
“It’s our health. That’s the wand,” Kidd said.
“We got to wait until we get healthy. So he’s got to continue to keep doing what he’s doing.”
The Mavericks did get a small boost with the return of Daniel Gafford, who exited briefly with an ankle issue but came back to post 10 points and 12 rebounds - his second straight double-double.
“It was huge for us and for him to be able to come back,” Kidd said. “We need all the bodies we can get.”
Still, the reality is clear: Dallas is stretched thin, and the trade deadline is approaching fast. Veteran forward Caleb Martin, who chipped in 13 points, admitted that the uncertainty can weigh on players - even those who’ve been through it before.
“It definitely can be stressful,” Martin said. “But it’s one of those things you can’t control. All you can really control is your mindset and trying to block the noise out as much as possible.”
Martin also had high praise for Flagg’s maturity and growth.
“He’s different for sure,” Martin said. “It’s pretty awesome to see and be a part of. He’s still being a sponge, still ready to learn, asking questions, and willing to make the right plays.”
And perhaps most tellingly:
“There’s still another level that he knows - and everybody else knows - he’s going to get to. That’s crazy to think about.”
The Road Ahead
For now, the Mavericks are stuck in a holding pattern. The injuries are real.
The shooting slump is real. And the pressure of the deadline is only intensifying.
But in the middle of the storm, Cooper Flagg is giving Dallas something to believe in.
He’s not just putting up numbers - he’s leading, learning, and showing that he’s built for the long haul. The wins may not be coming right now, but the foundation being laid is hard to ignore.
The Mavericks still have work to do. The front office has decisions to make. But if Flagg keeps playing like this, they’ve already won something far more important than a single game - they’ve found their cornerstone.