DALLAS — Cooper Flagg didn’t get the triple-double. He didn’t need it to steal the night.
The Mavericks rookie erupted for 33 points on 14-of-21 shooting with nine rebounds and nine assists in Dallas’ win over Denver, falling a rebound and an assist shy of his first career triple-double. He became only the third Mavericks rookie — alongside Jason Kidd and Luka Dončić — to post at least 30 points with nine and nine in a game. His four made threes were a career high.
Flagg’s efficiency put him in rarer air. He joined a short list of rookies this century to reach those numbers while shooting 60 percent or better from the field — a group that includes Stephen Curry and Steve Francis.
The 18-year-old set the tone early with 22 first-half points on 9-of-10 shooting, becoming the first Dallas rookie since 2004 to score 20 in a half while hitting 90 percent from the floor. He’s also the youngest player in the play-by-play era to do it.
It marked Flagg’s fourth 20-point half of the season, tying the total of the rest of the rookie class combined — and adding another line to an already fast-growing résumé.
