BY MATTHEW COLES Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Cooper Flagg scored the most points by an 18-year-old in NBA history, but he couldn’t enjoy the accomplishment because it came in a loss.
Flagg had 42 points — topping the previous mark of 37 set by LeBron James on Dec. 13, 2003 — in a 140-133 loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday night.
“Obviously we didn’t win. So it’s tough for me to want to be happy, or any of that, but obviously it’s a success,” said Flagg, who had a bag of ice on his ankle after rolling it at the end of regulation.
Flagg also became just the fifth rookie to record 40 points, five rebounds and five assists in the last 15 years as he finished with seven board and six assists.
“The more time he spends on the floor, the more he sees, the better he gets. He displayed it all tonight,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said.
Flagg has been playing his best basketball the past few weeks as the No. 1 overall draft pick has averaged 25.7 points in the last seven games. He’s also playing aggressive enough to get to the line and went 15 for 20 against Utah.
“It’s come a long way from the start of the season, so I’m proud of that fourth quarter,” Flagg said. “It’s a new game … but I am getting more and more comfortable … and just settling in, honestly, just being myself and letting the game come to me.”
He scored 12 points in the fourth quarter and made a savvy play to get the game into overtime when he missed a free throw on purpose with such a big carom that teammate Max Christie got the rebound with 3.9 seconds remaining and was fouled.
With Anthony Davis out and Dallas missing several other teammates to injuries, this game may be a harbinger of things to come as Flagg becomes a centerpiece of the Mavericks’ offense.
“We were going to Coop. He was killing them the whole game, so they finally tried to double him.” P.J. Washington said. “It doesn’t surprise me at all. I know exactly what he’s capable of. He’s a special player so there will be a lot more to come.”
Flagg also tied Mark Aguirre for the most points by a rookie in Mavs history as he begins to make his mark on the franchise. But he couldn’t stop thinking of what he could have done to get the win despite the throbbing ankle. The Jazz made a late 11-0 run and then dominated in overtime as Flagg didn’t score a basket in the extra period.
“I gotta be better. I had a couple of dumb turnovers, missed a couple easy ones, but I gotta be better, executing down the stretch like that,” Flagg said.
Setting records might be nice but Flagg feels it just means he’s consistently improving and that’s been his goal all season.
“I’m not really focused on a lot of that stuff (the records). I’m more just focused on being present, day to day, and trying to get better and and getting our team as many wins as we can,” Flagg said.
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