Cooper Flagg delivered a standout performance as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 134-128 on Sunday.
The rookie scored 45 points, becoming the first first-year player to record a 40-point game against LeBron James.
Flagg made an immediate impact with scoring 19 points in the opening quarter after shooting 7-of-10 from the field, and reaching 26 points by half-time.
James led the Lakers with 30 points, but the team continues to struggle with injuries . Luka Doncic is sidelined with a Grade 2 hamstring strain while Austin Reaves is expected to miss several weeks with an oblique injury.
According to the NBA, Flagg and James became the first players in league history to each score at least 20 points in the same game with one player aged 40 or older and the other still a teenager.
Flagg’s performance follows a 51-point outing earlier in the week, making him the first rookie since Allen Iverson in the 1996-97 season to score 40 or more points in back-to-back games.
The 19-year-old now has four 40-point games this season and is averaging 20.8 points per game, strengthening his case as one of the league’s most promising young talents.
