Cooper Flagg Leads Mavericks' Demolition of Nets As Brooklyn Endures an Embarrassing Night On the Road

Cooper Flagg celebrates during the Mavericks' dominant win over the Nets© Ethan Miller, Getty Images/AFP/File

Cooper Flagg picked apart Brooklyn on Sunday night in Dallas, and the Nets never found a way to slow him. The Mavericks led from start to finish in a 130-93 win at American Airlines Center. Flagg posted 25 points and 12 assists, and Dallas shot 57.1% from the field. The Nets have now lost eight of their first 10 games. Brooklyn trailed by 20 at halftime, and the fourth quarter was a formality. Flagg also tied a LeBron James mark along the way, adding another line to his young résumé.

How Did Cooper Flagg Dominate The Nets?

The 6-foot-9 forward scored 14 points in the first quarter and had 20 by halftime. A three-point play put Dallas up 30-21, Michael Porter Jr. scored five straight to cut it to four, and Flagg answered with a buzzer-beating three for a 33-26 lead. He finished 8 of 13 from the field, 3 of 5 from deep and 6 of 6 at the line.

After the break, Flagg became a passer. He ended with 12 assists, five rebounds and a steal, and Daniel Gafford and Kyrie Irving cashed in. Dallas stretched the 20-point halftime lead to 92-62 with a 12-2 run in the third.

Brooklyn had its own problems. The Nets shot 39%, and 17 turnovers led to 24 Dallas points. Coach Fernandez did not dodge it.

“Offensively, we created good shots, but we again turned it over too much,” Fernandez said. “The nature of the turnovers, 17 turnovers for 24 points, that's just not acceptable.”

He pointed to transition. “A lot of them is we're trying to run in transition, and we give it to the other team.”

Julius Randle finished with 13 points and a minus-33 rating. “I don't think we have guys in here that have that character of letting go of the rope,” Randle said. “But, [we're] definitely disconnected, and we got to figure out how to turn the page and get better and improve, stack days.”

Flagg Needs One More Game To Pass LeBron James

According to Stat Defender, Flagg now ties James for the most games of 25 points, five rebounds and five assists on 60% shooting before turning 20. Sunday was number five. One more would give Flagg the mark by himself, and the window is tight. He has until Dec. 21 and 15 games to get there.

Most of the big scoring nights come with clean shooting. Size helps with the passing and rebounding, since Flagg can see over defenders. Few expected the Mavericks to be this good this early.