Cooper Flagg Scores 45 Points, Ends Mavericks' 14-Game Home Losing Streak

Forty-eight hours removed from rewriting the NBA record books, Cooper Flagg did it again. The 19-year-old Dallas Mavericks rookie scored 45 points, added 9 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block to end the franchise's longest home losing streak in 32 years, a 14-game drought, with a 134-128 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Easter Sunday at American Airlines Center.

The win gave Dallas its first home victory in two months, but it was Flagg's accumulation of history across two nights that overshadowed everything else. On April 3, Flagg erupted for 51 points against the Orlando Magic, shooting 19-of-30 from the field, 6-of-9 from three, and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line. At 19 years and 103 days old, he became the youngest player in NBA history to score 50 or more points in a game, surpassing former Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings, who had been 20 years and 52 days old when he accomplished the feat. Dallas lost that game 138-127, but the record stood regardless.

Sunday's 45-point performance made Flagg the first rookie to post back-to-back 40-point games since Allen Iverson did so in 1997. Across those two consecutive outings, Flagg totaled 96 points. He also became the first rookie in NBA history to score 40 or more points in a game against LeBron James, and in doing so surpassed James himself for the most 40-point games recorded as a teenager in league history.

LeBron James, 41, was not idle. He finished with 30 points and 15 assists, a vintage performance that nonetheless could not keep the Lakers competitive for more than 13 seconds of game-clock lead time. The Lakers trailed virtually from the opening tip, playing their first game without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who were both sidelined for the remainder of the regular season after suffering injuries in a blowout loss at Oklahoma City on Thursday. Doncic, the NBA's leading scorer, sustained a left hamstring strain; Reaves, Los Angeles's second-leading scorer, suffered a left oblique strain. Together, the two account for 56.8 points and 11.2 assists per game. Marcus Smart also sat out for the seventh consecutive game with right ankle soreness, leaving Jake LaRavia to start at shooting guard in place of Reaves.

James, who watched Flagg pour in buckets throughout the night, offered measured praise afterward. "Cooper's been in the zone over the last couple of games," he said, "but also just been playing consistent basketball all year. So it's great to see, from early in the season to where he is today."

Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft out of Duke, described a different kind of weight in facing James. "I was a little kid, watching him go through his whole career," Flagg said. "So it's really impressive, first of all, just to watch him and see him be able to do things that he's still able to do out there."

The Mavericks' victory injects fresh momentum into a Dallas season that has been defined more by Flagg's brilliance than team success. His back-to-back explosions also sharpen the Rookie of the Year conversation, where he has been locked in a tight battle with Charlotte Hornets forward Kon Knueppel. The Lakers, meanwhile, face a far more urgent calculation: how far can a 30-points-and-15-assists LeBron James carry a depleted roster through the final stretch of the regular season with playoff seeding still unsettled.