Cooper Flagg Makes History, Loses to College Teammate
Cooper Flagg put on an absolute show at the game on January 29, with one of the best scoring displays anyone has had all season. After scoring just two in the first quarter, Flagg erupted for 23 in the second, 15 in the third, and nine more in the fourth for a total of 49.
Among players who scored 49 or more points in a game this year, Flagg's 69% shooting percentage is the sixth-best. Flagg's 23-point second quarter was the seventh-best single-quarter scoring output all season as well.
The 49-point total broke the Mavericks' rookie record held by Mark Aguirre, whose jersey was retired at halftime. The cherry on top, though, is that Flagg set the record for most points scored by a teenager. Earlier this year, he set the record for the youngest 40-point output in NBA history, and he outdid himself last night.
Unfortunately, the Mavericks didn't get the win. Try as he might, Flagg could not will them to victory over the surging Charlotte Hornets. In a cruel twist of irony, Flagg's former Duke teammate and roommate, Kon Knueppel, stole a Flagg pass and drew a shooting foul to score the winning two points.
Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel engage in duel for the ages
Cooper Flagg is rightfully getting the headlines for his impressive game, which included 10 rebounds to go along with his nearly 50 points, but Kon Knueppel had a fantastic game as well and got the last laugh against the Mavericks forward.
Knueppel had 34, and his final two free throws put the Hornets ahead with just 4.1 seconds left. Flagg had some trouble getting the ball on the inbound and was double-covered, so his last-second prayer from near the three-point line missed off the back of the rim.
Despite that, Knueppel knew who deserved all the praise for his performance. "Just a crazy ending to a phenomenal game," Knueppel said of his former roommate via ESPN. "He was the best player on the floor tonight. Probably, I mean, that's the best player that's played against us all season. It's just fun competing against the best, and obviously, being close with him, that kind of adds to the competitiveness."
Those two are locked in a tight competition for Rookie of the Year. Flagg has the odds on his side. Knueppel, though, has the NBA.com rookie ladder on his side, although Flagg's likely to take that top spot after this game.
"It's incredible," Flagg said of their race for the award. "I wouldn't want to be in any other position. We'll both be looking back on this night and this whole year in general for the rest of our lives, and we'll be talking about it and stuff like that. It's just so special to have this opportunity in general."
The two remain close, and Knueppel admitted that neither one talks about their desire to win the prestigious award. Flagg has the upper hand, though Knueppel is averaging 18.9 points with a scorching 61.1% effective field goal percentage.
"I mean, this was a heck of a game. I think he's probably going to jump me with 49 and 10 [rebounds], but it is what it is. An award like that is cool, but whoever gets it, I'll be happy for him," Knueppel said. "Who knows? I'm just glad we got the win. That matters more to me than anything else."
Flagg's turnover with under 30 seconds left proved to be the back-breaker, but the young player is still learning. Those end-of-game situations are tough, and Flagg admitted as much. "I'm always trying to get better. That's something I don't want to say I struggle with, but I have seen a ton of double-teams and stuff, so just figuring out how I can be effective in those moments. It's got to be a lot better," he concluded.
If he does get better there, the NBA might be in big trouble.
