The Flagg Pole: Cooper Decides 19 is the New Prime
Listen, most 19-year-olds are currently struggling to figure out how to do their own laundry or waking up at noon to eat cold pizza. Cooper Flagg? He just turned 19, and he decided to celebrate by turning the Denver Nuggets' defense into his personal birthday piñata.
If you missed the Mavericks vs. Nuggets game on Tuesday, you missed history. And we don’t use that word lightly—usually, we save "history" for when the office microwave actually heats the food evenly.
The "Are You Kidding Me?" Half
Flagg didn’t just play well; he played a video game on "Rookie Mode." In the first half alone, he dropped 22 points on 9-for-10 shooting.
Let’s do the math on that. That is 90%. He missed one shot. One! And frankly, he probably only missed that one just to be polite so the Nuggets wouldn't forfeit at halftime. In doing so, he became the youngest player in NBA history to score 20+ points in a half on 90% shooting.
He was hitting threes, he was hitting floaters, he was doing everything but selling concessions in the upper deck.
Twinning
To add some wholesome family pressure to the mix, Cooper’s twin brother, Ace (currently playing for Maine), was sitting courtside. You know how it is—you can't let your brother see you have a bad day at work.
If Ace was looking for a show, he got the deluxe package. Cooper finished with 33 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists in a 131-130 thriller. He even threw in a chase-down block on Cameron Johnson where his head was practically looking down at the rim. Gravity is apparently just a suggestion for the Flagg family.
The AD & Jokic Show
We have to mention the "Other Guys." You know, the future Hall of Famers sharing the court with the teenager.
Anthony Davis—who is apparently loving life alongside the rookie—dropped a casual 31 points and 9 boards. The Mavs are now 8-7 when the "Brow and the Boy" play together.
On the other side, the Nuggets' duo of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic combined for 60 points and 28 assists, which is usually enough to win two games, let alone one. But the Basketball Gods had other plans.
The Heart-Attack Finish
Despite Flagg playing like he was possessed by the spirits of basketball legends past, the Mavs almost blew it. They coughed up a lead (again), and it came down to a final possession.
Jokic swung the ball to a wide-open Peyton Watson for the win. The shot went halfway down, looked around, decided it didn't like the rent prices in Dallas, and rimmed out.
Mavericks Coach Jason Kidd said, "The basketball gods were on our side." We translate that to mean: "We got incredibly lucky, and I need a nap."
Final Score: Mavericks 131, Nuggets 130.
The Takeaway: Cooper Flagg is the truth, Anthony Davis is a luxury, and we all need to check Flagg's birth certificate because there is no way this kid is only 19.
