DALLAS — When Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg didn’t get what appeared to be an obvious foul call, his coach and teammate were thrown out of the game defending their young star.
The 19-year-old first overall draft pick responded by making basketball history, becoming the first teenager ever to score 50 points in an NBA game during Dallas’ 138-127 defeat to the Orlando Magic on Friday evening.
Following ejections of head coach Jason Kidd and forward Naji Marshall over a disputed non-call involving Desmond Bane’s contact with Flagg, the former Duke standout erupted for 24 fourth-quarter points to reach the milestone.
Kidd received his ejection despite being assessed only one technical foul, while Marshall earned his second technical of the night moments after his coach was tossed. Marshall’s first technical came at halftime.
“It’s great to see,” Flagg commented after shooting 19-of-30 from the field while converting all seven free throw attempts, surpassing his previous career-best 49 points set during a January 29 loss to Charlotte.
“I already know that coach has my back and Naji … I know he has my back for sure out there,” Flagg explained. “Just seeing their emotion, seeing them fight for me and fight for the calls. Definitely some emotion, and motivated me even further.”
Assistant coach Frank Vogel, taking over for the ejected Kidd, briefly pulled Flagg from the game at 45 points during a defensive possession. Vogel used a timeout to return his star player with 3:22 left on the clock.
Flagg reached the historic mark just over a minute later in dramatic fashion. After missing an initial three-point attempt and a follow-up shot on Brandon Williams’ miss, he grabbed his own rebound and connected on a corner three-pointer.
The milestone moment came on Dallas’ next offensive possession when Flagg converted an off-balance shot in the paint while being fouled. He completed the three-point play with the free throw and exited to thunderous applause from the home crowd.
The Mavericks trailed by 30 points when Flagg began his fourth-quarter explosion, extending their home losing streak to 14 consecutive games. This represents Dallas’ longest home skid since dropping their first 19 contests at the former Reunion Arena during the 1993-94 season.
“It’s always fun getting into that type of mode,” Flagg reflected. “The basket feels big. My teammates are looking out for you, helping you out. But I like to win. That was my main focus. It’s hard for me to fully enjoy myself out there when we’re down 20, down 10, down 15, for the majority of the game.”
Regarding the controversial foul call that sparked the ejections, Flagg believed the contact was clear.
“I think it was warranted,” Flagg said about Kidd’s reaction. “I’m not going to lie. I talked to Bane after the play, and he told me he was intentionally trying to foul me. I honestly don’t know how they didn’t see that. Obviously, they must not have had the right view, or they weren’t paying attention. But they missed it.”
From the locker room, Kidd watched his young star’s historic performance on television with a broadcast delay.
“There was a lot of excitement in the back,” Kidd said, describing how he heard crowd reactions before seeing Flagg’s shots on screen. The rookie finished 8-of-12 from the field and 4-of-6 from three-point range in the final quarter.
Flagg’s previous career high came against former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel, who was selected fourth overall and is also competing for Rookie of the Year honors.
Kidd, who won the same award with Dallas three decades ago, continues advocating for his player while drawing comparisons to basketball’s greatest player.
“He’s the rookie of the year,” Kidd declared. “It’s unbelievable. The country’s now watching the same thing we get to watch on a daily basis. He’s in rare air. He’s with the GOAT when you talk about MJ and what he did in his rookie year. And as a teenager, to see what Cooper’s doing, just the excitement, the joy, playing the game, win or lose, his spirit, is about winning. Right now we’re not.”
For one evening, the rookie’s achievement overshadowed Dallas’ extended home struggles, even though the losing streak continued.
