Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg scores 45 points in win over Lakers

James H. Williams, USA TODAY Mon, April 6, 2026 at 2:57 AM UTC

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Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg scores 45 points in win over Lakers

Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg recorded his second consecutive impressive game and made history in the process.

Flagg scored 45 points in a 134-128 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at American Airlines Center on Sunday, April 5, becoming the first rookie to score 40 points in a game against LeBron James.

Flagg got off to a fast start, going 7-of-10 from the field for 19 points in the first quarter. He then finished the first half with 26 points.

James finished with a team-high 30 points as the Lakers continue to march toward the postseason without the services of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. While Doncic suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain that will sideline him for the rest of the regular season, Reaves suffered an oblique injury that is expected to keep him sidelined for four to six weeks. Doncic's status for the postseason is not yet known.

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In Sunday's game, Flagg and James made some history together. They are the first players in NBA history to score 20 or more points in the same game, with one player aged 40-plus and another a teenager, according to the NBA.

Coming off a career-high 51 points on April 3, Flagg is also the first rookie since Allen Iverson during the 1996-97 season to score 40 or more points in back-to-back games, according to the NBA. Flagg has four 40-plus point games this season and is averaging 20.8 points per game.

Here’s a breakdown of Flagg's performance against the Lakers on Sunday:

1 / 0Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponentsOct. 26: The Dallas Mavericks' Cooper Flagg dunks the ball past the Toronto Raptors' Sandro Mamukelashvili at the American Airlines Center.Cooper Flagg stats vs. Lakers -

Minutes played: 39

Points: 45

FG: 14-for-27

3PT: 2-for-4

FT: 15-for-17

Rebounds: 8

Assists: 9

Steals: 2

Blocks: 1

Turnovers: 2

Fouls: 2

Mavericks vs. Lakers highlights

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cooper Flagg points: How did Dallas Mavericks rookie do vs. Lakers

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