Despite Cooper Flagg's historic 36-point effort, the Mavericks faltered against the Celtics, highlighting trade deadline uncertainty and their own struggles.
DALLAS — With the NBA trade deadline nearing, the Dallas Mavericks looked like a team feeling the weight of uncertainty Tuesday night — everyone, that is, except Cooper Flagg.
The rookie delivered another dominant performance, scoring 36 points with nine rebounds, six assists, and two blocks, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 110-100 loss to the Boston Celtics at American Airlines Center. The defeat extended Dallas’ season-worst losing streak to five games, even as Flagg continued a stretch unlike anything a teenager has produced in league history.
Over his last three games, Flagg has scored 119 points and become the first teenager ever to post three consecutive 30-point outings. Yet the Mavericks were undone by a second-quarter collapse and never fully recovered, trailing by double digits for most of the night.
Afterward, head coach Jason Kidd framed Flagg’s surge as a reflection of rhythm and control, even as the team around him continues to struggle offensively.
Kidd pointed to Flagg’s consistency over the past week.
“In the last three he’s averaging almost 40 points,” Kidd said. “He’s in a groove. He’s scoring the ball, he’s attacking, he’s making plays for his teammates. We’re just not shooting the ball straight. We’re getting some great looks that just haven’t gone down for us.”
Dallas’ underlying numbers suggested a team doing some things right despite the outcome. The Mavericks reached 100 points for the 32nd straight game — their longest such streak this season and tied for the franchise’s longest run in the last six years — and committed just nine turnovers, their sixth game this season with fewer than 10.
Still, the gap widened quickly in the second quarter, and Boston pushed the lead to as many as 23 early in the fourth. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 33 points and 11 rebounds, as Boston asserted control just hours after completing a trade for Nikola Vučević.
As Flagg continues to shoulder an expanding offensive load, Kidd was asked whether there was any immediate remedy to ease the burden on the 19-year-old.
“It’s our health. That’s the wand,” Kidd said. “We got to wait until we get healthy. So he’s got to continue to keep doing what he’s doing. He’s being aggressive. He’s not settling. For him, it’s to continue to keep making the plays. He’s getting guys some good looks that just haven’t gone down of late.”
For Flagg, the production hasn’t come from forcing the moment. Instead, he said the recent stretch has been about confidence, pace and staying true to his approach after a brief lull earlier in January.
Flagg reflected on how he’s handled the noise surrounding the idea of a “rookie wall.”
“I’m just being confident, being aggressive, getting to my spots, with good pace and it’s worked out well,” Flagg said. “I’m just proud of myself for staying confident, staying poised.
“I never doubted myself or fell into what everybody was saying about a ‘rookie wall’ or whatever. I just let all that pass. I might’ve fallen down a little bit, but I got back up stronger.”
Statistically, the night placed Flagg in elite historical company. His 36-point outing tied Kevin Durant for the third-most 35-point games by a teenager, trailing only LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. It was also his fourth career 30-point, five-rebound, five-assist game — joining Victor Wembanyama, Luka Dončić and Trae Young as the only rookies in the last 15 years with at least four such performances.
Veteran wing Caleb Martin, who finished with 13 points, has seen plenty of young players come through the league. He said Flagg’s maturity stands apart.
Martin emphasized how advanced Flagg’s understanding already is.
“He’s different for sure,” Martin said. “It’s pretty awesome to see and be a part of. Obviously we have his back and we root for him. It’s really cool to see someone at his level, at his age, be so receptive — still being a sponge, still ready to learn, asking questions, and willing to make the right plays.”
Martin added that Flagg’s ceiling still feels distant.
“His game is so advanced and mature,” he said. “He already understands where his spots are, and he’s getting to those spots now. There’s still another level that he knows — and everybody else knows — he’s going to get to. That’s crazy to think about.”
Dallas did receive a positive development when Daniel Gafford returned after briefly exiting with an ankle issue. Gafford finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds, recording back-to-back double-doubles for the first time this season.
Kidd underscored how significant that return was for a team stretched thin.
“It was huge for us and for him to be able to come back,” Kidd said. “We need all the bodies we can get. For him to come back after halftime, that was a big positive.”
As the trade deadline approaches, Martin acknowledged that uncertainty is unavoidable, even for veterans.
“It definitely can be stressful,” Martin said. “But it’s one of those things you can’t control. All you can really control is your mindset and trying to block the noise out as much as possible.”
For now, the Mavericks remain in a holding pattern — waiting on health, clarity and help. Flagg, meanwhile, continues to play as though the moment is never too big, even when the wins aren’t following.