Cooper Flagg's 35-point explosion and a bump in NBA.com's power rankings have Dallas feeling itself again, but a brutal four-game gauntlet looms.
The Dallas Mavericks finally exhaled.
After a three-game losing streak that had the fan base spiraling and the vibes tanking, Dallas walked into Los Angeles and punched back, knocking off James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and the Clippers on their own floor. It didn’t just stop the bleeding; it turned into a statement night for the future of the franchise.
That future's name is Cooper Flagg.
Even with Anthony Davis unable to drag the Mavs to a win in his return from a 14-game absence the night before, Flagg answered in a big way against the Clippers.
The No. 1 overall pick erupted for a career-high 35 points, taking over in the fourth quarter like a seasoned vet instead of a rookie still figuring out where to park at the arena.
Flagg's shot chart told the story of a bully at the rim.
According to NBA.com's John Schuhmann, 33 of his 35 points came either in the paint or at the free-throw line. He went 12-for-15 at the rim and 9-for-11 at the stripe, with his only jumper of the night being the cold-blooded pull-up that put Dallas ahead with just under three minutes to play.
When the Clippers tried to crank up the pressure, Flagg calmly closed the door by going 6-for-6 from the line down the stretch.
The outside shot is still a work in progress. He’s sitting at 34.2 percent from mid-range and 25.3 percent from deep, but when you're living in the paint and generating contact like that, you can still tilt games in your team's favor.
The win and Flagg’s breakout were enough to get the Mavericks a small bump in respect. Schuhmann moved Dallas up two spots to No. 21 in his latest power rankings, sliding them ahead of the Hornets, Bulls, Jazz, Clippers, Kings, Pelicans, Pacers, Nets, and Wizards.
But nobody should confuse "up to 21" with "problem solved."
Dallas is still just 1-9 against teams with winning records, and the schedule is about to get nasty. The Mavs' next four opponents have a combined 60-17 record, starting Monday with their first crack at the defending-champion Denver Nuggets.
Dallas finally has momentum. Now we get to find out if Cooper Flagg's coming-out party was a one-night show or the start of something the rest of the league has to take seriously.