Cooper Flagg delivered another high-volume scoring performance Tuesday night, finishing with 36 points, nine rebounds, and six assists as the Dallas Mavericks fell 110-100 to the Boston Celtics at American Airlines Center.
The loss dropped Dallas to 19-31 and extended its season-worst losing streak to five games, while Boston improved to 32-18 and remained third in the Eastern Conference standings.
Flagg has scored 119 points over his last three games, becoming the first teenager in NBA history to post three straight 30-point outings, and he credited confidence and pace for the surge. “Just being confident, you know, being aggressive, getting to my spots, playing with good pace,” Flagg said. “And, you know, it’s worked out well.”
The No. 1 overall pick reflected on navigating his first extended stretch of adversity earlier in the season. “I’m just proud of myself for staying confident, staying poised,” Flagg said. “I never doubted myself or fell to what everybody was saying, that everybody has a rookie wall or whatever.”
Flagg emphasized internal support as a key factor in his response. “I might have fallen down a little bit, but I just got back up stronger,” he said. “Let my teammates and my coaches and everybody around me just lift me up and help me get back to being myself.”
Asked about whether the game has slowed down for him, Flagg pointed to steady progression rather than a single turning point. “I feel like the whole season there’s been moments of that,” he said. “That’s part of the game just slowing down and getting to your spots.”
Opposing defenses have adjusted as his scoring role has grown, with Flagg seeing varied coverages. “Different teams do different things,” he said. “They mix in their unders and try and just let me shoot it.”
Flagg said those looks require quick reads and decisiveness. “You just have to know how to use that against them and get some momentum to get downhill, or you have to be ready and prepared to just knock down your open shots,” he said.
Boston often forced him to his strong hand, a tactic Flagg said he has long been comfortable handling. “I’ve always been comfortable going left,” he said. “I put a lot of reps in just getting downhill and finishing at the rim.”
Despite the loss, the matchup carried personal significance for Flagg, who grew up watching the Celtics. “It was cool,” he said. “It was really special just to be able to be on the court and compete against the Celtics.”
With the trade deadline approaching and Dallas still short-handed, Flagg said veterans have helped him stay grounded. “It’s a business,” he said. “You just got to kind of stay ready.”
Dallas will look to reset against the San Antonio Spurs, while Flagg continues to anchor the offense during a challenging stretch in the Western Conference race.
