DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks were defeated by the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night, losing by a final score of 123-121. Cooper Flagg set a new career-high for points scored in a game with a mark of 49. Flagg accomplished the feat on 20-29 shooting from the field and 3-5 shooting from beyond the arc. He also set a new career-high for points scored in a half with 25, something he accomplished in the first half of the contest.

Flagg played well, but he is a team-first player. He is not someone who is going to celebrate a great individual performance in a loss. Flagg discussed the defeat after the game.

“It's tough,” Flagg told reporters. “We fight the whole game. Play really hard, stick together though a lot of tough stuff. They went on a lot of runs. We stuck with it, gave ourselves a chance to win down the stretch, so it's tough. Obviously you want to come away with a win, but a lot of positives to take away as well.”

It was a great game for Flagg, but the Mavs fell short in the end. Flagg's primary Rookie of the Year competition and former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel led Charlotte with 34 points. The rookies looked like superstars throughout the game. It is easy to see why Flagg and Knueppel are headed to the Rising Stars game.

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Nevertheless, Cooper Flagg and the Mavs endured a difficult loss. Head coach Jason Kidd believes Flagg has what it takes to become a “champion” someday, however.

“He’s not about numbers, he’s about wins and losses. That’s who he is. He competes to win… For a young man who thinks that way, he’s gonna be a champion sooner than later. He continues to keep working. For him to be out (with injury) then to be able to come back with this type of game… He’s just competitive and he tried to will his team into a win tonight.”

The Mavs' next game is scheduled for Saturday night in Houston against the Rockets. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 PM EST.