DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks defeated the New Orleans Pelicans by a final score of 118-115 on Friday night. Dallas is now 5-12 overall and 1-2 in NBA Cup play. Cooper Flagg enjoyed another impressive outing as he continues to cement his Rookie of the Year argument. Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers was in attendance at the game — something that is especially notable since both Bueckers and Flagg were No. 1 overall picks in the 2025 NBA and WNBA Drafts.

“Paige… She obviously had an incredible rookie season,” Flagg told reporters after Friday's game. “She's gonna do amazing things in her career, so it's kind of cool for her to show up. I was able to go to one of her games right after the draft when I got down here… It's cool just to see the support and show up and be there for each other, I think that's pretty cool. Hopefully we will keep it going moving forward.”

Bueckers won the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year. Flagg will have a legitimate opportunity to accomplish the same feat in the NBA this season.

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Flagg did not play on Wednesday in the Mavericks 113-111 loss to the New York Knicks due to an illness. He returned on Friday and it's safe to say he made a significant impact. He ultimately led all scorers with 29 points to go along with seven rebounds and five assists.

The 18-year-old has continued to improve early in his NBA career. He still has room to grow, but there is no question that Flagg is taking steps in the right direction.

Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers was in attendance for a second consecutive Mavs game on Friday night. Bueckers and Flagg represent the future of Dallas basketball, so fans were surely excited to see her at the contest.

The Mavs will look to overcome their injury trouble in the second of a back-to-back on Saturday night against the Memphis Grizzlies in Dallas.