In a 101-94 loss to Mark Daigneault and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks' first-overall pick, Cooper Flagg, had possibly the worst outing of his rookie campaign, thus far. He finished with two points on 1-for-9 shooting, including 0-for-3 from deep. Then, making matters worse, Chet Holmgren posterized Flagg on a transition dunk, which could go down as Cooper's “Welcome to the NBA” moment.
After the win, Daigneault addressed Flagg and the hype surrounding the association's newest phenom.
“He's obviously a really talented player that's got a very bright future,” Daigneault said. “I think because he's the number one pick in the draft, it becomes like day trading in terms of his performance every single night. But he's gonna get better month over month and year over year because he's obviously a very talented guy who's got a great feel for the game. He's been very impressive so far.”
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault watched Flagg make his preseason debut against the Thunder earlier this month, finishing with 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting, including a pair of threes, six rebounds, three assists, and one block in 14 minutes. Then came MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, and the defending champions in the regular season — a different animal even without All-Star Jalen Williams.
Still, Mavericks All-Star Anthony Davis (26 points, 11 rebounds) led what was almost a 22-point comeback, as Dallas pulled to within three points (97-94) with 21.3 seconds left in the final frame. Oklahoma City fended them off. Cooper Flagg and the Mavericks never led once.
Chet Holmgren upgraded to available for Thunder's clash vs Mavs
Amidst dealing with a sore back, Thunder forward Chet Holmgren was listed as questionable versus the Mavericks before he was cleared to play on Monday. On the first leg of the Thunder's first back-to-back of the regular season, Holmgren delivered another strong performance with 18 points on 8-of-10 attempts, 11 rebounds, and four blocks.
All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a team-high 23 points on 10-of-22 shooting, including 1-of-3 from deep, eight assists, four rebounds, and one steal. Five players scored in double figures for the shorthanded Thunder, including Isaiah Hartenstein's double-double (16 points, 12 rebounds) and Ajay Mitchell's 17 points, which led the bench production.
The Thunder will host the Kings at the Paycom Center on Tuesday.
