Cooper Flagg Makes NBA History with 35-Point Game Against Clippers

Cooper Flagg put on a dominant display in a 114-110 Dallas Mavericks win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.

Cooper Flagg Makes NBA History with 35-Point Game Against Clippers

Cooper Flagg (Image credits: FirstSportz)

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While things have not been going well for the Dallas Mavericks both on and off the court, their number one pick from the 2025 NBA draft, Cooper Flagg, has been a bright spark this season. The teenager made history on Saturday night as the Mavs held off the Los Angeles Clippers 114-110 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood.

Mavs played without Anthony Davis, who was rested on the second night of a back-to-back. With no Davis and Kyrie Irving, it was Cooper Flagg and Klay Thompson who stepped up to the task. The veteran player, playing in his hometown, contributed with 23 points and made six three-pointers in under 26 minutes. It was his second 20-point game of the 2025-26 season.

Flagg scored a career-best 35 points to go along with eight rebounds and two assists. The 18-year-old sensation was unstoppable, hitting 13 of 22 shots and nine of 11 free throws, making him the youngest player ever to reach 35 points in a single game. Cooper joined LeBron James as the only players to score 30 or more points before turning 19 years old. Elite company, indeed.

The Mavs will be hoping to see more from the young rookie as he currently averages 15.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists so far. The win takes the Mavs to 12th in the Western Conference standings with a 6-15 record, while the Clippers’ season goes from bad to worse as they are placed at 14th with a 5-15 record.

Time for the LA Clippers to blow it up

The signing of superstars Kawhi Leonard, who was coming off a championship run with the Toronto Raptors, and Paul George was supposed to mark a new era for the Clippers. But everything has gone downhill since. George left for the 76ers last year, and Leonard’s body just cannot keep up with the wear and tear of an NBA season.

Kawhi and Harden
James Harden and Kawhi Leonard (Image credits – Los Angeles Times)

James Harden has been having a resurgence in terms of scoring as the 36-year-old is currently averaging 27.7 points to go along with 8.7 assists per game this season. But Harden does not have the same impact on winning as he once did. And with Leonard regularly unavailable for most of the games, head coach Ty Lue and the Clippers management have some big calls to make.

It may be time for the Clippers to start from scratch. There is no guarantee that they can count on Leonard in the future as the ‘Claw’ will be turning 35 next year. Hence, it would not be a wild idea to think about the future as the present does not look promising at the moment.

Clippers are running out of options

The belief seems to be fading with every passing game for the Clippers. With players like Leonard, Harden, Bradley Beal and Ivica Zubac within their ranks, the Clippers are far from an ideal situation. Beal is ruled out for the season, Leonard’s health is always in question, and Harden cannot carry a franchise on his own anymore, and it’s not possible to build a squad around the 36-year-old right now.

Head coach, Lue, sounded deflated after the loss against Mavs.

I know we’ve had some tough circumstances, the last five years I’ve been able to figure it out but this year has been tough. Everyone has injuries in the league but our injuries really hurt us. I’m more pissed off than frustrated because it keeps on happening every year.

To make matters worse, if the Clippers decide to tank this season, their first round pick lies with the Oklahoma City Thunder, which is not good news for the rest of the league.

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