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CLEVELAND — With 28 seconds left Saturday night at Rocket Arena, Cooper Flagg scored on a driving layup that moved him past Kobe Bryant for the second-most regular-season points by a teenager in NBA history.
Flagg completed the three-point play at the free-throw line and finished with 18 points in the Dallas Mavericks’ 127-117 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The free throw gave him 1,762 points before his 20th birthday, three more than the 1,759 Bryant scored as a teenager.
LeBron James is the only player ahead of him. James scored 2,362 points as a teenager, 600 more than Flagg’s current total. Flagg, the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, turns 20 on Dec. 21.
Flagg came into Saturday with 1,744 points after he was held to 12 in Thursday’s 133-94 loss at the Minnesota Timberwolves. His driving floater with 8:55 left in the fourth quarter pulled him even with Bryant at 1,759. The layup in the final minute put him ahead.
In Cleveland, Flagg had 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists in 38 minutes. He shot 6-of-19 from the field, 0-of-6 from 3-point range, and 6-of-8 at the free-throw line. He also blocked 1 shot and did not commit a turnover.
Kyrie Irving led Dallas with 34 points, 20 of them in the third quarter. He shot 11-of-25 from the field, including 7-of-16 from 3-point range, and added 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.
Cleveland played without its entire regular starting lineup. Tyrese Proctor, Flagg’s college teammate at Duke, finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists for his first career triple-double. The Cavaliers led by as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter, and Irving’s 3-pointer with 2:23 remaining cut the deficit to 122-112.
Cooper Flagg Moved Past Carmelo Anthony In 43-Point Win Over Indiana Pacers
Five days earlier, Flagg scored a season-high 43 points in a 125-122 win over the Indiana Pacers at American Airlines Center. That Nov. 9 performance raised his teenage total to 1,732 and moved him past Carmelo Anthony, whose 1,725 points now rank fourth, according to NBA.com.
As a rookie in 2025-26, Flagg scored 1,473 points in 70 games and was named Rookie of the Year. He has added 289 points this season.
Against Indiana, Flagg hit 18-foot pull-up jumpers with 62 seconds and 26.3 seconds remaining. He finished 16-of-25 from the field and 8-of-8 at the line, with 30 of his points coming after halftime. Flagg credited the spot shooting he put in over the summer for both late jumpers.
“Just all the work all summer long,” Flagg said. “Just preparing myself to be in those moments down the stretch, limited space, limited dribbles, and be able to come out with a bucket and a good comfortable shot.”
Being more comfortable getting to his spots at a higher level has let Flagg pace himself instead of attacking the basket on every trip down the floor.
“It’s taxing going downhill all the way to the rim and trying to finish over seven-footers all night every night,” Flagg said.
Mavericks coach Dusty May said that night that Flagg’s left-handed finishing and his ability to square up in the air from 15 to 17 feet both help him as a scorer. May also pointed to the 3-pointers Flagg had made over the previous couple of games and to his free-throw shooting.
“It’s unbelievable he’s a 19-year-old doing this,” May said.
Kyrie Irving On Flagg’s Second Season After Rookie Of The Year
Irving said after the Indiana win that he saw where he could help Flagg while watching from the sideline during Flagg’s high-scoring stretch last season. With Flagg coming off the Rookie of the Year award, Irving said his goal as a veteran is to take pressure off him.
“We keep calling him a teenager, but he plays way beyond his years, and gotta give him his flowers,” Irving said. “And just the way he’s always in attack mode, or the way he sees the game, and he’s always getting others involved, very selfless. And I think it helps out our team a lot, including myself, just seeing him be able to make plays for others, but also when he’s calling his own number, he’s getting to the paint, and he’s trying to get the most efficient shot possible.”
Dallas fell to 7-6 with its second straight loss. The Mavericks close their three-game road trip Sunday against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden, with tip-off set for 5 p.m. CT.
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