‘Phenomenal Year’: Dusty May Says Dallas Mavericks Won’t Dwell On Cooper Flagg’s Slow Quarters

DALLAS — Cooper Flagg is 17-of-54 from the field over his last three games. Before Sunday night’s game against the Brooklyn Nets at American Airlines Center, Mavericks coach Dusty May said the Dallas Mavericks will not dwell on which quarters go well for him.

Flagg is averaging 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 6.4 assists in 34.2 minutes while shooting 46.5% from the field. He has made 87.9% of his free throws and 21.6% of his three-point attempts.

“With Coop, when you look at his body of work, you look at his points, his rebounds, his numbers, his assists, he’s having a phenomenal year,” May said. “Sometimes this quarter is a little bit better than others. Sometimes the ball’s not dropping with the same shot. So we’re just trying to really focus on the process of getting incrementally better each and every day, and not overthinking anything else.”

“Our plan with Coop is just have an obsessive approach to getting better and not dwelling on first and fourth quarters or second or thirds,” May continued.

Cooper Flagg’s First Halves And Second Halves

In Friday’s 112-100 win over the Utah Jazz, Flagg scored 15 of his 21 points in the third quarter and finished 7-of-16 from the field with 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. Two nights earlier at San Antonio, he had 19 points on 7-of-19 shooting with 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Against the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 2, he went 3-of-19 from the field and made all 11 of his free throws for 17 points.

Flagg had 4 points on 2-of-8 shooting in Friday’s first half. He entered that game at 21.2% from three-point range through seven games.

“I just stayed the course. Shots will fall,” Flagg said. “And I got to give a lot of credit to my teammates. Obviously, I’ve been struggling a little bit from the field, and I think a lot of the shots that I’m very comfortable taking and making haven’t been going in.”

“So, a lot of credit to my teammates just keeping me in good spirits and keeping my head up high,” Flagg added. “Just making sure I know that they believe in me has been a big thing, and just trusting that, trusting the effort, just doing the little things to get myself going, and found some energy, and was able to just make some plays.”

At halftime of the Oct. 21 opener in Houston, Flagg had 9 points on 2-of-8 shooting. He went 8-of-9 after the break and finished with 32 points in a 128-110 loss, a record for a teenager in a season opener. The previous mark was 30.

A left shoulder sprain kept Flagg out of the Oct. 24 home opener against San Antonio. Two nights later at Miami, he returned with 29 points, 6 rebounds, 11 assists, 5 steals, and 3 blocks. His 33 points against Houston on Oct. 30 made it three straight games with at least 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Luka Dončić was the only teenager to do that before him.

Kyrie Irving, Flagg, And The Coverages Dallas Is Seeing

Kyrie Irving finished 7-of-20 from the field against Utah, and Flagg went 1-of-4 from three-point range. May said Flagg saw a different look in Utah than he had seen in earlier games.

“And sometimes we feel like he’s not in great rhythm,” May explained. “Maybe we’ll sub him a little bit earlier so he can come out and catch his breath and then go back in for a longer stint later. But with Coop, he’s gonna see a little bit of everything, and he saw something different in Utah. And so our plan has to be flexible enough to make adjustments to how he and Kai are being guarded. And I think we’re getting better at that.”

Flagg logged 40 minutes, 2 seconds at San Antonio on Wednesday. Against Utah two nights later, he played 32:41 and did not commit a foul.

Flagg and Irving combined for 23 of Dallas’ 32 points in Friday’s third quarter, turning a 57-57 halftime tie into an 89-76 lead. Irving had missed the morning shootaround with an illness and scored 12 of his 14 points after halftime.

“I’m not sure what changed,” May said. “I noticed that it just looked like they were, they’re just playing with great competitive spirit. I thought the second half, for whatever reason, we just kind of locked in, and we just looked like we’re just out there on the playground having fun playing basketball. Their physicality, their intensity, whatever it was, they flipped the switch at half and came out with a different look.”

Last season, Flagg led Dallas in total points, rebounds, assists, and steals on his way to Rookie of the Year. LeBron James is the only player to win the award at a younger age. Friday’s 21 points and 10 rebounds gave Flagg his fifth 20-point double-double as a teenager, which moved him past Victor Wembanyama in NBA history. Only three players had more before turning 20.

The Indiana Pacers visit American Airlines Center on Monday at 7 p.m. CT. Dallas opens a three-game road trip Thursday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.