A historic evening from Cooper Flagg is not enough: The Orlando Magic prevail against the Dallas Mavericks and inflict the next bitter home defeat on the hosts.
The Orlando Magic prevailed 138:127 in Dallas and survived an exceptional performance by Cooper Flagg. The rookie delivered a historic performance with 51 points, but was unable to prevent the Mavericks’ 14th home defeat in a row.
Lead by Wendell Carter Jr. (28 points) and Desmond Bane (27), Orlando produced a cohesive team performance. Franz Wagner (18, (8/12 FG) and Tristan da Silva (19, 3/4 3FG) also made important contributions, while the Magic applied constant pressure offensively and kept control of the game.
Flagg makes history: Youngest NBA player to score 50 points
The game also turned emotional for the Mavericks in the final quarter at the latest. Head coach Jason Kidd was sent off following a dispute with the referees after Flagg had already been given a technical foul. The situation caused additional unrest in an already difficult phase for Dallas.
Flagg responded with a spectacular final phase: 24 points in the fourth quarter made him the youngest player in NBA history with a 50-point game. With 19 of 30 shots from the field and six threes, the 19-year-old made an exclamation mark, but even this gala could not stop the Mavericks’ ongoing crisis.