Cooper Flagg became the fifth Dallas player to record a double-double in his NBA debut, but the results for him and the Mavericks against the Spurs on Wednesday night did not measure up to the anticipation.
DALLAS — On the first offensive possession of his NBA career, Cooper Flagg pushed the ball down the floor in transition, gave it up to Anthony Davis and soared into the air to catch the lob pass the 10-time All-Star tossed back to him, much to the delight of the sellout crowd at the American Airlines Center.
But Flagg couldn’t complete the highlight by throwing down the dunk. As the ball rattled out of the rim, he crashed into the baseline, landing on his backside.
It was a sequence that foreshadowed the No. 1 pick’s NBA debut — a lot of anticipation, but a disappointing result for Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks.
Flagg went scoreless in the first half and finished with 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting as the San Antonio Spurs rolled to a 125-92 rout Wednesday night. The 6-foot-9 Flagg started at point guard, a position he had never played until joining the Mavs, and committed three turnovers without recording an assist.
« Not great », Flagg said when asked to assess his performance. « Obviously, didn’t play incredibly well, but we’ve got to move past it, turn our focus and start looking toward Friday [against the Washington Wizards]. »
The game was dominated by Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, who had 40 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks. Spurs guard Stephon Castle, the Rookie of the Year last season, added 22 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals while pestering Flagg as his primary defender.
