INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Ivica Zubac anchored the NBA’s No. 3 defense last season. The 7-feet, 240-pound Croatian isn’t physically overwhelmed in the paint often.
And yet, in the third quarter of Saturday’s game between the Dallas Mavericks and LA Clippers, a teenager tried him. Cooper Flagg, the Dallas Mavericks’ 18-year-old rookie, came off a screen and rose with both hands, dunking through Zubac.
“Sometimes you have to make an athletic play,” Flagg said. “I just rose up over the top.”
Flagg’s third-quarter jam was part of his record-setting night in the Mavericks’ 114-110 win over the Clippers at Intuit Dome. Flagg, who’s roughly three weeks shy of his 19th birthday, became the youngest player in NBA history to score 35 points. The Newport, Maine, native joined LeBron James as the only 18-year-olds in league history to tally at least 30 points.
“Cooper’s upside is limitless,” Mavericks shooting guard Klay Thompson said. “He has every tool to be great. Sometimes I can’t believe he should be a freshman in college.”
Flagg only spent three years in high school. He reclassified so he could attend college a year earlier than his peers, then dominated at Duke, winning the Naismith Men’s Player of the Year award. The pair of games he played in Los Angeles on Friday and Saturday were indicative of how comfortable he’s starting to look at the NBA level. On Friday, Flagg handed out a career-high 11 assists in Dallas’ loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. On Saturday — with Dallas missing Anthony Davis in the lineup — Flagg ramped up his scoring.
The rookie attempted 22 shots against the Clippers, the most in his young career. All but one of his 13 makes came inside the paint. His attacking earned him 11 free throws, where he added nine points.
“Just a dog,” said Naji Marshall, who stepped into the starting lineup alongside Flagg after P.J. Washington turned his ankle during pregame warmups. “Big guard. Very physical. Likes to get to that baja. Love his game.”
Baja?
“That rim,” Marshall said, translating NBA slang.
🚨 HISTORY FOR COOPER FLAGG 🚨@Cooper_Flagg became the YOUNGEST PLAYER in NBA history to score 35+ points in a game in Dallas’ victory tonight!
He joins LeBron James as the only players in NBA history to have scored 30+ points in a game before turning 19 years old. pic.twitter.com/gOrGI0CPGA
— NBA (@NBA) November 30, 2025
Flagg received some help late in the game from Thompson, who scored 17 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter. Thompson was initially ruled out against the Clippers due to a sore left knee. The 35-year-old credited a dip in the Pacific Ocean for changing his mind.
“To be honest, I jumped in the ocean today,” Thompson said. “Anytime you touch earth, it gives you energy. I got out in my boat. It was beautiful to see the harbor. I just said, ‘I know I’m sore. But this is when your character is revealed.’
“I could have easily sat out. I’ve been really sore. I’ve been tired. Mentally fatigued. But I don’t have that much basketball left in me. I’ve been in this 14 years. If I can squeeze out a few more years, I’ll be lucky. Every night out there is really a blessing.”
Thompson connected on four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. He made a heavily contested go-ahead shot from the right wing with 1:52 remaining. The Mavericks never trailed from that point on. Flagg made all six of his attempts from the free-throw line in the final two minutes of the game.
We are near the end of 2025 and still you have the moments where your defense does it’s job only for Klay Thompson to break loose late and hit a 3. pic.twitter.com/pz656yjdwz
— Steve Jones (@stevejones20) November 30, 2025
Thompson, who spent much of his childhood in Southern California, recalled seeing a clip from the ’90s of Lakers guard Byron Scott discussing Kobe Bryant’s potential. Scott was in his final NBA season with the Lakers during Bryant’s rookie year.
“I feel like B-Scott sometimes,” Thompson said. “The old, wise veteran. The future of the franchise to my side. It’s pretty cool to be a part of it. To be witnesses to what he’s going to do for a long time.”
On Saturday, both Thompson and Flagg were instrumental to the Mavericks (6-15) getting their second road win of the season.
“He (Thompson) came alive down the stretch for us,” Flagg said. “He was knocking down huge shots. When he’s knocking down shots like that, it opens up lanes for everyone else.”
For Flagg in particular, who made NBA history by attacking the rim relentlessly against the Clippers.
