Cooper Flagg Gave Very Nonchalant Reaction to Making NBA History With 42-Point Game

The rookie brushed off his record-making performance because the Mavericks lost the game.

Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg became the first 18-year-old to drop at least 40 points in a single game. / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Cooper Flagg became one-of-one on Monday night in the NBA, but he has bigger goals in mind.

The Mavericks rookie recorded a career-high 42 points, making him the only 18-year-old in NBA history to score at least 40 points in a single game. The previous record was held by LeBron James, who scored 37 points in a game when he was 18.

While this was very exciting history to make, the No. 1 pick was pretty nonchalant in his post-game interview. Dallas ended up losing 140–133 to the Jazz, so that likely clouded his excitement.

“It’s cool, but like you said, it would’ve been great to get a win so that’s what I’m kind of more focused on.”

Cooper Flagg couldn’t allow himself to celebrate last night’s milestone as the youngest player to score 40 points because it happened in a loss for the Mavs:

“It’s cool, but like you said, it would’ve been great to get a win so that’s what I’m kind of more focused on.” pic.twitter.com/EipumXEnhB

— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) December 16, 2025

It’s pretty wild to only say “it’s cool” when making NBA history, especially when that record-breaking game allowed him to surpass one of James’s records.

Ultimately, though, the Mavericks need to turn their season around if they want a chance of making the playoffs. Dallas dropped to 10–17 on the season with Monday’s loss, and it sounds like Flagg has bigger goals in mind. In his mind, most likely, it doesn’t matter if he throws up 42 points if the team doesn’t win.

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