Key Mavericks Sound Off After Cooper Flagg's Historic 51-Point Outburst Against Magic

Dallas Mavericks star rookie Cooper Flagg was on one Friday night, putting up 51 points in a 138-127 loss to the Orlando Magic. He shot 19/30 from the floor, 6/9 from three, and added 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. 24 of those points came in the fourth quarter as they tried to get back into the game.

It's the most points ever scored by a teenager in NBA history, breaking his own record of 49 points that he set earlier this year. He became the first rookie since Michael Jordan to have multiple 45+-point games. Flagg is also just the third rookie since the 1970-71 season to score 50+ points, joining Allen Iverson and Brandon Jennings. Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elvin Hayes, George Mikan, Earl Monroe, Elgin Baylor, and Rick Barry all did it before that mark.

In the midst of a push for Rookie of the Year, it's about as strong a case as one could make. Flagg was coy after the game about his performance, saying, "It's always fun getting into that type of mode. The basket feels big. Your teammates are looking out for you, helping you out. But I love to win, so that was my main focus. It's hard for me to fully enjoy myself out there when we're down 20, down 10, down 15 for the majority of the game."

Other key Mavericks were not as shy.

Jason Kidd on Cooper Flagg's Historic Night

Jason Kidd was ejected in the third quarter after berating the officials on a clearly missed foul from Desmond Bane on Flagg. That didn't stop Kidd from being amazed by Flagg's game.

“When you talk about Cooper, there is no pressure. He plays the game the right way, he loves the challenge, and so when you look at him taking the floor, he’s always delivered. And tonight’s no different. To be able to have a 50-ball against a really good defensive team just shows he’s getting better, and we’re excited about that, and we talked about that pretty much this week. About that we have planted our Flagg and we’re really proud to have Cooper. We’re excited about the present, but we’re also excited about the future.”

Jason Kidd on what his “Ain’t No Pressure” 32 Cooper Flagg shirt means:

“When you talk about Cooper, there is no pressure. He plays the game the right way, he loves the challenge, and so when you look at him taking the floor, he’s always delivered. And tonight’s no different. To… pic.twitter.com/m3gT5Fcefn
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) April 4, 2026

Naji Marshall, P.J. Washington Take to X/Twitter

Naji Marshall was active on social media after the game, sending out four tweets/posts in favor of the rookie.

"Season could be better but Coop ROY respectfully!!!"
"Might be best rookie ever"
"Hard to appreciate greatness while going thru hard times but that boy is 1 of none"
"No Glaze tho jus speaking facts"

Washington quote-tweeted Marshall's second post with a "No cap."

Safe to say Naji is a Cooper Flagg fan pic.twitter.com/DoIX7IE1Wa
— MavsMuse (@MavsMuse) April 4, 2026

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