Mavericks guard defends Cooper Flagg despite rough outing against Thunder

The Dallas Mavericks nearly completed an improbable comeback against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night. Trailing by 22 points in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks cut the deficit to one in the final minute and had an opportunity to tie the game with less than 30 seconds on the clock.

Instead, the defending champions held on for a 101-94 victory as Dallas dropped to 1-3.

No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg had a rough outing in the loss to OKC. Flagg suffered a left shoulder injury on the first play of the game and fought through the pain all night. He finished with 2 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals in 31 minutes, shooting 1/9 from the field and 0/3 from three-point range.

The performance marked the first time that Flagg scored fewer than 10 points in an NBA regular-season game. Regardless of the struggles, it's his teammates who believe they have to do more.

Mavericks Trying To "Lower Stress Level" For Cooper Flagg

Obviously, there's a ton of pressure on Flagg's shoulders. He's the beacon of hope for the franchise nearly a year after Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Doncic's departure is still a weight on the Mavericks.

Every time the team takes the floor at home, there are vocal calls for general manager Nico Harrison's job.

One of the pieces Dallas received in the deal for Doncic, guard Max Christie, believes the Mavericks need to do a better job of getting Flagg comfortable on the court.

Christie wasn't necessarily surprised Flagg had his struggles against Oklahoma City, a team known for its vast array of defenders, including veteran Lu Dort.

“I mean, it happens. He’s 18 again, playing against the defending champs," Christie said, according to The Smoking Cuban's Noah Weber. "Obviously, defensively they're phenomenal, and you've got someone like Lu Dort on him, who was first-team all-defense and kind of hounding him the entire game."

"So it's going to happen. I think we, as his teammates, got to do a better job of getting him open and lowering the stress level for him," Christie added.

Max Christie on Cooper Flagg’s performance tonight (2 points on 1-9 shooting):

“It happens. He’s 18 playing against the defending champs…I think we as his teammates got to do a better job of getting him open and lowering the stress level for him. So we have to set better… pic.twitter.com/fzIZ9FcYJv
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) October 28, 2025

Making things easier for Flagg comes down to everyone else on the team. He's talented, but still young, meaning opponents are throwing a lot at him.

"We've got to set better screens, we've got to get him more open, we’ve got to make him feel a lot more comfortable than I think he feels right now, and that’s not all on him," Christie said. "I think that’s on us as a team, knowing that teams are keying in on him for sure."

"He is young, he is inexperienced obviously. He's got so much ability and so much potential, we've all seen it," Christie continued. "We've got to do a better job of teammates, making it easier for him, just making his life easier, really. We've got to do a better job as a team."

Christie has been a bright spot for the Mavericks through four games, averaging a career-high 12.2 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists over 28.3 minutes per contest. He's shooting 55.2% from the field, 56.5% from three-point range, and 100% from the free-throw line.

The Dallas Mavericks continue their six-game homestand on Wednesday night, hosting the Indiana Pacers at 8:30 p.m. ET.

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