Nikola Jokic praises Cooper Flagg after Mavericks upset Nuggets once again

The Dallas Mavericks beat the Denver Nuggets for the second time this year, continuing a trend of the Mavericks playing to the level of their competition. They're somehow 2-0 against the Nuggets, while being 1-2 against the New Orleans Pelicans, because this team oftentimes makes no sense.

Star rookie Cooper Flagg was brilliant once against, putting up 33 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists, becoming just the second teenager in NBA history to put up that statline, with the other being Luka Doncic. Flagg was also an efficient 14/21 from the floor, and 4/6 from three.

In two games against the Nuggets this year, Flagg is averaging 28.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG, and 5.5 APG. He's had a lot of success against them already, and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic has taken note of that.

"He was definitely a hot hand out there," Jokic said after the game, via ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "But just, I'm going to say the poise that he played with, he doesn't feel like he's so young out there. He seems like he played meaningful games and he was winning before. That's my opinion. He looked really mature out there."

Jokic was no slouch in this game, either, putting up 29 points, 14 assists, and 7 rebounds while shooting 12/22 from the floor. He did have four turnovers and four fouls, and the Mavericks were targeting him on defense. But with the game on the line, the ball was in Jokic's hand. He was triple-teamed as he caught the ball in the paint, he turned, fired to Peyton Watson, whose wide-open corner three went halfway down before rimming out.

Dec 23, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) passes the ball during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Is Cooper Flagg's Improved Three-Point Shooting Here to Stay?

The biggest weakness to the start of Cooper Flagg's career had been his three-point shooting, as he only shot 23.4% from deep in his time as an 18-year-old. Since turning 19, he's 5/7 (71.4%) in two games. This isn't to ponder about whether or not he's going to shoot a ridiculous amount from three for the rest of the season, but it does follow an interesting trend.

In his lone season at Duke, he shot just 24.4% from three in 11 games as a 17-year-old. Then he turned 18 and shot 44.7% in the remaining 26 games. He's already done it once, what's stopping him from doing it again?

Flagg has been playing with a splint on his thumb for the last five or six weeks, and that may have caused the dip in shooting, but three-point shooting was always going to be the biggest question mark entering the NBA.

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