NBA: Cooper Flagg pours in 45 as Mavs hold off hurting Lakers

Cooper Flagg followed a historic performance with another sensational game, scoring 45 points with nine assists and eight rebounds to lead the host Dallas Mavericks to a 134-128 win over a short-handed Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

Flagg, fresh off becoming the youngest player in NBA history to score 50-plus points with his 51-point performance against Orlando on Friday, came close to his first career triple-double in an impressive encore. The Mavericks rookie started strong, posting 26 of his game-high points in the first half, keeping pace with his record-setting outing from Friday.

Flagg’s dominant start set Dallas (25-53) on course for the victory, as the team led for nearly the entire game against an injury-depleted Lakers squad (50-28).

Los Angeles entered the matchup without Most Valuable Player contender Luka Doncic, sidelined for at least the final week of the regular season after sustaining a Grade 2 left hamstring strain in Thursday’s blowout loss at Oklahoma City. The Lakers’ struggles were further compounded when it was announced Saturday that second-leading scorer Austin Reaves would also miss at least the remainder of the season due to a Grade 2 left oblique strain.

LeBron James did what he could to carry the team, recording 30 points, 15 assists, and nine rebounds. James led all five Lakers starters in double-figure scoring, including Luke Kennard, who notched his first career triple-double with 15 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists.

However, Los Angeles lacked depth, as Dallas’ bench outscored them 46-35 and capitalized on 12 turnovers to score 21 fast-break points.

The Mavericks built a 22-point lead with contributions from P.J. Washington, who scored 15 points, Naji Marshall and Brandon Williams with 13 points each, and Klay Thompson hitting three 3-pointers en route to 11 points to complement Flagg’s performance. Thompson’s effort off the bench helped Dallas outshoot the Lakers from beyond the arc, 14-of-32 compared to 8-of-27.

—Field Level Media/Reuters