Hornets edge Mavs despite Cooper Flagg’s 49-point game
Kon Knueppel sank two clutch free throws with 4.1 seconds remaining to finish with a career-high 34 points, lifting the Charlotte Hornets to a 123–121 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night. The result spoiled a historic performance by Knueppel’s former Duke roommate, Cooper Flagg, who poured in 49 points.
Flagg, who turned 19 in December, set a new NBA record for points by a teenager, surpassing the previous mark of 45 set by Cliff Robinson for New Jersey against Detroit on March 9, 1980. Flagg also posted career highs with 20 made field goals on 29 attempts and pulled down 10 rebounds, News.Az reports, citing AP.
With the score tied in the final seconds, Knueppel intercepted an errant pass by Flagg near midcourt with seven seconds to play. He drove to the rim and was fouled by Flagg as the ball became wedged between the rim and backboard. Flagg’s last-second attempt to force overtime rimmed out.
Knueppel drilled eight 3-pointers, setting a rookie record for Charlotte. The Hornets have now won five straight games, their longest streak since February 2023.
Brandon Miller added 23 points for Charlotte, extending his run to nine consecutive games with at least 20 points, while LaMelo Ball scored 22 and connected on six shots from beyond the arc.
For Dallas, Klay Thompson came off the bench to score 16 points, going 4-for-11 from 3-point range. The Mavericks have dropped three straight games, all at home, after a season-best four-game winning streak.
Charlotte completed a sweep of a road back-to-back, while Dallas was swept in a home back-to-back. The matchup marked the first NBA meeting between Flagg and Knueppel, both freshmen at Duke during the 2024–25 season.
At halftime, the Mavericks honored Mark Aguirre, the franchise’s only previous No. 1 overall draft pick, by retiring his jersey, making him the fifth player in team history to receive the honor.
Up next:
Hornets host San Antonio on Saturday.
Mavericks visit Houston on Saturday night.
By Nijat Babayev
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