Cooper Flagg thanks Mavericks for having his back in 51-point game vs. Magic

The Dallas Mavericks may have lost their Friday night clash against the Orlando Magic, 138-127, but the rest of the team will go to sleep tonight with their hearts full. After all, the team’s main man, Cooper Flagg, just had the best night of his brief professional career thus far.

Flagg, who is making a late charge for the 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year award, popped off for 51 points on 19-30 shooting from the field (6-9 from deep) and 7-7 from the foul line. It’s so easy to forget that Flagg is only 19 years of age, as he’s such an incredible player who’s coming into his own as a two-way force.

It helps that Flagg is in an environment where the team recognizes just how important he is; the Mavs stood up for him on multiple occasions on the night, with head coach Jason Kidd and Naji Marshall getting themselves ejected by trying to defend their prized rookie. After the game, Flagg expressed his gratitude towards those two.

“They just had my back. It’s great to see. Obviously I already know that coach has my back and Naji, out of anybody, I know he has my back,” Flagg said, via Noah Weber of The Smoking Cuban.

Cooper Flagg on Jason Kidd and Naji Marshall getting ejected while standing up for him:

“They just had my back. It’s great to see. Obviously I already know that coach has my back and Naji, out of anybody,I know he has my back…” pic.twitter.com/8fUUEkEsoe

— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) April 4, 2026

Mavs lose their cool towards the end of loss to Magic

The Mavs lost their heads towards the end of the game when the officials missed what appeared to be a blatant foul call on the Magic towards Flagg, which could have helped him pad his scoring numbers even further. Flagg also thought that his team’s reaction was well-warranted considering the circumstances.

“I think it was warranted. I’m not gonna lie, I talked to (Desmond) Bane after the play. He told me he was intentionally trying to foul me,” Flagg added. “How they didn’t see that, obviously must not have had the right view or they weren’t paying attention, but they missed it, so, I think that type of reaction is warranted cause there’s not really an excuse.”

Cooper Flagg on Jason Kidd’s reaction while arguing a no-call for him:

“I think it was warranted. I’m not gonna lie, I talked to Bane after the play. He told me he was intentionally trying to foul me…How they didn’t see that, obviously must not have had the right view or they… pic.twitter.com/NPlu4BV0RZ

— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) April 4, 2026

The post Cooper Flagg thanks Mavericks for having his back in 51-point game vs. Magic appeared first on ClutchPoints.