Mavs survive Blazers' rally as Cooper Flagg continues to solidify case for Rookie of Year
As the Rookie of the Year race between Flagg and Kon Knueppel has heated up, the Dallas phenom has shifted into a higher gear.
Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) goes to the basket against Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (23) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 27, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane) (Jenny Kane/AP) PORTLAND, Ore. - A 17-point second-quarter Mavericks lead slip, slip, slipped away.
Gradually, inexorably, Portland overtook Dallas early in the third quarter, but the Mavericks punched back and led for most of the fourth period. A 3-pointer by Portland's Jrue Holiday tied the score at 92 with 2:19 and set Dallas up for another clutch-game heartache, but the Mavericks' Blue Devil Brothers helped pull out a 100-93 victory Friday night here in Moda Center. Cooper Flagg (24 points) and Marvin Bagley III (26) accounted for half of Dallas' points on this night, with Bagley's two baskets in the last two minutes accounting for the winning points.
Surely it wasn't a coincidence that the Duke men's basketball team advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight, and the Duke women made it to the Elite Eight just as Mavs-Blazers ended. "I guess so," laughed Flagg, when asked if Blue Devil magic was in the air. "Two Duke wins, and the Dallas Blue Devils won, as well.
" Psychologically it was a much-needed win for a Mavericks team that had lost five straight, 14 of 16 and 24 of 28 games, a slew of the losses coming in clutch games . Well, on Friday Dallas played its NBA-high 43rd clutch game, but won for just the 16th time in those situations. At 24-50, wins are not of primary importance to Dallas, so it's not surprising that subplots became positive focal points, both involving Flagg.
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