The Cooper Flagg era has begun — sort of.
It was just the first preseason game for the Dallas Mavericks, but the No. 1 overall pick gave fans something to be excited about in limited action.
The Duke alum and Maine native played only 14 minutes and stuffed the stat sheet — 10 points, six rebounds, three assists and a block.
Flagg shot 3 for 6, including 2 for 3 from deep and 2 for 2 from the line, with no fouls or turnovers in the 106-89 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.
Flagg started the game alongside Dereck Lively II, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson and D’Angelo Russell in what could be a preview of the Mavericks starting five against the San Antonio Spurs on opening night Wednesday, Oct. 22.
Kyrie Irving continues to sit as he recovers from a torn ACL, which he suffered in March.
The highlights for Flagg started early, with a block at the rim on Isaiah Joe’s layup attempt less than two minutes into the game — leading to an alley-oop dunk by Davis off a feed from Russell.
Cooper Flagg was formally introduced as a member of the Mavericks at a press conference in Dallas.
Flagg scored all 10 of his points in the second quarter, with a tough driving layup to get things started. He nailed a 3-pointer off the dribble on the next possession, then added two free throws less than a minute later. Flagg’s final bucket was another 3-pointer with just under three minutes left in the first half, giving him 10 points in a span of two minutes and 38 seconds.
The Mavs have three preseason games remaining (Oct. 11, 13 and 15) before the regular season tips off at American Airlines Center Oct. 22 against the Spurs.