Cooper Flagg finished with 29 points, 11 assists, five steals and the winning layup at Miami, while Kyrie Irving shot 2-11 from deep and missed a 26-foot pull-up with 36 seconds left. At 2-2 and seventh in the West, Dallas has to settle whose hands the ball belongs in when a game gets close.
The Case For Flagg
At 19, Flagg went 12-23 from the floor and 3-3 at the line, and 12 of his 29 points came in the final period. With Dallas up 111-109, he blocked Andrew Wiggins' running three at 0:31. Then he drove for the layup that made it 113-109 with 10 seconds left. His 11 assists show the offense running through him, not around him. His five steals and three blocks show him winning the possessions he doesn't finish. Dallas trailed by as many as 12 and won anyway, and the comeback had his name on both ends of it. That is a closer's line, not a rookie's.
The Case For Irving
Irving carries the biggest contract on the books at $39.5M, and he has 15 years in the league against Flagg's one. He scored 24 in the 121-105 win at Indiana, and he gave Dallas 6 rebounds and 6 assists in Miami. Flagg's night also came with warnings: five turnovers and 2-8 from three. A team that hands a 19-year-old every big possession will live with those mistakes. The other problem is availability. Irving is carrying a knee designation and is projected back on October 28, so Dallas cannot build its late-game offense around a 34-year-old who keeps showing up on the injury report.
The Verdict: Flagg Closes
The answer is Flagg, and shot quality is the reason. With the game on the line he attacked the rim, while Irving's 2-11 night from deep ended on a contested 26-footer. Walter Clayton Jr. makes the split easier. He went 6-7, scored 7 in the final period and finished +22, which gives Dallas a second creator so Irving can be the scorer who punishes help defenses instead of the one who has to create everything. Oklahoma City arrives on Wednesday, October 28 on ESPN at 4-0, with Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams both listed out. Dallas sits one game behind sixth-place Minnesota and is on pace for 41-41. Moving up from there starts with the ball in Flagg's hands in the last five minutes.
Who closes games for the Mavericks right now?
Cooper Flagg. At Miami he scored 12 points in the final period, blocked a three at 0:31 and hit the go-ahead layup with 10 seconds left.
Will Kyrie Irving play against the Thunder?
Irving is listed with a knee issue and projected back on October 28, the night Dallas hosts Oklahoma City. His status for that game is not confirmed.
