Last season's NBA Rookie of the Year added a new career high Sunday night, and it wasn't in the scoring column.
Cooper Flagg set a personal best with 12 assists to go with 25 points in 28 minutes as Dallas beat Brooklyn 130-93. The Associated Press reported it was his fourth double-double of the season and his third in a row.
He shot 8 of 13 from the field, 3 of 5 from 3-point range and 6 of 6 at the line, and Dallas outscored the Nets by 22 points while he was on the floor, according to the box score.
He started fast. Flagg made 5 of his 6 shots in the first quarter, and the AP said the first half was the 16th 20-point half of his career and his first this season. That was a turnaround from Friday against Utah, when he went 2 of 8 with four points before halftime and still finished with 21 in a 112-100 win.
The Mavericks never trailed. They led 66-46 at the break and kept stretching it, and the lead peaked at 37 at the final buzzer. Dallas made 57.1 percent of its shots, its best of the season, and scored a season-high 130 points.
His teammates cashed in. Kyrie Irving scored 21 on 9-of-15 shooting, and Daniel Gafford added 18 while making 7 of 8 shots. Brooklyn's Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 19 points and nine rebounds. Julius Randle, a Dallas-area native, was held to 13.
