LeBron James has voiced his “love” for Cooper Flagg’s performances after the 19-year-old scored 45 factors within the Dallas Mavericks’ 134-128 residence win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
The Mavericks are twelfth within the Western Convention however handed the third-placed Lakers a second straight defeat regardless of James scoring 30 in reply within the absence of the injured Luka Doncic.
“He seems to be like he loves the sport,” James stated of first total draft choose Flagg. “He’s placing within the work.
“Cooper’s been in a zone during the last couple of video games, however he’s additionally simply been enjoying constant basketball all yr.”
Evaluation: LeBron James on Cooper Flagg’s rise
James stated he had tracked Flagg from the ahead’s highschool days in Maine to his school exploits with Duke earlier than getting into the NBA.
“I knew he was particular from there,” stated the four-time NBA Most Priceless Participant. “He’s simply getting higher and higher and higher.
“I like what he’s doing; I like what he’s bringing to this franchise. It’s simply nice to place the ball in someone’s arms to allow them to undergo the tough patches.
“Once you undergo the tough patches, it permits you to develop at a price sooner than different gamers. And that’s what [late coach] Paul Silas, relaxation his soul, did for me [at the Cleveland Cavaliers] in my rookie yr [in 2003].
“I mainly began at level guard early on and he allowed me to make errors and play towards powerful defenses and issues like that.
“I needed to make the reads or no matter, so I see similarities in that… that’s what I used to be attempting to repair. It’s nice to see [Flagg go] from early within the season to the place he’s immediately, as a fan of him and a fan of the sport.”
Cooper Flagg: LeBron ‘one of many biggest’
Flagg and James had been “exhibiting respect” once they spoke on court docket after the sport, the prodigy defined.
“They’ll have extra of a season than us left and so they’ll go into the play-offs,” stated Flagg. “So good luck to them and and whoever they face.
“I used to be somewhat child watching him undergo his complete profession, so, it’s actually spectacular, to begin with, simply to observe him and see him have the ability to do the issues that he’s nonetheless in a position to do on the market.
“It’s a dream come. These are the moments, these are the instances like to have the ability to match up towards someone like that, with the profession he’s had.
“He’s one of many biggest, so it’s unbelievable… I grew up watching and idolizing him.”
NBA outcomes: Steph Curry ‘very grateful’ after Rockets vs Warriors
Elsewhere within the NBA, Kevin Durant scored a game-leading 31 factors and located Alperen Sengun for the game-winning basket with 11.1 seconds remaining because the Houston Rockets beat the Golden State Warriors 117-116 on the Chase Heart.
Stephen Curry contributed 29 factors for the Warriors after lacking 27 video games with a right-knee damage.
“I felt good,” stated Curry, who performed for 26 minutes and felt he improved as his efficiency went on.
“There have been some good nerves going into it. Coming off the bench, you’re attempting to tempo your self bodily and mentally.
“After all of the work you set in in rehab to get by way of… I used to be very grateful, for positive.”
Listed below are the newest NBA outcomes from the weekend of April 5, 2026.
| End result |
| Golden State Warriors 116-117 Houston Rockets |
| Dallas Mavericks 134-128 LA Lakers |
| Milwaukee Bucks 131-115 Memphis Grizzlies |
| Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder 146-111 Utah Jazz |
| Brooklyn Nets 121-115 Washington Wizards |
| Minnesota Timberwolves 108-122 Charlotte Hornets |
| New Orleans Pelicans 108-112 Orlando Magic |
| Boston Celtics 115-101 Toronto Raptors |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 117-108 Indiana Pacers |
| Philadelphia 76ers 93-116 Detroit Pistons |
| Chicago Bulls 110-120 Phoenix Suns |
NBA standings, playoffs bracket: How the image seems to be
If the common season had ended after the newest spherical of video games, the Miami Warmth would meet the Orlando Magic and the Toronto Raptors would encounter the Charlotte Hornets in play-in matches.
The Portland Path Blazers would face the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns would additionally tackle the LA Clippers in these video games.
The confirmed first spherical play-off video games would come with the Lakers towards the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Cleveland Cavaliers towards the Atlanta Hawks, the Rockets towards the Denver Nuggets and the New York Knicks towards the Philadelphia 76ers.
You’ll find the newest play-off image and standings on the NBA’s site.
