DALLAS — Cooper Flagg scored 27 points and capped a late surge with a steal and breakaway dunk as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Brooklyn Nets 113-105 Monday night. Dallas needed his calm in crunch time while missing multiple starters, and the rookie delivered again with a shot-clock-beating 3-pointer in the final two minutes, Jan. 12, 2026.
Flagg’s finish punctuated a wire-to-wire effort that kept Brooklyn at arm’s length, even as the Nets trimmed a 14-point second-half deficit to four late. The AP recap noted the Mavericks snapped a two-game skid behind Flagg, Naji Marshall and a fast start from Jaden Hardy.
Cooper Flagg takes over late
Brooklyn made one last push after cutting it to 99-95 with five minutes left, but Cooper Flagg answered on both ends. He forced a turnover, finished at the rim in transition and then buried a deep 3 late in the clock to shove the margin back to double digits. A detailed late-game sequence was also described in Reuters’ game report.
Marshall finished with 22 points and nine assists, while Klay Thompson scored 18 off the bench and hit six 3-pointers. Hardy scored 11 of his 14 points early, helping Dallas jump out to a 32-23 first-quarter lead. Cooper Flagg went 10 of 17 from the field and added five rebounds, five assists and three steals.
For the Nets, Michael Porter Jr. led with 28 points and nine rebounds, and Day’Ron Sharpe posted 14 points and 12 boards off the bench. Brooklyn’s shooting from deep never recovered after a cold first half: the Nets went 9 of 37 from 3-point range, while Dallas hit 15 of 34, according to the official scorer’s report. The full stat line is available in the NBA.com box score.
The Mavericks’ margin for error was thin. Dallas dressed several two-way players and played without multiple injured starters, including Anthony Davis and P.J. Washington Jr., as listed in the game recap and injury notes. Still, the Mavericks won the turnover battle (18-14) and consistently got the first clean look in key possessions.
For Cooper Flagg, the moment fit the arc. Two years ago, he accelerated his path by reclassifying to become eligible earlier for the league, a decision chronicled by Yahoo Sports. Last summer, Dallas took him No. 1 overall, as ESPN reported, and he was introduced as the franchise’s next cornerstone in an NBA.com draft-night follow. On nights like this, Cooper Flagg looks comfortable living in the game’s tightest minutes.
Up next, Brooklyn visits New Orleans on Wednesday. Dallas hosts Denver the same night.
