Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks became the first teenager to score 49 points in an NBA game in a 123-121 loss to the Charlotte Hornets at the American Airlines Center.
The 19-year-old broke Clifford Robinson’s previous record of 45 points set in 1980 while playing for the New Jersey Nets against the Detroit Pistons.
Advertisement
Flagg, making his 43rd appearance of the season, also became the youngest player to score at least 40 points and 10 rebounds.
Kon Knueppel of the Hornets, who was roommates with Flagg at Duke University, also posted impressive numbers.
The 20-year-old scored a career-high 34 points and made eight of his 12 three-point attempts, setting a rookie record for Charlotte.
Their combined 83 points were the most of any opposing recruit in over 50 years, and they were the first pair of opposing recruits from the same college to each score more than 30 points in the same game.
The Dallas Mavericks sit in 12th place in the Western Conference after suffering four successive losses, while the Charlotte Hornets have won five in a row and are 11th in the Eastern Conference.
