LAS VEGAS — In the primetime matchup of the first night of Summer League in Las Vegas, it was a matchup of two high-profile players: Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick last month, and Bronny James, son of global superstar LeBron James.
COOPER FLAGG’S FIRST BUCKET IN A MAVS UNIFORM IS A BIG-TIME SLAM ‼️#NBA2KSummerLeague on ESPN pic.twitter.com/h7Ta564bS8
— NBA (@NBA) July 11, 2025
Typically, marquee matchups in Summer League end up falling flat. Whether it’s nerves or defensive gameplans, young players tend to not rise to the occasion like the premier players in the NBA. That’s to be expected.
However, Thursday night’s game, which ended in an 87-85 win for the Mavericks, was an exciting game that featured highlight reel moments from both Flagg and James.
James started out hot by scoring the first five points of the game for either team, with Flagg defending him on both shots.
Back-to-back Bronny https://t.co/3XdU1gII0dpic.twitter.com/pf4IL85pnp
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 11, 2025
However, he wasn’t able to get much going after that. He finished the game with eight points, two rebounds and two assists. James had the ball in his hands with an opportunity to win it in the closing seconds, but his stepback three-pointer bounced out.
Still, there was a lot to like from what James did. Though his shot didn’t fall, he made plenty of smart passes and seemed to read the defense well, especially out of pick-and-roll scenarios. After only playing 6.7 minutes per game across 27 appearances as a rookie, James could be ready to take on a larger role in the rotation. Though he may not take a big leap this year, he should be ready to contribute.
As far as shooting the ball, it was a night to forget for Flagg. He made just five of his 21 shot attempts, and he missed his only shot from the free throw line, which led to him scoring just 10 points. However, he wasn’t fazed by the subpar shooting night.
“The coaches had a lot of confidence in me,” Flagg said after the game. “They told me they wanted me to experiment, try some new things. I just tried to be aggressive and like they wanted me to. Honestly, that might be one of the worst games of my life. But we got the win. That’s what really matters to me.”
However, he found other ways to impact the game. Flagg added six rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block, and he had multiple other savvy passes that set up good shot attempts for his teammates.
Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg with the monster help side block, transition push and assist for go-ahead jumper in final minute vs. Lakers pic.twitter.com/rBXktQp0HH
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) July 11, 2025
Coach Jason Kidd talked before Summer League began about wanting to put the ball in Flagg’s hands for him to make plays. That happened early and often, as the ball immediately went to Flagg after Dallas won the opening tip. However, the Lakers made it clear immediately that they wanted to ramp up the pressure. Right after Flagg got the ball following the tip, they trapped him before he crossed half court.
“You get that ball in your hands, the conditioning aspect comes into play,” Mavericks Summer League coach Josh Broghamer said. “They were picking them on full court, they were trapping him, they were being super physical with him every time he drove it. That’s something, obviously for him, he’s at a high level conditioning-wise, but continue to grow. Like I said, he just had a draft and three workouts and all that stuff, and now he’s coming in to playing fives again, so that will get better.”
Flagg also acknowledged the pressure and his conditioning by saying he’s “not in game shape.”
“I mean, that’s what a lot of people are going to do,” Flagg said. “You know, definitely I feel like I can handle that type of pressure. I’ll be able to take it without a doubt. Tonight the shots weren’t falling. That’s going to happen.”
His playmaking stood out and is a skill that the Mavericks will hope translate to the regular season, especially with Kyrie Irving (knee) sidelined to start the year.
However, Flagg wasn’t the only Maverick that shined as a playmaker. Ryan Nembhard, who Dallas added on a two-way after he went undrafted last month, finished with 21 points and five assists in the win. The younger brother of Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, Ryan was able to get to his spot in the mid-range for six of his eight made field goals, and he was able to set up his teammates for plenty of easy shots.
Nembhard with a soft touch!
Up to 8 points, 4/5 from the field. pic.twitter.com/IoWZUKp6zK
— The Mavs Blog (@TheMavsBlog) July 11, 2025
Dalton Knecht, who the Lakers selected with the No. 17 pick in 2024, only had six points in the first half, and the team seemed to make a concerted effort to get him going after halftime. He scored seven points and had an assist in the first four minutes of the second half to help the Lakers go up 60-50.
Knecht with the finish! @Lakers | #NBASummerLeaguepic.twitter.com/8hHhLudkAI
— NBA Summer League (@NBASummerLeague) July 11, 2025
However, it was all Dallas for the rest of the period. They closed the third on an 18-2 run to take a 68-62 lead into the fourth quarter.
With 1:21 left in the game, Knecht came up grimacing and holding his leg. He confirmed after the game that his leg cramped up, which explains the botched layup attempt that would’ve put the Lakers up three points.
The Mavs play again on Saturday against San Antonio, which should hopefully be the first game that Dylan Harper suits up for to make it a matchup of the first two picks from last month’s draft. Harper missed the Spurs’ games in the California Classic earlier this week and their matchup with the 76ers on Friday with a groin issue, but the expectation is that he will play against Dallas.
Los Angeles will play the Pelicans on Saturday. New Orleans has a strong lineup, highlighted by Jeremiah Fears, Derik Queen and Yves Missi.
In the primetime matchup of the first night of Summer League in Las Vegas, it was a matchup of two high-profile players: Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick last month, and Bronny James, son of global superstar LeBron James.
Typically, marquee matchups in Summer League end up falling flat. Whether it’s nerves or defensive gameplans, young players tend to not rise to the occasion like the premier players in the NBA. That’s to be expected.
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However, Thursday night’s game, which ended in an 87-85 win for the Mavericks, was an exciting game that featured highlight reel moments from both Flagg and James.
James started out hot by scoring the first five points of the game for either team, with Flagg defending him on both shots.
However, he wasn’t able to get much going after that. He finished the game with eight points, two rebounds and two assists. James had the ball in his hands with an opportunity to win it in the closing seconds, but his stepback three-pointer bounced out.
Still, there was a lot to like from what James did. Though his shot didn’t fall, he made plenty of smart passes and seemed to read the defense well, especially out of pick-and-roll scenarios. After only playing 6.7 minutes per game across 27 appearances as a rookie, James could be ready to take on a larger role in the rotation. Though he may not take a big leap this year, he should be ready to contribute.
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As far as shooting the ball, it was a night to forget for Flagg. He made just five of his 21 shot attempts, and he missed his only shot from the free throw line, which led to him scoring just 10 points. However, he wasn’t fazed by the subpar shooting night.
“The coaches had a lot of confidence in me,” Flagg said after the game. “They told me they wanted me to experiment, try some new things. I just tried to be aggressive and like they wanted me to. Honestly, that might be one of the worst games of my life. But we got the win. That’s what really matters to me.”
However, he found other ways to impact the game. Flagg added six rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block, and he had multiple other savvy passes that set up good shot attempts for his teammates.
Coach Jason Kidd talked before Summer League began about wanting to put the ball in Flagg’s hands for him to make plays. That happened early and often, as the ball immediately went to Flagg after Dallas won the opening tip. However, the Lakers made it clear immediately that they wanted to ramp up the pressure. Right after Flagg got the ball following the tip, they trapped him before he crossed half court.
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“You get that ball in your hands, the conditioning aspect comes into play,” Mavericks Summer League coach Josh Broghamer said. “They were picking them on full court, they were trapping him, they were being super physical with him every time he drove it. That’s something, obviously for him, he’s at a high level conditioning-wise, but continue to grow. Like I said, he just had a draft and three workouts and all that stuff, and now he’s coming in to playing fives again, so that will get better.”
Flagg also acknowledged the pressure and his conditioning by saying he’s “not in game shape.”
“I mean, that’s what a lot of people are going to do,” Flagg said. “You know, definitely I feel like I can handle that type of pressure. I’ll be able to take it without a doubt. Tonight the shots weren’t falling. That’s going to happen.”
His playmaking stood out and is a skill that the Mavericks will hope translate to the regular season, especially with Kyrie Irving (knee) sidelined to start the year.
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However, Flagg wasn’t the only Maverick that shined as a playmaker. Ryan Nembhard, who Dallas added on a two-way after he went undrafted last month, finished with 21 points and five assists in the win. The younger brother of Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, Ryan was able to get to his spot in the mid-range for six of his eight made field goals, and he was able to set up his teammates for plenty of easy shots.
Dalton Knecht, who the Lakers selected with the No. 17 pick in 2024, only had six points in the first half, and the team seemed to make a concerted effort to get him going after halftime. He scored seven points and had an assist in the first four minutes of the second half to help the Lakers go up 60-50.
However, it was all Dallas for the rest of the period. They closed the third on an 18-2 run to take a 68-62 lead into the fourth quarter.
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With 1:21 left in the game, Knecht came up grimacing and holding his leg. He confirmed after the game that his leg cramped up, which explains the botched layup attempt that would’ve put the Lakers up three points.
The Mavs play again on Saturday against San Antonio, which should hopefully be the first game that Dylan Harper suits up for to make it a matchup of the first two picks from last month’s draft. Harper missed the Spurs’ games in the California Classic earlier this week and their matchup with the 76ers on Friday with a groin issue, but the expectation is that he will play against Dallas.
Los Angeles will play the Pelicans on Saturday. New Orleans has a strong lineup, highlighted by Jeremiah Fears, Derik Queen and Yves Missi.
