moranelkarifnews : Cooper Flagg scores 31 in duel with Dylan Harper, Carter Bryant

LAS VEGAS- In a battle that featured three 2025 lottery picks, the anticipation didn’t outweigh the on-court production.

The No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg played much better than he did against the Lakers on Thursday, which was a welcomed sight for Dallas fans. He finished with a game-high 31 points in the Mavericks’ 76-69 loss to the Spurs on Saturday. Flagg continued to facilitate well, but he only ended up with one assist after having four against the Lakers, and he was once again impactful on the defensive end.

Despite a dramatic jump in scoring, it never felt like Flagg was forcing shots, which Mavericks coach Josh Broghamer was complimentary of.

“I think he just continues to make the right plays,” Broghamer said. “Whether it’s drive by the guy who’s pressuring him or, we used him a little bit more as a roller and off the ball a couple of times, just to kind of get him some easier catches… But again, he just continues to make the right plays and do the right things.”

Flagg’s two-way impact was on full display at the end of the third quarter. He drove through the middle of the paint and dunked the ball with a few seconds left and followed that up by blocking a last-second three-point attempt.

Though Flagg shot far more efficiently, life still wasn’t easy for him, especially early on. Carter Bryant, who San Antonio selected with the No. 14 pick in the draft, was a big reason for that. He matched up with Flagg almost every single time they were both on the floor, and his defensive ability that made him a lottery pick was evident.

When Flagg wasn’t on the floor, Bryant spent a few possessions guarding Ryan Nembhard. There is a huge difference between guarding an undrafted, six-foot guard and a 6’9” forward that was taken with the first pick, but Bryant was effective in both roles. He has the upside to be an elite defender in the NBA from day one, though he does tend to find himself in foul trouble. He had four fouls in 27 minutes against Dallas, and he averaged 4.3 fouls per 36 minutes as a freshman at Arizona last season.

Bryant didn’t have much success on the other end, missing all seven of his shot attempts. However, he wasn’t bothered by his poor shooting performance.

“The shot’s gonna fall, and the shot’s not gonna fall,” Bryant said. “At the end of the day, I’ve been shooting the basketball the same exact way since I’ve been four or five years old. It’s gonna fall, I believe I’m gonna be one of the best shooters in this league. You know, an 0-for-7 performance, I think I shot like 1-for-6 in the last game, like that’s not gonna define what I am as a basketball player. So, being able to have other things to fall back on, to be able to affect the game positively outside of making shots and scoring the basketball is just my main focus.”

Of course, Dylan Harper, who San Antonio added with the second pick last month, made his Summer League debut after missing their first four games with a minor groin injury. He played a little less than 20 minutes, which was by design. There was no reason to make him play heavy minutes in an exhibition game.

During his time on the floor, he was effective on both ends. Harper finished with 16 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in the win. He displayed the ability to create shots for both himself and others, which was why he was drafted so early. However, his defensive production stood out.

“I think if you don’t play defense, you’re not going to be able to play on the court,” Harper said. “So, just trying my best, just learning new stuff, how to go over screens, guard the ball, stuff like that. It’s definitely an area I look to grow and just keep on getting better at.”

Bryant was complimentary of Harper’s block, saying “he looked like me a little bit.”

The future combination of Harper and Bryant on the perimeter is scary enough, but having Victor Wembanyama sitting behind them as well is going to make this team quite difficult to score on, especially in the playoffs.

Harper also was effective as the primary ball handler and in an off-ball role. On a team that also has De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle, it’s encouraging to see Harper make an impact in a role that he could play a lot during his rookie year.

The best part of this for fans is that the Mavericks and Spurs will face off at least four times every season, so this entertaining matchup could develop into one of the best divisional rivalries in the league over the next few years.

“It was a good game,” Harped said about his matchup with Flagg. “I had a good game. We kind of just showed the NBA world what we’re about… I mean, we’re going to play him a lot this year. So, I mean, the future battles are going to be great.”