This was a night Cooper Flagg figures he’ll be talking about for the rest of his life — not just because of what he did, but because of who was standing across from him when it happened.
On the other side of the floor was Kon Knueppel, his former Duke roommate, once a daily presence in his routine and now the peer who authored the final moments. They arrived in the NBA together, separated by three draft picks and bound by a shared year that accelerated both of their careers. On Thursday night, they turned that history into something heavier than nostalgia.
Flagg bent the record book, while Knueppel delivered the ending.
The Charlotte Hornets held on for a 123–121 win over the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center, extending their winning streak to five games in a matchup that felt larger than the standings and louder than a typical late-January night.
(Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
From Duke Roommates to Rising NBA Stars
The familiarity wasn’t accidental.
Flagg and Knueppel were freshmen roommates during the 2024–25 season at Duke, co-headliners on a team shaped by Jon Scheyer’s positionless vision. Inside the program, their shared living space was often pointed to as a quiet accelerator — why their on-court chemistry came together so quickly and why reads, spacing and timing felt intuitive.
Duke leaned hard into their complementary skill sets. Flagg, the 2024 Mr. Basketball USA at Montverde Academy, was the do-everything forward and advantage creator, initiating offense, defending across positions and warping games with physicality and feel. Knueppel was the pressure point — an elite shooter and secondary handler who punished tilted defenses and stabilized possessions.
The results followed. Duke won the ACC regular-season and tournament championships and advanced to the Final Four. Months later, Flagg went No. 1 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft. Knueppel followed at No. 4.
Their production mirrored those roles. Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks, shooting 48.1 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from three and 84.0 percent at the line. Knueppel averaged 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists, while shooting 47.9 percent overall, 40.6 percent from three and 91.4 percent from the free-throw line.
Knueppel started every game, earned All-ACC Second Team and ACC All-Rookie honors, posted one of the best single-season free-throw percentages in Duke history (.914), and was named ACC Tournament MVP after carrying more of the scoring load late in the season.
Those roles didn’t disappear. They just followed them to the NBA.
Dallas Mavericks History in Rafters, Future on the Floor
Thursday’s setting layered the night with meaning.
At halftime, Dallas honored Mark Aguirre by retiring his No. 24 jersey. Aguirre was the franchise’s first No. 1 overall pick. By the end of the night, his name was again tied to another.
Flagg finished with a career-high 49 points on 20-of-29 shooting, adding 10 rebounds, three assists and a block. The performance made him the highest-scoring teenager in NBA history, surpassing Cliff Robinson’s mark of 45 set in 1980. Since 2000, only Trae Young and Brandon Jennings had reached 49 points as rookies.
With the double-double, Flagg became the sixth rookie ever to record at least 49 points and 10 rebounds — the first since Michael Jordan in 1985. Over the last 40 years, only Flagg and Young have produced a 49-point double-double in their rookie seasons.
On the same night Aguirre was honored, Flagg broke the Mavericks’ rookie single-game scoring record — a mark he and Aguirre had previously shared at 42. His 49 also tied for the 12th-most points in a game by a Maverick, joining a list that includes Luka Dončić, Dirk Nowitzki, Jamal Mashburn, Jim Jackson and Aguirre.
“I got to sit down and talk with him,” Aguirre said. “The first thing I talked to him about is not being afraid. You have a big bullseye on your back. Everyone in the whole NBA knows who you are. You’re going to be tested. And he’s coming through it very well.”
Final: Hornets 123, Mavericks 121
Cooper Flagg: 49 PTS, 10 REB, 3 AST
Klay Thompson: 16 PTS, 3 REB
Brandon Williams: 15 PTS, 6 AST
Kon Knueppel: 34 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST
Brandon Miller: 23 PTS, 6 REB
LaMelo Ball: 22 PTS, 9 AST
Dallas (19-29) faces Houston on Saturday on the road.
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) January 30, 2026
A Duel Shaped By Familiarity
The game unfolded like two players who knew exactly what the other was capable of.
Knueppel set the tone early, drilling four 3-pointers in the opening quarter and finishing 10-of-16 from the field, including eight 3s — a Hornets franchise rookie record. He scored 19 points in the first half, the highest-scoring half of his career.
“It’s not good,” Flagg said of Knueppel’s hot start. “When he sees some easy ones go in, it’s never a good thing. You never want a great shooter to start the game like that.”
Flagg answered with force. He scored 23 points in the second quarter, becoming the youngest player in the play-by-play era to score 20 in a quarter and joining Nowitzki, Dončić and Kyrie Irving as the only Mavericks to reach at least 23 in a single period since 1996-97.
By halftime, Flagg had 25 points, the most he has ever scored in a half and the most by a teenager since Anthony Edwards in 2021. By the end of the third quarter, he had 40, becoming the first teenager and first rookie in the play-by-play era to reach that mark through three quarters.
Cooper Flagg knocks down a three to tie it up 121-121 with 33.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Flagg now has 49 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block.
It’s the most points by a rookie since Trae Young had 49 on March 1, 2019, with the Atlanta Hawks. pic.twitter.com/4E2M6P0rNO
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) January 30, 2026
The Moments that Clinched it for Charlotte Hornets
The fourth quarter carried a sense of inevitability — until it didn’t.
Flagg tied the game at 121 with a pull-up 3-pointer with 33.5 seconds remaining. He grabbed a defensive rebound on the next possession. The ball was in his hands. The crowd rose.
Charlotte refused the script.
The Hornets sent a late double-team well above the arc. Knueppel timed it perfectly, deflecting Flagg’s pass. Former Duke teammate Sion James saved the ball forward, springing Knueppel into transition. Flagg fouled him. Knueppel calmly converted both free throws with 4.1 seconds remaining.
Flagg’s final attempt — a tightly contested jumper at the buzzer — rattled out.
“Just a crazy ending to a phenomenal game,” Knueppel said. “He was the best player on the floor tonight. Probably the best player we’ve played against all season. Competing against the best is fun, and being close with him adds to the competitiveness.”
Hornets coach Charles Lee pointed to recognition more than reaction.
“A guy has 49 points, so you want to slow him down and make somebody else beat you,” Lee said. “The instincts to bring that double at the right time — that’s winning basketball.”
NBA Rookie Of the Year Race, Defined
Thursday didn’t just deliver a memorable duel. It sharpened the Rookie of the Year conversation.
After the game, Flagg is averaging 19.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 44 games, leading all rookies in scoring while carrying one of the heaviest creation loads in the league for a first-year player.
Knueppel remains right alongside him, averaging 18.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 48 games, pairing that production with elite efficiency — 42.9 percent from three and 90.0 percent at the free-throw line — and a late-game impact that showed itself again Thursday.
“It’s incredible,” Flagg said of competing with Knueppel for the award. “I wouldn’t want to be in any other position. We’ll both be looking back on this night and this whole year in general for the rest of our lives.”
Knueppel was more pragmatic.
“We’d both like to win, but we don’t talk about it,” he said. “I think he’s probably going to jump me with 49 and 10. It is what it is. An award like that is cool, but the win matters more to me.”
Volume versus efficiency. Creation versus precision. The race has shape now — and it has faces.
Cooper Flagg on Learning Inside the Loss
For Flagg, the milestones didn’t dull the disappointment.
“I’m trying to learn end-of-game situations,” he said. “I’ve seen a ton of double-teams. Figuring out how I can be effective in those moments — it’s got to be better.”
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd zoomed out.
“He’s not about numbers. He’s about wins and losses,” Kidd said. “For a young man who thinks that way, he’s going to be a champion sooner than later. He tried to will his team to a win.”
Flagg agreed with the long view.
“Ten-plus years down the road, we’ll both be looking back on this as something special,” he said. “We’ll be talking about this night and this whole year for the rest of our lives. That’s my brother for life.”
On a night built to honor the past, the future arrived in tandem — shaped by shared rooms, shared responsibility and a shared understanding that neither side needed to win the moment for it to last.
Thursday didn’t decide the Rookie of the Year race. However, it ensured it will be remembered as one of the best in recent memory.
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