Two 19-year-old rising stars square off Monday when Cooper Flagg and the streaking Dallas Mavericks host Darius Acuff Jr. and the winless Sacramento Kings.
Dallas has won three straight games, the latest a 116-111 home victory Friday over the Houston Rockets in an NBA Cup Group A opener. Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 35 points, making five 3-pointers and dishing out nine assists, while Flagg added 33 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Flagg, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, is averaging 26.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.6 assists through five games while shooting 55.7% from the field.
Mavericks coach Dusty May knows he has a pair of stars who challenge opposing defenses.
“What a problem to have when you’re in a pickle and have two guys like that,” May said. “When they get it going, they rotate putting the ball in each other’s hands, knowing they are going to make the plays. What a luxury for us to have.”
Irving, who is still working his way back into form after suffering a torn left ACL on March 3, 2025, has provided veteran leadership following an absence of more than 19 months.
“He’s helping the group find solutions to problems,” May said. “And doing it in the manner he does it is incredible.”
Caleb Martin missed the Mavericks’ first four games with a sprained right thumb but scored eight points in 25 minutes off the bench against Houston in his second game back.
“Caleb, since being back the last couple games from injury, has shown he’s a winning player,” May said.
Meanwhile, the Kings dropped their sixth straight game to open the season, a 136-105 road loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.
Rookie Acuff scored a career-high 38 points while tying an NBA rookie record with nine 3-pointers. At 19 years, 349 days, Acuff became the youngest player in league history to make nine 3s in a game.
Acuff leads the Kings and all NBA rookies in scoring at 26.3 points per game. He also is averaging 6.3 assists.
Despite his offensive success, Acuff said the Kings need to tighten up their defensive approach.
“It’s good to have an offensive flow going,” he said. “But we need to hang our hat on the defensive end, get stops, keep communicating and try to stay together.”
All but one of Sacramento’s losses have been by double digits; the lone exception was a 128-120 home defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers on Oct. 23.
Kings coach Doug Christie said he is still searching for the right combination of players to compete consistently. The Grizzlies outscored the Kings 42-25 in a decisive third quarter Saturday.
“We have to find a group that is going to compete at a high level when they are out there on the floor,” Christie said. ” … We have to go to Dallas with the right spirit about us and the right competitiveness. I have no question we can win these ballgames; it’s just whether we are disciplined for more than 24 or 30 minutes.”
