Cooper Flagg's latest poster dunk was one of Mavericks' few highlights in loss to Clippers

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Cooper Flagg found himself at the free-throw line midway through the first quarter of his final visit to Intuit Dome as a rookie.

The basket stood 15 feet away, but even further behind the stanchion stood a large group of hostile LA Clippers fans who've become known as The Wall. Their sole objective is to antagonize free-throw shooters from the opposing team with the hopes that they miss.

"Overrated! Overrated!" the crowd chanted toward Flagg, who led the Mavericks despite a 116-103 loss on Tuesday.

Flagg silenced The Wall with two successful free throws, but what he did on the next two trips down the court made a more profound statement.

With former Mavs defensive specialist Derrick Jones Jr. draped all over him, Flagg created separation and nailed a 3-pointer. One play later, Flagg added to his extensive collection of poster dunks. Brook Lopez was the latest victim. The Mavericks rookie took off from beyond the restricted area before throwing down a one-handed slam over the Clippers big man.

COOPER. FLAGG. 🔥

The highlight reel grows! #MFFL

(via @dallasmavs) pic.twitter.com/0RBe86wuAC

— SportsDay Mavs (@dmn_mavericks) April 8, 2026

The highlight was one of the few created in the Mavericks' 54th loss of the season. The Clippers, who improved to 41-38, wanted to make Flagg as uncomfortable as possible since he entered the game with 96 points in his last two outings. Flagg's assertion level was apparent by his 25 shot attempts, but Jones' and Kawhi Leonard's defensive pressure limited him to just nine conversions. Once the final buzzer sounded, Flagg finished with 25 points and nine rebounds.

The Mavericks had a disastrous start to the game and failed to score for the first three minutes. During this time, the Clippers quickly put 17 points on the board until Jason Kidd signaled for a timeout. Flagg's first bucket, a floater, settled the Mavericks' struggling offense from there. Marvin Bagley III, who recorded 21 points and nine rebounds off the bench, was another bright spot for Dallas, which dropped to 25-53.

Despite trailing by as many as 23 points, the Mavericks remained consistent enough to make the game competitive heading into the fourth quarter. The Clippers grabbed the reins from there despite Leonard, Jones or Lopez not playing in the final 12 minutes of the game. Leonard had a game-high 34 points, four rebounds and three assists. Darius Garland added 18 points and three assists. Jones recorded a double-double against his former team with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The Mavericks entered Tuesday's game with the eighth-best odds in next month's NBA draft lottery, but they now stand one game ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans, who lost to Utah earlier in the night. Dallas has a chance to reclaim possession of sixth, but it would need Memphis to win any of its final three games against the Jazz, Denver and Houston.

Dallas will resume play on Wednesday in Phoenix, where Flagg could seek to make another contribution to his closing statement in the Rookie of the Year race.

X/Twitter:@MikeACurtis2

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