Charlotte Hornets Defeat Dallas Mavericks 123-121

Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel scored a career-high 34 points, including two free throws in the final seconds to secure the win. Mavericks player Cooper Flagg also achieved a career-high with 49 points and 10 rebounds, setting a new NBA record for points scored by a teenager.

Game Overview

The Charlotte Hornets secured a 123-121 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday. Kon Knueppel of the Hornets made two free throws with 4.1 seconds remaining, clinching the win. This marked the Hornets' fifth consecutive victory. The Mavericks recorded their third consecutive home loss, following a previous four-game winning streak.

Kon Knueppel of the Hornets made two free throws with 4.1 seconds remaining, clinching the win.

Player Performances

Charlotte Hornets

• Kon Knueppel: Scored a career-high 34 points. His performance included eight 3-pointers, establishing a new rookie record for the Hornets.
• Brandon Miller: Contributed 23 points, extending his streak of games with at least 20 points to nine.
• LaMelo Ball: Added 22 points, including six 3-pointers.

Dallas Mavericks

• Cooper Flagg: Achieved a career-high 49 points, alongside 10 rebounds and three assists over 38 minutes of play. Flagg made 20 of 29 field goal attempts and was perfect on all six free throws.
• Klay Thompson: Scored 16 points off the bench.

Milestones and Records

Cooper Flagg's 49 points set a new NBA record for the highest-scoring game by a teenager, surpassing Cliff Robinson's 1980 record of 45 points.

• Cooper Flagg's Teenage Scoring Record: Flagg's 49 points set a new NBA record for the highest-scoring game by a teenager, surpassing Cliff Robinson's 1980 record of 45 points. The 19-year-old also joined LeBron James and Anthony Edwards as the only teenagers in NBA history to record multiple 40-point games.
• Mavericks Rookie Record: Flagg surpassed the Mavericks' single-game rookie scoring record, which he had previously shared with Mark Aguirre.
• Historical Rookie Performance: Flagg's 49-point, 10-rebound game marked the first time a rookie has achieved such a stat line since Michael Jordan in the 1984-85 season. According to The Athletic, only 13 players have reached the 49-point mark in their debut NBA campaign.
• Kon Knueppel's Rookie Record: Knueppel's eight 3-pointers set a new rookie record for the Charlotte Hornets.

Other Game Notes

The game marked the first NBA meeting between Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, both of whom are 2024-25 Duke freshmen. During halftime, Mark Aguirre, the Mavericks' only previous first-overall draftee after their initial season, had his jersey retired.