Cooper Flagg and Mavs Rookies Make Major Impact in Debut

This sequence was followed with a few more Flagg baskets, but the rookie began to struggle with his shot while facing tough on-ball defensive pressure. At the half, Flagg shot 5-15 from the field for 10 points, three rebounds, two steals and an assist in a healthy 16 minutes of playing time.

Former Gonzaga point guard Nembard was the Mavs' best offensive contributor. He was the primary ball-handler throughout and was extremely comfortable finding his spots off the bounce with a flurry of midrange jumpers. He only had one first-half assist, but demonstrated a keen understanding of the game by always making the right passes and operating calmly with the ball in his hands.

Nembhard, who signed an undrafted two-way contract shortly after the draft concluded, had a game-high 12 points through his 16 first-half minutes.

Los Angeles led 47-43 at halftime. Son of league icon LeBron James and second-year Laker Bronny James put up eight points in the first half after hitting his first two shots over Flagg to open the ballgame.

In the first possession of the third quarter, Kelly hit his second three-pointer to get into double figures scoring. Flagg and Nembhard were back on the floor of the Thomas & Mack Center for the second half, showing a competitive nature to play hard in their debut. Minutes restrictions are becoming the norm in these not-so-meaningful Summer League games, but it was encouraging to see the youngsters show off their motor and willingness to play extended minutes.

Each of the headlining rookies played deep into the third quarter as both teams got into a lull scoring the ball. Another Kelly triple, this one assisted by Nembhard, brought the Mavs within one at 62-61 near the end of the third period before 7-foot-5 big man Jamarion Sharp tied the game with a free throw.

Dallas ended the third period strong with another connection from Nembhard to Kelly for a fast-break layup to give the Mavs a rare second-half lead. Nembhard free throws made the Mavericks advantage 68-62 after three quarters.

The rookie trio had each surpassed 20 minutes of playing time by this time - which was our anticipated maximum workload in a game like this. After playing the first few possessions, Flagg and Kelly took a seat while Nembhard continued to influence the game in the final period.

The game remained close, forcing the Mavs to sub Flagg back in as the pace of play increased in crunch time. Flagg continued to be a non-factor offensively for most of the second half, but made some impactful defensive stops to make up for an 0-5 showing from behind the three-point arc.

Los Angeles re-took the lead at 84-82 after a Cole Swider corner three that led to a Mavs timeout with three minutes to play. Kelly then committed a foul on another Swider three-point attempt a minute later that pushed the Lakers in front even more.

Nembhard had a smooth step-back jumper to bring Dallas back within one and a massive Flagg block on the other end led to a Nembhard triple to put the Mavs back in front 87-85 with a minute to go. The younger brother of Indiana Pacers point guard Andrew Nembhard was the first Mavericks player to exceed 20 points with the make.

The NBA reposted this sequence with the fitting caption, "The GAME-WINNING sequence."

James called an iso with the Mavs up 87-85 and the shot clocked turned off. A deep three-pointer from the left wing went array and Flagg tipped the rebound out of bounds with just two-tenths of a second remaining. A tipped inbound pass sounded the horn for a Mavericks victory.

Although Flagg stayed cold from the field, the 18-year-old rookie stayed on the floor under the final buzzer to impact the game as much as he could, which surely pleased the millions of eager Mavericks fans tuned in. In the second half, Flagg was still able to wreak havoc defensively and show poise with the ball in his hands despite his shots not falling - a sign of maturity to not let a scoring slump affect other aspects of his play.

Just as Mavs head coach Jason Kidd predicted, Flagg got a chance to impact the game all over the floor. He brought the ball up on a few half-court possessions, but best displayed his dynamic offensive skillset by taking control in transition and leading the break.

Flagg finished an interesting pro debut with 10 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block on 5-21 shooting and 0-5 from three. He played a surprisingly-high 32 minutes in the game - which is the most minutes played by a No. 1 pick in their Summer League debut in recent memory.

Nembhard was the Mavs' driving force with a team-high 21 points and five assists in his 32 minutes. Kelly was the only other Maverick in double-figure scoring with 17 points, knocking down three of Dallas' nine three-pointers.

Nembhard is already shaping up to be one of the biggest steals of this draft cycle - and Dallas was able to secure him on an undrafted two-way deal. The Mavs are desperately in need of a reliable point guard to run the second unit as free agent get D'Angelo Russell is expected to take the reins of the starting lineup while Kyrie Irving recovers from injury.

Kelly was a bit raw in areas, but exuded natural athleticism and scoring on Thursday. He brings good length at 6-6 and could turn into an intriguing "3 and D" prospect.

Dallas' next Summer League game is Saturday July 12 at 3 p.m. CT on ESPN against the San Antonio Spurs.