NBA Notes: Cooper Flagg, Grizzlies, Ja Morant, Spurs

Mavericks

Cooper Flagg is doing that thing where you forget he’s 18. Two nights, two pieces of NBA history, as noted by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.

First he became the youngest player ever to record an 10-assist game. Then he followed it by becoming the youngest to score 35, beating LeBron James’ mark by five days.

More important for Dallas, it came in a win for a team that has been searching for something positive.

“He’s only 18 years old, but he seems like he’s been in this league before,” coach Jason Kidd said. “He ran the offense for us. He drove the ball.

“He got to the rim, got to the free throw line. He stepped up and made free throws for us late.”

Klay Thompson, who turned in one of his better nights of the season, didn’t hold back either.

“Cooper’s upside is limitless,” he said. “Sometimes I can’t believe he should be a freshman in college.”

Thompson even leaned into a throwback comp, per The Athletic’s Christian Clark.

“I feel like Byron Scott sometimes. The old, wise veteran,” he said. “The future of the franchise to my side. It’s pretty cool to be a part of it.”

Grizzlies

Ja Morant is expected to be re-evaluated next week, once the Grizzlies get back to Memphis on Tuesday after their four-game road swing, per Michael Wallace of Grind City Media.

That lines up with the initial timeline on his calf strain. Morant is doing light on-court work as part of the ramp-up.

Spurs

Devin Vassell is in full heater mode. No two-game stretch of his career has produced more points than his last two, capped by 35 in Friday’s win over the Nuggets, as written by the San Antonio Express-News’ Jeff McDonald.

“Keldon told me in the last two minutes if the ball comes to me, don’t think,” Vassell said. “Just be aggressive and shoot.”

Coach Mitch Johnson loved the offense but was even more thrilled with the buy-in on the other end.

“He’s becoming a winning player,” Johnson said. “We’ve got our arm around him and our foot up his backside to continue to do it.

“He’s a difference-maker when he does that.”