How Cooper Flagg Feels About Facing Luka Dončić

Coming into the 2025-26 NBA season, there were high hopes for the new-look Dallas Mavericks, with the team bringing in superstar Anthony Davis and landing Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick after trading the face of the franchise, Luka Dončić, to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Mavericks may have made a risky move to part ways with Dončić in favor of Davis, but the consensus seemed to be that Dallas would be a force to be reckoned with and potentially a much better team than the Lakers, especially once Kyrie Irving returns to the floor.

After the first month or so of the season, the Mavericks appear to be an absolute disaster, with the team sporting a disappointing record of 5-14 and having recently fired general manager Nico Harrison.

Mavericks Rookie Cooper Flagg Opens Up About First Matchup vs. Lakers’ Dončić

Despite only winning five games in the first 19 of the 2025-26 campaign, the Mavericks might have a bright future with Flagg leading the way, as he has shown flashes of potential during his rookie seasonthus far.

On Friday, the Mavericks will head to the road to face Dončić’s Lakers at Crypto.com Arena, which promises to be a highly anticipated matchup for obvious reasons. Flagg was recently asked about facing Dončić for the first time and went with the professional “it’s another game” approach, via Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News.

“I would say to me, it’s another game. I know there’s gonna be a lot of other things that go into that game & through a lot of these guys’ mindsets & whatnot. For me, it’s just another game,” Flagg said.

Cooper Flagg was asked about Friday’s upcoming game against the Lakers/Luka Doncic & if it means anything to him:

“I would say to me, it’s another game. I know there’s gonna be a lot of other things that go into that game & through a lot of these guys’ mindsets & whatnot. For…

— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) November 25, 2025

Even though it’s probably the smart move to act like this game is just another game during his rookie season, that is likely far from the case, as there will be a ton of hype heading into this matchup, with Dončić almost certainly ready to put on a show against his old team.

Dončić has been playing at an incredibly high level this season while getting a lot of buzz as a legitimate NBA MVP candidate, as he’s currently leading the league in scoring at 34.5 points per game. He also has the Lakers cruising, with the storied franchise boasting a 12-4 record, which is the third-best in the NBA at present.

As for the Mavericks, Dallas simply can’t get back on track, even though Flagg has played well, averaging 16.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. There’s a chance the team could be in for another major shake-up before the NBA trade deadline in February if Dallas can’t figure out how to get things turned around.