Mavericks’ Dusty May praises ‘bad dude’ Cooper Flagg after keeping Heat winless

The Miami Heat's attempt at securing their first win of the season was once again thwarted as they fell to a 113-109 defeat against the Dallas Mavericks. Dallas star Cooper Flagg was the architect of the victory, delivering a dominant performance that left Mavericks head coach Dusty May praising the young standout as a "bad dude."

During his postgame press conference, May lauded the team's movement and spacing but admitted the challenge of containing Flagg when he broke through and attacked the basket. "We were strong," May said. "I thought our guys had good off-ball movement and spacing. Even he just needed a crease. It's a bad dude getting paint like that and finishing.

There were three guys trying to block and wait. That's one thing: when you do get an angle, get to the rim." Flagg's 29-point, 11-assist outing was nothing short of impressive, making him the first teenager in NBA history to achieve 25 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, and five steals in a single game. This stellar performance added to his already impressive season, where he has averaged 25.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game.

His contributions, along with those of Kyrie Irving, P.J. Washington, and Dallas' first-round pick in the transaction that brought Flagg to the Mavericks, proved crucial in the team's 2-2 record. Despite Giannis Antetokounmpo's triple-double of 29 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists, the Heat could not overcome the deficit and remain winless at 0-4.