The Dallas Mavericks improved their regular-season record to 3-2 and handed the Oklahoma City Thunder their first loss of the season on Wednesday night. Cooper Flagg continued his inspirational start to the season, top-scoring for Dallas with 26 points, eight assists and five rebounds off 10-23 shooting.

Post-game, head coach Dusty May had some choice words for Flagg and ended up comparing him to fellow Dallas superstar Kyrie Irving, per a post on X by Abby Jones.

Dusty May on Cooper Flagg’s 26/5/8 night:

“Yeah, his ability to just get in the paint and they were bringing the double from the weak side and he's able to navigate that. Several shots I thought looked great that just didn't drop. So he's, you know, just like Kyrie. I mean,… pic.twitter.com/8aDL3x20vo

— Abby Jones (@_abigaiiiil) October 29, 2026

“Yeah, his ability to just get in the paint and they were bringing the double from the weak side and he's able to navigate that,” he said. “Several shots I thought looked great that just didn't drop. So he's, you know, just like Kyrie. I mean, when you look at the shots that he's getting… he’s creating great looks for himself and his teammates.”

Kyrie Irving is widely seen as the player with the best handles in NBA history. His ability to create shots for himself and get past defenders despite limited space is unparalleled, and Flagg has undoubtedly begin to show the same kind of ability. May claimed that his team’s two best players are not only talented, but also selfless.

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“And just like Kai… when your when your franchise guys are that unselfish, you know, it's very difficult not to fall in line and continue with playing good ball,” he said.

The result means that the Mavericks have moved past the .500 mark for the first time since Flagg arrived in Dallas. The game was also Irving’s first home match after his lengthy injury layoff which was due to a torn ACL in his left knee. Irving had 15 points and four assists on the night while PJ Washington almost had a double-double, with 18 points and nine rebounds.

While the win will surely be a huge boost for the Mavericks, it came against an injury-depleted Thunder side that was missing Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso.
Dallas will now host the Houston Rockets on Friday while the Thunder will look to return to winning ways against the same team on Saturday.