Cooper Flagg lands emphatic Michael Jordan comparison after making NBA history in Mavs loss

Cooper Flagg had himself a historic night against the Orlando Magic.

The Dallas Mavericks rookie, 19, poured in a career-high 51 points in front of a sellout crowd at the American Airlines Center.

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In doing so he became the first teenager — and youngest player in NBA history — to score at least 50 points in a single game.

Some fans, though, feared he was going to fall excruciatingly short of that milestone.

Flagg was taken out of the game with 45 points and 3:35 left on the clock.

A smattering of boos broke out from the stands, and Mavs head coach Jason Kidd quickly corrected course.

Dallas called time out and inserted their rookie back into the game with 3:22 remaining in the contest.

He went on to sink a closely contested three-pointer in the corner for his 48th point.

Flagg’s historic 50th point followed, and he was fouled before he converted a free throw with 2:05 left for his 51st.

A 138-127 loss to Orlando on Friday night marked the third time this season that Flagg has scored at least 40 points in a game.

Following another impressive outing, Mavs HC Kidd likened his rookie effort to that of NBA GOAT Michael Jordan.

Cooper Flagg lands MJ comparison with 51-point night

“He should be Rookie of the Year,” Kidd told reporters Friday, making Flagg’s case for the award.

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“It’s unbelievable, the country is not watching the same thing that we get to watch on a daily basis.

“The things that he’s done, he’s in rare air.

“He’s with the GOAT when you talk about MJ and what he did in his rookie year, and as a teenager.”

With a 50-point game, Flagg — who has previously offered talkSPORT his own verdict on the GOAT debate — became just the ninth rookie in NBA history to reach that milestone.

He joins Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry, Earl Monroe, Brandon Jennings, Elgin Baylor, Elvin Hayes, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Allen Iverson on the list.

But despite being in ‘rare air’ as Kidd suggests, Flagg is not the favorite to win Rookie of the Year.

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How is the NBA ROTY race shaping up?

Entering the season, the Duke sensation was the clear front-runner for the prize.

But he has been sidelined with nagging injuries throughout his rookie campaign, and that has allowed former Blue Devils teammate Kon Knueppel to climb to the top of the rankings instead.

The ROTY award is a two-horse race heading towards the regular-season finale.

Flagg is firmly there, and has been more statistically productive across the board than Knueppel this season, despite playing in fewer games.

His role has also previously been questioned by Charles Barkley.

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But the Charlotte Hornets rookie has helped power his team to more wins, and with a record of 42-36, Charlotte has clinched a play-in position.

Flagg’s historic night will surely have ROTY voters on notice, but whether it’s enough to swing the latter remains to be seen.

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