The Dallas Mavericks haven't piled up many wins so far this season, but Cooper Flagg's performance is a reason for optimism.

They take that optimism into Denver on Monday night when they play the Nuggets.

Flagg, the first overall pick in June's draft, had back-to-back historic games over the weekend and is averaging 16.7 points in his first 20 NBA games. On Friday night, he had 11 assists in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, the most ever by an 18-year-old, and Saturday night he became the youngest player to score 35 points in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

LeBron James is the only other 18-year-old to score 35 points in an NBA game and he was five days older than Flagg when he did it in his rookie season.

The Mavericks are 2 1/2 games out of playoff position and dealing with sev

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