Top rookies shine as Hornets beat Mavericks for 5th straight win
Kon Knueppel set career highs with eight 3-pointers and 34 points as the visiting Charlotte Hornets withstood a career-high 49 points from fellow rookie Cooper Flagg to beat the Dallas Mavericks 123-121 on Thursday.
The matchup between the top Rookie of the Year candidates lived up to expectations, with the Hornets emerging with their fifth straight win after Flagg's 20-foot jumper hit the back rim at the buzzer.
Charlotte pulled ahead 121-118 on Brandon Miller's trey with 38.5 seconds left before Flagg's 3-pointer tied the game with 33.1 seconds to play.
Flagg committed a turnover following a timeout and fouled Knueppel, who made two foul shots with 4.1 seconds left for the final margin.
Knueppel, a former Duke teammate of Flagg's and the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 draft, was 10-of-16 shooting and 8 of 12 from 3-point range.
Charlotte shot 47.3% percent from the field and 48.8% (20 of 41) from 3-point range. The Hornets' win streak is their longest since winning five straight on Feb. 13-27, 2023.
Flagg, who was the first overall pick in last June's NBA Draft, scored a career-high 25 points in the first half and finished 20-of-29 shooting from the field with 10 rebounds.
Flagg broke the Mavericks' rookie franchise record for points in a game set by Mark Aguirre, who was in attendance and had his No. 24 jersey retired during a halftime ceremony. Aguirre was drafted first overall by Dallas in 1981.
Miller scored 23 points for Charlotte, while LaMelo Ball added 22, and Miles Bridges had 17 points and eight assists.
Klay Thompson had 16 points for Dallas. Brandon Williams had 15 points and six assists, P.J. Washington added 14 points and nine rebounds, and Caleb Martin had 11 rebounds. The Mavericks have lost three straight following a four-game winning streak.
Charlotte led by as many as 15 late in the first quarter and held a 33-20 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
Flagg scored 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting in the second quarter to help cut the deficit to 59-58 at halftime.
Charlotte extended its lead to 84-73 on Ball's trey with 6:16 left in the third quarter before the Mavericks tied the game at 93-all after closing the period on a 20-9 run.
Moussa Diabate scored with 1:44 left in the contest to give Charlotte a 118-115 lead before Dallas pulled even on Christie's 3-pointer with 1:01 remaining.