Cooper Flagg Scores 96 in Two Games — ROTY Race Flipped

Cooper Flagg just had the most explosive weekend by a rookie in over six decades. The Mavericks' 19-year-old dropped 51 points against the Orlando Magic on Friday, then followed it up with 45 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. That's 96 points in two games.

The last rookie to score 45 or more in back-to-back games? Walt Bellamy, in the 1961-62 season — 64 years ago. Flagg has now scored 45 or more three times as a rookie, joining a list that includes only Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Earl Monroe, Bellamy, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor). That's the company he's keeping.

The betting odds have completely flipped. Johnny Knueppel of the Pistons was the ROTY favorite at -300 just last week. After Flagg's historic weekend, he's now the favorite at -250. The race isn't over — Knueppel has been consistently excellent all season — but Flagg just made the loudest possible statement with two games that'll be in the highlight reels for years.