The anticipation for the Dallas Mavericks to take the floor Thursday night against the Charlotte Hornets was palpable — and for good reason. The matchup featured a head-to-head showdown between former Duke teammates and top rookies Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel. The Mavericks rookie erupted for a career-high 49 points to go along with 10 rebounds and three assists. While the win was clearly what mattered most to Flagg, he still had a chance to deliver late. Entering Thursday, Flagg was averaging 18.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.3 steals per game, while Knueppel was posting 18.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists.