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The Dallas Mavericks faced the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on Friday night in a game that held personal significance for rookie forward Cooper Flagg. While Dallas lost 120-100, that night meant more than the score for the 19-year-old Maine native, who played his first professional game in Boston against someone he has idolized for years, Jayson Tatum.

Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, received an unusual welcome during pregame introductions. Boston fans, who typically criticize opposing starters at TD Garden, instead greeted the rookie with loud cheers. This reaction surprised Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd. Many family members and friends from Maine were in attendance near the flag for the homecoming game.

Facing Tatum added emotional weight to the matchup. Flagg grew up watching the Celtics and followed Tatum’s development closely, including his college career at the Duke Blue Devils under coach John Scheyer. Flagg also played one season at Duke before entering the NBA.

“It was unbelievable. There’s a lot of levels to it,” Flagg said after the game when asked about playing against Tatum. “He’s someone I’ve idolized growing up, watching him come up through the ranks and ranks. I’ve watched him at Duke, and have been inspired to follow in his footsteps and play [Jon] Scheyer, and then obviously getting into the league is just unrealistic. It was really special for me to have this experience tonight.”

Sharing with Cooper Flagg/Tonight Jayson Tatum on the reception from the Boston/Maine crowd:

“There are so many levels to it. He’s a guy I idolized growing up…to see him at Duke and follow in his footsteps…it’s surreal. It’s really special for me to get this… pic.twitter.com/jq2CMbYptK

– Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) 7 March 2026

The rookie finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists in 30 minutes, but his efficiency wasn’t there, shooting 7 of 23 from the field and 0 of 4 from three-point range. He also committed three turnovers and had a minus-17 rating. The performance came just two games in after an eight-game absence due to a left medial sprain and returned for the second consecutive night.

Although his numbers were modest, Flagg continued to carry a heavy workload for Dallas. The 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward often serves as the team’s point-forward, running several offensive sets despite the Mavericks’ 21–42 record.

Tatum’s return to action was another major storyline. Playing his first game since rupturing his Achilles tendon last May, he finished the night with 15 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in 27 minutes, and shot 6 of 16 from the field.

Next, the Mavericks will travel to Toronto to face the Raptors on Sunday, while the Celtics will visit Cleveland to face the Cavaliers.

PHOENIX – Before Rasheer Fleming’s NBA campaign began, there was one player he wanted to protect.

“LeBron James,” Fleming said emphatically during a Phoenix Suns fan event before the season started.

Although the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix have met three times, Fleming has never had a chance to guard James or Doncic. He has spent those games either with the Valley Suns (Phoenix’s G-League affiliate) or playing trash.

Due to frequent injuries, he has seen his workload increase. Being mostly a defender, his offensive game has increased rapidly.

He may not surprise anyone yet, but confidence is building. Fleming’s athleticism, wingspan and defense make him a worthy addition to the rotation.

The emerging offensive game—and the 3-point shot in particular—has intrigued fans as well as the Suns’ coaching staff.

Head coach Jordan Ott matched Fleming up against Boston Celtics guard Peyton Pritchard on Tuesday, where the latter shot 1 of 11 from the field.

Two days later, the coach spoke about the rookie’s responsibility to guard “some of the best players in the world”, in reference to James and Luka Doncic. The starry nature was not disturbing him at all.

“I think later,” Fleming said when asked about matching up with James and Doncic. “Like, I’m going to go home and maybe think about it more. But during the game, I’m too competitive to focus on it.”

I asked Rasheer Fleming if he gets starstruck in the middle of a game or does it happen after.

He’s been guarding Luka Doncic regularly and had his eye on LeBron James tonight.

“I think later. Like, I’m going to go home and maybe think about it more. But during the game, I also… pic.twitter.com/KVcKFD89Wx

– Hayden Cilley (@HaydenCilley) 27 February 2026

Suns teammates see Rasheer Fleming’s emerging potential

Fleming has all the tools to become an elite NBA defender. But an elite offensive player? Apart from his colleagues, this thing has not come to the mind of many people.

He has been hired for Valley Sons, and is reaping the rewards of his labor. There can be slight fluctuations between G-League and NBA games, sometimes on the same day.

But it’s all part of the process and Fleming took it seriously. Since the start of the new year, his work ethic and commitment to being prepared has paid off.

In the second half, Ott replaced the starters with the second unit, of which Fleming was part. He hit two 3-point shots and fired up the Phoenix crowd.

His aggressive play further increased his influence.

While he sat on the bench cheering, it was another game for Fleming in the eyes of Colin Gillespie, who raved about his rookie’s potential for about 30 seconds after the game.

“We always tell him he doesn’t know how good he can be,” Gillespie told reporters.

“He can be so, so good. I don’t even think he’s (close to) his ceiling. He probably doesn’t even know what the ceiling is. I don’t even know what his ceiling is. He still has a lot to discover offensively, but defensively, just on the ball, his length, deflections. He does everything.”

With injuries plaguing the team, this could be a legitimate opportunity for Fleming to fully integrate himself onto the Phoenix Suns roster.