Lakers vs Mavericks, Rockets vs Warriors scores as LeBron James, Cooper Flagg and Steph Curry react

LeBron James expressed his “love” for Cooper Flagg’s performance after the 19-year-old scored 45 points in the Dallas Mavericks’ 134-128 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

The Mavericks are in 12th place in the Western Conference but handed the third-place Lakers their second straight loss despite James scoring 30 in the absence of the injured Luka Doncic.

“He seems to love the game,” James said of Flagg’s first draft pick. “You put in the work.

“Cooper has been spot on the past few games, but he’s also been playing consistent basketball all year.”

Analysis: LeBron James on the rise of Cooper Flagg

James said he followed Flagg from his high school days in Maine to his college career at Duke before entering the NBA.

“I knew he was special there,” said the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player. “He is getting better and better.

“I love what he’s doing, I love what he’s bringing to this franchise. It’s good to put the ball in somebody else’s hands to get them through bad spots.

“When you go through bad places, it allows you to grow faster than other players. [late coach] Paul Sila, rest his soul, he did it for me [at the Cleveland Cavaliers] in my rookie year [in 2003].

“I started guarding early and he allowed me to make mistakes and play against tough defenses and stuff like that.

“I had to learn anything, so I see a parallel in that… that’s what I was trying to fix. It’s fun to see [Flagg go] from the start of the season to where he is today, as a fan of him and a fan of the game.”

Cooper Flag: LeBron ‘one of the greats’

Flagg and James were “showing respect” when they spoke on the court after the game, the legend explained.

“They will have more season left than us and they will enter the playoffs,” Flag said. “So I wish them luck and whoever they will face.

“I was a little kid watching him do all of his work, so, it’s really impressive, first of all, to watch him and see him do things that he still can do outside.

“It’s a dream, these are the times, these are the times to be able to compare with such a person, and the work he had.

“He’s one of the greatest, so it’s amazing… I grew up watching him and idolizing him.”

NBA results: Steph Curry ‘very thankful’ after Rockets vs Warriors

Elsewhere in the NBA, Kevin Durant scored a game-high 31 points and found Alperen Sengun for the game-winning basket with 11.1 seconds left as the Houston Rockets beat the Golden State Warriors 117-116 at the Chase Center.

Stephen Curry scored 29 points for the Warriors after missing 27 games with a right knee injury.

“I felt good,” said Curry, who played 26 minutes and felt he improved as he went along.

“There were good feelings going into it, he comes off the bench and tries to strengthen himself physically and mentally.

“After all the work you’ve done in rehab to finish… I’m very grateful, for sure.”

Here are the latest NBA results from the weekend of April 5, 2026.

NBA standings, playoffs bracket: What the picture looks like

If the regular season had ended after the latest round of playoffs, the Miami Heat would have met the Orlando Magic and the Toronto Raptors would have met the Charlotte Hornets in the playoffs.

The Portland Trail Blazers will face the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns will face the LA Clippers in those games.

Confirmed playoff games for the first round will include the Lakers against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Atlanta Hawks, the Rockets against the Denver Nuggets and the New York Knicks against the Philadelphia 76ers.

You can find the latest performance and standings on the NBA site.