Harper's Spurs top Flagg's Mavs at summer league

LAS VEGAS -- The top two picks of the 2025 NBA draft faced off Saturday in the NBA summer league and flashed an enticing view of what might be on the horizon next season during the San Antonio Spurs' 76-69 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg racked up a game-high 31 points on 10-of-21 shooting on an afternoon that also featured multiple highlight-reel dunks. No. 2 selection Dylan Harper scored 16 points in just 20 minutes in his summer league debut after missing all of San Antonio's previous matchups due to a minor groin injury.

"[There's] not a better time to come back [than] in a game like this and a crowd as electrifying as this," Harper said. "He had a good game. I had a good game. We kind of just showed the NBA world what we're about."

Performing before a packed house at Thomas & Mack Center that included current players and former NBA stars, as well as celebrities such as comedian Cedric the Entertainer and actor Jason Sudeikis, Harper poured in the first points of the game 45 seconds into the action on a drive to the basket. Both Flagg and Harper started slow, each hitting only 1 of 4 in the first quarter as San Antonio built a 21-11 lead.

But the crowd rose to its feet once the top picks matched up one-on-one with 4.1 seconds left in the first quarter. Harper missed a 24-foot stepback jumper at the end of that sequence with Flagg defending.

Offensively, Flagg struggled at times when guarded by Spurs wing Carter Bryant (the No. 14 pick of the 2025 NBA Draft), who is widely projected to develop into one of San Antonio's top defensive stoppers. Flagg still managed to earn several trips to the foul line, where he shot 8 of 13.

"I think it's a new environment, new setting," Flagg said. "They want to see me be aggressive and do that type of stuff. I think I did that a lot better today, just getting to the line, getting fouled, and that helped me to get comfortable and get settled in early. Still missed a bunch of free throws. I know my mom probably wasn't very happy with that."

Flagg would produce his most memorable sequence over the last 30.3 seconds of the third quarter. Flagg beat full-court pressure for a driving layup to pull Dallas to within 10 points (57-47). Then, he drove for a thunderous dunk over San Antonio's Riley Minnix, before swatting away Minnix's halfcourt heave at the buzzer.

"He just continues to make the right plays," Mavericks summer league coach Josh Broghamer said. "Whether it's a drive by [on] the guy pressuring him or we were using him a little bit more as a roller and off the ball a couple of times just to get him some easier catches so he wasn't working so hard to bring the ball up the floor, he just continues to make the right plays, which is always great to see."

One of Harper's most eye-popping moments came with 1:04 left in the second quarter, when he swooped in for a high-flying block at the basket on Ryan Nembhard. The play jolted Spurs teammates Victor Wembanyama and Keldon Johnson from their courtside seats as the Thomas & Mack Center crowd roared.

"[Harper] was great, and you felt his impact," Spurs summer league coach Mike Noyes said. "The stints were a little bit short he would say. He hasn't played a game in a long time. So, we tried to manage that properly. When he was out there, he was playing hard, making the right play."

Harper concluded the second quarter with an and-1 finish on a 10-foot floater with Flagg guarding. Harper connected on the ensuing free throw to give San Antonio a 33-32 lead at intermission.

Harper finished with 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block, while Flagg logged 4 rebounds, an assist and a block.

"We're going to play them a lot this year," Harper said of Flagg and the Mavericks. "So, the future battles are going to be great. One thing that we've both got, we're just competitors. We're going to go out and compete."