A Lone Star link-up puts the prodigy versus the prototype. Cooper Flagg is basketball’s latest stretch talent, 6-foot-9 with fleetness and an on-ball bag. It’s rewarding to see the 19-year-old unlock powers in real time — 19.5 points, 4.1 assists, 2.1 stocks (steals+blocks) per night.
Kevin Durant, 6-foot-11 (height varying by audience), traced the smooth three-level approach we now recognize as modern offense. He has reached the 30-point threshold 18 times so far this season, truly remarkable for an 18th-year pro. Houston has real NBA Finals aspirations. The stretchable length of Durant, Amen Thompson and Alperen Şengün make for entertaining lineups. Dallas is a deadline domino, with Anthony Davis on the shelf and Naji Marshall on the market.
“Inside the NBA” holds down intermissions. The “NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC” lead booth has Mike Breen on play-by-play and Tim Legler for analysis, with Lisa Salters on sideline duty. Breen and Legler were rerouted from last Saturday’s assignment in Dallas due to snowstorms around Texas.
Trade deadline history (1995): Scott Brooks got shipped from Houston between halves of a Rockets game. He was informed on the court during halftime warmups (!). Thus began the informal Scott Brooks Rule, which says no one should be traded mid-game on deadline day. Dallas sent out fellow backup PG Morlon Wiley … who didn’t play a single minute for Houston.
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