Cooper Flagg Names Toughest NBA Matchup Without Hesitation originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

As he prepares to debut with the Dallas Mavericks in the 2025 NBA Summer League, Cooper Flagg carries high expectations as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

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Coming off a dream freshman season with the Duke Blue Devils in which he averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game and led the team to the Final Four, Flagg is set to elevate the Mavericks’ level from the get-go.

Flagg will share touches with Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson when the regular season begins in October before Kyrie Irving returns to action to try to help the Mavericks compete for the championship. He’s well aware that his team has a solid roster but also knows the competition won’t be easy at all.

Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg and NBA commissioner Adam Silver.Brad Penner-Imagn Images

During a pre-draft chat with The Athletic, Flagg revealed what he thought would be his toughest matchup in the association. While most players, such as his former teammate Kon Knueppel (who picked Giannis Antetokounmpo) and No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper (Irving), named other players, Flagg named an entire team, going with the reigning NBA champions.

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“You know, I’ll say just the Thunder in general,” Flagg said. “They’re young, they got a lot of good pieces, so that’s going to be a tough team to beat.”

The Thunder just beat the inspired Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals. Although they needed seven games to do so, they entered the series as favorites to win it all. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso and Co. went the distance until they finally beat the overachieving Pacers.

After a busy offseason, the challenges will be numerous for the defending champs and for Flagg. The 82-game regular season is a grind, but it could be a memorable rookie season for the former Duke standout.

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Related: Cooper Flagg Names His NBA Mount Rushmore Without Hesitation

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.

As he prepares to defend the Dallas Mavericks in the 2025 NBA Summer League, Cooper Flagg carries high expectations as the current No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

Coming off a dream freshman season with the Duke Blue Devils, in which he averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game and a Final Four berth, Flagg is set to elevate the Mavericks’ level from the get-go.

Flagg will share touches with Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson before Kyrie Irving returns to action, to try to help the Mavericks compete for the championship. He’s well aware that his team has a solid roster, but also knows that the competition won’t be easy at all.

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup knockout-round bracket looks different than many expected entering the quarterfinals.

Inter Milan and Manchester City were both knocked out of the competition, which leaves Chelsea as the only European side left in the top half of the bracket.

The four other European sides will duel for a spot in the final. One of PSG, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will be in the championship match.

The quarterfinal matches take place on Friday and Saturday in Philadelphia, Orlando, Atlanta and East Rutherford.

The four winners head to the semifinals on July 8 and 9. The championship match is on July 13 at MetLife Stadium.

Club World Cup Quarterfinal Schedule

Friday, July 4

Fluminense vs. Al-Hilai (3 p.m. ET)

Palmeiras vs. Chelsea (9 p.m. ET)

Saturday, July 5

Paris Saint-Germain vs. Bayern Munich (Noon ET)

Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund (4 p.m. ET)

The available odds for each quarterfinal can be found on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Predictions

Saturday’s clash between PSG and Bayern Munich is the marquee showdown of the quarterfinal round.

The two European powerhouses both have the teams capable of not just reaching the final, but winning the entire tournament.

Each side scored four goals in the round of 16. Bayern’s win was a bit more impressive because it came against Brazilian side Flamengo, while PSG had an easy time with MLS side Inter Miami.

PSG owns the most impressive win of the tournament between the two sides, a 4-0 group-stage triumph over Atletico Madrid.

A slight edge has to be given to the French side because it is the reigning UEFA Champions League winner and looked great against its best opponent so far in the competition.

Bayern will be no doubt be competitive, but PSG is playing at an incredibly high level at the moment.

Real Madrid is the expected opponent for the PSG-Bayern winner. Los Blancos will be favored over Borussia Dortmund after their 1-0 win over Juventus on Tuesday.

The top half of the bracket is a bit more unpredictable, with Chelsea up against Palmeiras and Al-Hilal facing Fluminense.

Both Brazilian sides are more than capable of winning, but you could argue Chelsea has the some of the best individual talent left in the competition. As for Al-Hilal, any team that beats Manchester City to be considered a real threat.

The only concern regarding the Saudi side is that the 4-3 extra time win over Manchester City drained all of its energy and it could be vulnerable to a loss against a Fluminense side that handled Inter Milan, 2-0, over 90 minutes.

Predictions

Chelsea over Palmeiras

Fluminense over Al-Hilal

PSG over Bayern Munich

Real Madrid over Borussia Dortmund

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