The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Week 6 of the 2025-26 NBA Season

Week 6 of the 2025–26 season delivered a rookie rewriting the history books, a superstar going down at the worst possible moment, and a league-branded tournament literally unable to keep players on their feet. 

Sometimes the rookies just need a few extra games to shine. On Saturday night in Inglewood, 18-year-old Cooper Flagg erupted for a career-high 35 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks past the Clippers 114–110, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to score 35 or more points in a game. He's five days younger than LeBron James was when he accomplished the feat back in 2003. What made Flagg's performance even more impressive was how he did it. Shooting 13-for-22 from the field without making a single three-pointer, attacking the rim relentlessly, and knocking down 9-for-11 free throws. The first overall pick from this summer’s draft showed the poise that most expected from him out of the gate, hitting six crucial free throws in the final 90 seconds to seal the win. For a Dallas team struggling at 6–15, watching their franchise cornerstone flash this kind of potential gives them hope for the future. 

The Golden State Warriors can't catch a break. Stephen Curry limped to the locker room late in Wednesday's 104–100 loss to Houston, suffering a quad contusion after taking an elbow while attempting to draw a charge. An MRI confirmed a muscle strain that will sideline him for at least a week, maybe longer, depending on how he responds to treatment. The timing could not come at a worse moment, as Golden State sits at 10–10 after a promising 4–1 start. Historically, the Warriors are dreadful without their leader, posting a 92–155 all-time record in games Curry misses. Averaging nearly 28 points per game and leading the league with nearly five threes a night, the 37-year-old Curry is nearly irreplaceable in the Western Conference, where the Warriors desperately need wins just to climb back to a playoff position.

Nothing screams “proceed with caution!” quite like a league-sanctioned specialty court being declared unsafe for play. The Lakers' bright yellow NBA Cup court was examined by technicians from the league's court vendor and deemed unplayable for Friday's game against Dallas, forcing the team to use their traditional floor instead. This wasn't just a visual eyesore issue, as Lakers forward Rui Hachimura described it as "oily, slippery," with players "on the floor, falling, every second" during warmups. Luka Dončić had put it even more bluntly after Tuesday's game against the Clippers, calling the surface dangerous and noting he'd slipped repeatedly. With the Lakers advancing to host the quarterfinals in two weeks, the court was sent for repairs and refinishing, but the damage to the tournament’s creative credibility may have taken a hit that cannot easily be repaired.