Bronny James and Lakers come up short against Cooper Flagg and Maveric

The Thomas & Mack Center public-address announcer called it the “main event” at the NBA Summer League, with Lakers’ second-year guard Bronny James and Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg at the center of it all.

The fans didn’t have to wait long for the moment they all came to see when Flagg, the first overall pick in the draft out of Duke, defended against James from the start of the game.

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The atmosphere was electric until the end, with Flagg’s Mavericks pulling out an 87-85 win after James missed a three-pointer seconds before the final buzzer.

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“It’s Summer League and everyone is going to come out for the first game,” James said. “Like, it’s going to be a crazy atmosphere, no matter what. So I just try to embrace it.”

Neither put on a shooting exhibition, but the fans didn’t seem to care.

James had eight points, missing six of eight shots. He also had two rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes and 51 seconds.

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Flagg had 10 points on five-of-21 shooting, missing all five of his three-point attempts. He had six rebounds, four assists and one block.

Still, James was impressed.

“He’s great,” James said. “I watched him all in college. He’s an amazing player. So I have a lot of respect for him. He’s going to be special.”

Early in the game, James came off a screen with Cooper trailing and arriving too late, giving James just enough time to launch a jumper that settled into the net.

James struck again, drilling a three-pointer over Cooper, drawing cheers from the fans.

James switched and took on the challenge of defending Cooper in the post, drawing more cheers.

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Flagg missed his first two shots, and it was clear the fans wanted him to keep…