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Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg exited Friday night's game against the Indiana Pacers with a left shoulder injury, departing in the final minute of the first half after a hard foul by Aaron Nesmith. The team has not disclosed a diagnosis or a return timetable.
According to BasketNews, Flagg was driving for a breakaway dunk when Nesmith made contact, causing him to land hard and clutch his left shoulder. Officials assessed a flagrant foul and a technical foul on Nesmith, while Naji Marshall received a technical as a scuffle broke out between the teams. Marshall replaced Flagg in the starting lineup to begin the second half.
Before leaving, Flagg played 17 minutes and recorded 14 points, five rebounds, six assists, three steals, and one block, per NBA.com. Dallas held a 77-43 lead early in the third quarter, according to BasketNews. Flagg was not listed on the pregame injury report.
The Mavericks were already without five players: Dereck Lively II (foot), Santi Aldama (knee), Caleb Martin (thumb), and Tarik Biberovic (heel) were out, while Jett Howard (calf) was day-to-day, according to iHeart.
Key Analysis
Flagg, 19, is the reigning Rookie of the Year and a cornerstone of the Mavericks' roster. An extended absence would place greater responsibility on Kyrie Irving, who is returning from a long ACL recovery, as well as Marshall and P.J. Washington, while Dallas navigates existing injuries to Lively, Aldama, Martin, and Biberovic. The Mavericks play again Saturday against the San Antonio Spurs in the second game of a back-to-back.
Flagg has a history of lower-body injuries. During the 2025 ACC Tournament against Georgia Tech while at Duke, he suffered a Grade 2 left ankle inversion sprain, according to SicScore. Imaging ruled out a fracture or ligament rupture, and he returned for the NCAA Tournament. In his rookie season, he missed time after a foul and awkward landing against the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 14, days after a similar ankle issue against the Brooklyn Nets, per Flashscore. A left midfoot sprain against the Phoenix Suns on Feb. 10 sidelined him for Rising Stars, All-Star weekend, and roughly eight games before he returned March 5, according to The Athletic. He also left the regular-season finale with a left ankle sprain. Flagg played 70 games as a rookie, with absences totaling about a month.
Born Dec. 21, 2006, in Newport, Maine, Flagg comes from a basketball family: his mother, Kelly, played at Maine; his father, Ralph, played junior college ball; and his twin brother is named Ace. He led Nokomis Regional to a state title before transferring to Montverde Academy in Florida, where he won a national championship on a 33-0 team and earned McDonald's All-American status plus Naismith and Gatorade national player of the year honors. At Duke, he averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists, won national and ACC Player of the Year awards, and led the Blue Devils to the Final Four. The Mavericks selected him No. 1 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, making him the first player from Maine taken first. He won Rookie of the Year and made the All-Rookie First Team, averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists, according to Basketball-Reference. He opened 2026-27 with a game-high 32 points in a loss at Houston.
Originally reported by yahoo.