Cooper Flagg misses Mavericks return due to injury
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg will not participate in the team’s first game after the All-Star break, which will be played on Friday night in Minnesota. The absence is due to a sprain in the middle of his left foot, an injury that also prevented him from playing in the Rising Stars event.
Coach Jason Kidd informed the media that Flagg’s condition is being evaluated day by day.
The 19-year-old player also missed the last game before the break against the Los Angeles Lakers after getting injured on February 10 in the loss to Phoenix. An MRI confirmed Flagg’s injury. The Mavericks’ loss to the Lakers was their ninth straight, the club’s longest streak since 1998.
Flagg, a former Duke standout, attended two games of his former university during the break. He was seen with a walking boot when the Blue Devils defeated Clemson on Saturday, but he wasn’t wearing it in a photo posted Thursday on X, where he was seen preparing to board the plane to the game against the Timberwolves. Dallas has two more away games after this one.
The Mavericks (19-35) are out of the Western Conference playoff race and are heading to the draft lottery for the second year in a row. Dallas converted a 1.8% chance to get the draft rights to Flagg last summer.
This will be the sixth time Flagg misses a game. The player averages 20.4 points and 6.6 assists. The first professional game he missed, the 2025 Associated Press Men’s Basketball Player of the Year, was due to an illness in November.
