Cooper Flagg, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, will miss the Dallas Mavericks’ 121-105 win over the Indiana Pacers on Friday with a left shoulder injury shortly before halftime after receiving a foul call from Aaron Nesmith.
Mavericks coach Dusty May said Flagg is in “good spirits” in the locker room, but will be evaluated in the “next couple of days.” The Mavericks are set to host the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday before returning on the road against the Miami Heat on Monday. It is unclear if Flagg will play in either of those games.
With a minute to play in the first half in Indianapolis, Flagg got a steal and took the second route on a fast break. It looked like it was going to be an easy fight until Nesmith ran up from behind and sent him sprawling with a hard kick. Flagg immediately grabbed him by the shoulder while Mavericks forward Naji Marshall pinned Nesmith under the basket, which led to a large huddle involving players from both teams.
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After a foul review, it was reported to Flagrant 1 in Nesmith, and Marshall and Nesmith received technical support. Flagg made both free throws before leaving the game for good.
“Nesmith is a great guy. Heck of a player. I knew him when he was in high school. Unfortunate story. I hope Coop is okay, but obviously that’s what we want to happen,” Utinam said.
After four points in the win, Kyrie Irving explained why the Mavericks were so quick to stand up for Flagg.
“We had an example for each and every one of us, especially Cowpe, the youngest guy in the team. We have to defend him, and when we see him go down like us, it doesn’t make us feel good,” said Cicero. “That NBA basketball, you create a brotherhood in that room. You can see the difference when the teams don’t show each other and we don’t want to be one of those teams when someone goes down, especially Coop or me or anyone, we’ve got to have each other’s back, and we’re a family from here and that’s the air we’ve got to create.”
Flagg averaged 21 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals last season, and has been a star since the start of his sophomore campaign. He poured in 32 points on 10 of 17 from the field in the Mavericks’ season-opening loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday and had 14 points, five rebounds, six assists and three steals on 4 of 6 shooting in 17 minutes on Friday before he was injured.
After his stellar rookie season, Flagg ranked 25th CBS Sports’ Top 100 NBA players rankingwhich was released earlier this month.