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Cooper Flagg Out After Flagrant-1 Foul in Mavericks Win
· Confirmed
In Short: Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks will not return to the game after sustaining a left shoulder injury during a flagrant-1 foul by Indiana Pacers' Aaron Nesmith.
The incident occurred in the final minute of the first half when Flagg was driving toward the basket for a breakaway dunk and was hit by Nesmith.
Despite Flagg's early exit, the Mavericks dominated the Pacers, winning 121-105.
Kyrie Irving led the charge for Dallas with 24 points, while Flagg contributed 14 points, six assists, five rebounds, and three steals in just 17 minutes.
Mavericks coach Dusty May said Flagg was in good spirits in the locker room but will be evaluated over the next couple of days.
The Mavericks entered halftime with a 77-43 lead, with Flagg leading all scorers with 14 points, five rebounds, six assists, and three steals.
May expressed his disappointment over the incident, stating, 'Nesmith's a great guy. Heck of a player. I've known him since he was in high school. An unfortunate play. Hopefully Coop's fine, but obviously it's something we wish wouldn't have happened.'
The game sparked a scuffle between the Mavericks and Pacers, resulting in a flagrant foul and a technical foul being assessed to Nesmith.
Dallas is undergoing a rebuild around the 19-year-old Flagg, who was off to a fast start in his second pro season.
Though imaging results will provide the official diagnosis, the timeline suggests Flagg will miss Dallas’ next game against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, October 24.
Two Mavericks players also appeared to leave the bench, though May said he thought both went to check on Flagg, perhaps avoiding any disciplinary action from the league.
What's confirmed
- Naji Marshall was also called for a technical foul.
- Cooper Flagg entered the locker room in the Dallas Mavericks-Indiana Pacers Friday game with a left shoulder injury.
- Cooper Flagg sustained left shoulder soreness after absorbing a hard hit from Aaron Nesmith in the Mavs-Pacers game.
- Mavericks coach Dusty May said that Flagg was in "good spirits" in the locker room, but will be evaluated in the "next couple of days."
- "Nesmith's a great guy. Heck of a player. I've known him since he was in high school. An unfortunate play. Hopefully Coop's fine, but obviously it's something we wish wouldn't have happened," May said.
- Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks is fouled by Aaron Nesmith #23 of the Indiana Pacers during the second quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on October 23, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
- "Look, Nesmith is a great guy, a heck of a player. I've known him since he was in high school," said May, who reached two NCAA Final Fours and won last year's national championship just a few blocks away from Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
What's still developing
- Schedule 128-110 10-22 105-121 10-23 Sun 00:00 Mon 23:30 Thu 01:30 He will no longer return with left shoulder soreness, according to the Mavs.
- "That's NBA basketball, it's a brotherhood you create within that locker room. You can see the difference when teams don't show up for each other and we don't want to be one of those teams, so when anyone goes down, especially Coop or myself or anybody, we gotta have each other's back, and we're a family out here and that's the atmosphere we gotta create."
- Flagg immediately grabbed for his shoulder, while Mavericks forward Naji Marshall confronted Nesmith under the basket, which led to a big scrum involving players from both teams.
- Flagg missed time after a foul and awkward landing against the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 14, days after a similar ankle problem against the Brooklyn Nets, according to Flashscore.
- Flagg did not come back out to start the third quarter after a hard foul from Aaron Nesmith late in the second quarter.
- The arm he went up to contest with didn’t come within a foot of the ball as Flagg extended it toward the rack, but Nesmith followed through anyway on a hard foul, sending Flagg to the hardwood with one minute left before halftime and the Mavericks up 73-40.
- The 2025 Eastern Conference champions, who welcomed back Tyrese Haliburton for his first home game since he tore his Achilles during Game 7 of the NBA Finals 16 months ago, found themselves on the receiving end of a dominant Mavericks performance.
- Flagg has been ruled out after sustaining a shoulder injury on a Flagrant-1 foul by Indiana Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith on a fastbreak.
- Here’s the injury announcement from the Mavericks.
- Dallas Mavericks star Cooper Flagg missed the remainder of Friday's 121-105 win over the Indiana Pacers due to left shoulder soreness.