Home · Sports · Oct 24 archive
Dallas Mavericks' Cooper Flagg Out After Flagrant-1 Foul
· Confirmed
In Short: Cooper Flagg was forced to leave the game early after a hard hit from Indiana Pacers' Aaron Nesmith during a fastbreak, leading to a 121-105 victory for the Dallas Mavericks.
Kyrie Irving led the charge for Dallas with 24 points, helping the team outlast the Pacers.
Nesmith was called for a flagrant foul and a technical foul, while Naji Marshall also received a technical for confronting Nesmith under the basket.
Dallas coach Dusty May said Flagg was in good spirits in the locker room but will be evaluated in the next couple of days.
Though imaging results will provide the official diagnosis, Flagg will likely miss Saturday's game against the San Antonio Spurs.
Dallas is undergoing a rebuild around the 19-year-old Flagg, who was off to a stellar start in his sophomore campaign.
Flagg had 14 points, six assists, five rebounds, and three steals in just 17 minutes before leaving the game.
The incident sparked a scuffle between the Mavericks and Pacers, with both teams involved in a brief confrontation.
Dallas entered halftime with a 77-43 lead, with Flagg leading all scorers with 14 points, five rebounds, six assists, and three steals.
Fans are hopeful that Flagg's 'soreness' designation indicates the injury is not overly serious, especially considering how painful the fall appeared.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle noted that Indiana has now played two games that have resulted in multiple scuffles.
Irving explained why the Mavericks were quick to stand up for Flagg, emphasizing the importance of protecting their youngest player.
"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," Irving said.
What this adds
The incident occurred late in the second quarter when Flagg was driving to the basket on a fast break.
Dallas is undergoing a rebuild around the 19-year-old Flagg, who was off to a stellar start in his sophomore campaign.
The flagrant foul was later ruled a Flagrant 1, and Flagg will miss Saturday's game against the San Antonio Spurs.
Background
Cooper Flagg was forced to leave the game early after a hard hit from Indiana Pacers' Aaron Nesmith during a fastbreak, leading to a 121-105 victory for the Dallas Mavericks.
Cooper Flagg, the Mavericks' star player, was forced to leave the game against the Indiana Pacers after sustaining a left shoulder injury during a fastbreak.
What's confirmed
- Despite Flagg's untimely exit, Kyrie Irving led the charge for Dallas with 24 point, outlasting Indiana with a 121-105 win.
- Naji Marshall was also called for a technical foul.
- Flagg took a hard hit from Aaron Nesmith in the final minute of the first half while driving toward the basket for a breakaway dunk.
- 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."
- 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.
- Though imaging results will provide the official diagnosis, the timeline May put forward suggests that Flagg will miss Dallas’ next game, which is Saturday, Oct. 24 against the San Antonio Spurs.
- Dallas is undergoing something of a rebuild, as the team builds around the 19 year old Flagg.
- 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.
- Flagg was off to a fast start in his second pro season.
- Flagg was driving for a breakaway dunk when Nesmith made contact, according to BasketNews.
What's still developing
- With a minute to play in the first half in Indianapolis, Flagg got a steal and took off the other way on a fast break.
- 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.
- Flagg has been ruled out after sustaining a shoulder injury on a Flagrant-1 foul by Indiana Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith on a fastbreak.
- Fans Say NBA Draft Rigged as Mavericks Can Replace Luka Doncic With Cooper Flagg Flagg dealt with a Grade 2 left ankle inversion sprain late in the 2025 ACC Tournament against Georgia Tech while at Duke, according to SIC Score.
- Things immediately got chippy after the hard foul as Flagg subsequently went to the locker room with a shoulder injury.
- Flagg raced down the floor in transition following a bad turnover by Indiana forward Pascal Siakam.
- Now it's unclear whether the Dallas star will miss any more time.
- Marshall started the second quarter in his place.
- Cooper Flagg NBA MIN 32.9 PTS 32 FG% 70% REB 5 AS 2 Profile Statistics He will no longer return with left shoulder soreness, according to the Mavs.
- With 59.7 seconds left in the second quarter, Flagg stole the ball from Pascal Siakam and went up for a dunk in transition.
- The incident occurred late in the second quarter when Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith committed a hard foul on Flagg as he was driving to the basket on a fast break.