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Mavericks' Cooper Flagg Out After Flagrant-1 Foul
Confirmed
In Short: 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.
Flagg was driving toward the basket for a breakaway dunk when he was hit by Aaron Nesmith, resulting in a Flagrant-1 foul.
The incident occurred in the final minute of the first half, with the Mavericks leading 73-40.
Despite Flagg's untimely exit, the Mavericks managed to secure a 121-105 victory over the Pacers.
Kyrie Irving led the charge for Dallas with 24 points, while Flagg had already contributed 14 points, six assists, five rebounds, and three steals in just 17 minutes of play.
Mavericks coach Dusty May said that Flagg was in 'good spirits' in the locker room but will be evaluated over the next couple of days.
The timeline suggests that Flagg will miss the Mavericks' next game on Saturday, Oct. 24, against the San Antonio Spurs.
Flagg, who began the season with a record-breaking 32 points in 33 minutes in Houston, was off to a stellar start in his sophomore campaign.
May noted that Nesmith is a great player and a good guy, but the play was unfortunate.
Naji Marshall immediately confronted Nesmith after the foul, leading to a skirmish between the two teams.
Both Marshall and Nesmith were assessed technical fouls for their actions.
The Mavericks are currently undergoing a rebuild, with Flagg, a 19-year-old rookie, as a key player in their plans.
Fans have speculated that the NBA draft might have been rigged to allow the Mavericks to draft Flagg, who could potentially replace Luka Doncic.
What this adds
The extent of Flagg's injury is still unclear, and the official diagnosis will come from imaging results.
The Mavericks' rebuild strategy hinges heavily on Flagg's performance and health.
What's confirmed
- Naji Marshall was also called for a technical foul.
- 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.
- “Look, Nesmith is a great guy – heck of a player,” May said.
- Flagg was off to a fast start in his second pro season.
- Two days after scoring 32 points to become the highest scoring teenager in a season opener in league history, Flagg was on pace for his first triple-double of the season.
- INDIANAPOLIS -- A jarring flagrant foul knocked Cooper Flagg awkwardly to the floor and eventually out of the game Friday night.
- Two Mavericks players also appeared to leave the bench though Mavericks head coach Dusty May said he thought both went to check on Flagg, perhaps avoiding any disciplinary action from the league.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Here’s the injury announcement from the Mavericks.
- 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.
- "Nesmith's a great guy. Heck of a player. I've known him since he was in high school," Mavs head coach Dusty May told reporters postgame, including Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News.
- 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.
- A flagrant-2 is called when a player commits contact that is deemed both unnecessary and excessive, carrying a high potential for injury.