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Mavericks' Flagg Out After Flagrant-1 Foul

Updated 4:08 AM ET · 2:16 AM ETConfirmed

Sports Desk

In Short: Cooper Flagg, the Dallas Mavericks' star player, was forced to leave the game against the Indiana Pacers after sustaining a left shoulder injury during a fastbreak.

During the second quarter, Flagg was driving toward the basket for a breakaway dunk when he was hit by Aaron Nesmith, resulting in a flagrant foul.

Flagg immediately grabbed for his shoulder and left the game, with the Mavericks leading 73-40 at the time.

Mavericks coach Dusty May said Flagg was in 'good spirits' in the locker room but will be evaluated in the next couple of days.

The incident sparked a scuffle between the Mavericks and Pacers, leading to technical fouls for both Naji Marshall and Nesmith.

Kyrie Irving led the Mavericks with 24 points, helping them secure a 121-105 win over the Pacers.

In just 17 minutes, Flagg had 14 points, six assists, five rebounds, and three steals, showing his early-season form.

May noted that Flagg was on pace for his first triple-double of the season before the injury.

The Mavericks are rebuilding around Flagg, who was the 2025-26 Rookie of the Year and is off to a strong start in his second season.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle noted that Indiana has now played two games with multiple scuffles.

It remains unclear whether Flagg will miss any more time, with the Mavericks set to face the San Antonio Spurs next.

"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.

Background

What's confirmed

• 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.
• 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.
• The reigning 2025-26 Rookie of the Year winner dropped 14 points, six assists, five rebounds, and three steals in 17 minutes for the Mavs before leaving the game, as they dominated the Pacers throughout the 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.

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Flagg raced down the floor in transition following a bad turnover by Indiana forward Pascal Siakam.
• A flagrant-2 is called when a player commits contact that is deemed both unnecessary and excessive, carrying a high potential for injury.
• The Mavericks star fell hard to the floor in visible pain, clutching his left shoulder.
• "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."
• 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.
• Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks were in the process of spoiling Tyrese Haliburton’s return in front of the home fans when the 19-year-old forward exited the game with injury.

Sources

• Basketnewslink
• CBS Sportslink
• Dallas Newslink
• Espnlink
• Heavylink
• Mavsmoneyballlink
• Nypostlink
• Sbnationlink
• Sportsnetlink
• theScorelink
• Centraloregondailylink
• WarpBeat — background on Mavericks' Cooper Flagg Out After Flagrant-1 Foul link
• WarpBeat — background on Cooper Flagg Out After Flagrant-1 Foul in Mavericks Win link
• Chaz NBA — video link