The Dallas Mavericks at least have one reason to breathe after Cooper Flagg left Friday night’s game against the Indiana Pacers with a shoulder injury. The team’s initial designation - “left shoulder soreness” - suggests the situation may not be as bad as it first looked when he hit the floor hard in transition.
Flagg was hurt on a second-quarter dunk attempt after Aaron Nesmith tried to track him down from behind. The play was eventually ruled a Flagrant 1, and Flagg landed on his left shoulder before staying down on the court. That was the same shoulder he injured as a rookie, which immediately raised the alarm for Mavericks fans.
The scene turned tense fast. Naji Marshall came sprinting in from half court to stand up for his teammate, and the sequence ended with Marshall and Nesmith each being hit with double technical fouls. Flagg stayed on the floor for a bit, then got up and was able to knock down his free throws.
But he didn’t come back. Flagg headed to the locker room before halftime and was ruled out for the rest of the game in the third quarter with shoulder soreness. An update could come from Dusty May in the postgame press conference.
For Dallas, the hope is obvious: that this was precautionary, not the start of something far more serious. Flagg is central to what the Mavericks are trying to build on both ends, and losing him for any stretch would be a major blow. He played 71 games as a rookie, and after all the injury issues that surrounded that season, seeing him go down in the second game of his second year was the last thing this team needed.
There’s still plenty the Mavericks need to learn before anyone draws a hard conclusion, but the early designation at least leaves room for optimism. The next real clue will come with tomorrow night’s injury report before Dallas faces the San Antonio Spurs. If Flagg is going to miss time, that report should start to tell the story.
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