Thursday at 9: 14 p. m. ET the Mavericks gained a rotation option: Cooper Flagg is off the injury report, meaning Dallas can use him in its upcoming road games and adjust end-of-game looks with the rookie available. His removal follows a return from an eight-game absence in Orlando.
Cooper Flagg expected to play in Boston, setting up matchup with Jayson Tatum
Marc Stein noted that Cooper Flagg is expected to play in Boston, which would mark the Maine native’s first career game there and create a direct defensive and offensive matchup with Jayson Tatum in Tatum’s season debut for the Celtics. That availability changes how Dallas can allocate minutes among starters and wing defenders for that road trip.
Orlando return delivers 18 points and late-game responsibility in a 115-114 loss
In his return to the starting lineup against the Orlando Magic, Cooper Flagg scored 18 points on 7-for-22 shooting in 26 minutes and finished with five rebounds, six assists and four blocks, including three blocks in the fourth quarter. Dallas gave Flagg the ball in crunch time; he converted a three-point play with 37. 3 seconds left that put the Mavericks up by four, but he missed a mid-range shot in the final seconds and Dallas lost 115-114, the team’s 15th loss in 17 games.
Left mid-foot sprain, prior scoring streak and recent evaluations shape how Dallas manages minutes
Cooper Flagg had been sidelined by a left mid-foot sprain and last played at Phoenix before the absence. Before the injury he posted consecutive high-scoring outings of 49, 34, 36 and 32 points; he is the youngest player in the NBA to score 45 points and joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kelly Tripucka as the only rookies with 49-point games at 65% shooting. He has missed 12 of Dallas’ 62 games overall. After the Boston game he left briefly for evaluation following a slip in the first quarter, completed stretching and bike work with a trainer, and returned to action; he shot a combined 14-of-45 in the two games following the injury layoff.
Still, Cooper Flagg’s presence forces Dallas coach Jason Kidd and the staff to rebalance minutes and late-game assignments across the roster, increasing the rookie’s exposure in high-leverage situations for the rest of the season.
If Cooper Flagg remains off the injury report, he is expected to suit up for Friday night in Boston and the Mavericks will count the remaining 20 games of his rookie season as live development opportunities; if he returns to the injury report before that game, the team will revert to a rotation without him for at least the next contest.
