Mavericks’ Rookie Cooper Flagg Sidelined After Ankle Injury Against Denver

Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg was ruled out for the second half of Wednesday night’s game against Denver after spraining his left ankle in the first half, dealing another injury blow to an already depleted Dallas roster.

The incident occurred with 6:01 remaining in the second quarter when Flagg was whistled for a foul while defending Peyton Watson. As he fell to the floor, the 19-year-old turned his ankle and was clearly in discomfort. Flagg limped to the bench and later headed to the locker room, though he briefly returned to the court for the final 2:35 before halftime.

Despite that short return, Flagg did not come back out after the break. The Mavericks later announced that the No. 1 overall pick was ruled out for the remainder of the game. The injury was particularly concerning as it involved the same ankle Flagg hurt just two nights earlier.

In that previous game against Brooklyn, Flagg briefly exited to have the ankle taped before returning to lead Dallas with 27 points in a 113-105 win. His ability to play through discomfort then made Wednesday’s setback all the more frustrating for the Mavericks.

“He stepped on someone’s foot,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “Last game, he twisted his ankle, too. We decided to hold him (out) for the second half.”

Kidd added that he was uncertain whether Flagg or center Daniel Gafford would be available for Thursday night’s second game of a back-to-back against Utah. Gafford was also ruled out during the second half against Denver due to a right ankle sprain that has troubled him for much of the season.

Wednesday marked Flagg’s 40th NBA appearance, just three more games than he played in his lone college season at Duke, where he led the Blue Devils to the Final Four and earned The Associated Press men’s player of the year honors. Until now, durability had not been a major concern. Flagg had missed just one of the Mavericks’ first 41 games, sidelined briefly by illness in November.

A leading contender for the Kia Rookie of the Year award, Flagg is averaging 18.8 points and 6.3 rebounds this season, quickly establishing himself as a cornerstone for the franchise.

Dallas’ frontcourt woes deepened further with Gafford’s exit. The Mavericks were already without their top two big men, 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis and young center Dereck Lively II. Davis is expected to miss about six weeks with ligament damage in his left hand, while Lively is out for the season following foot surgery.

“This is a hard time for us,” Kidd said. “We have had a lot of injuries. … We have been hurt since day one of training camp. This is the norm. The character has been displayed in tough times of being down. But we keep fighting.”

As injuries continue to mount, the Mavericks now wait anxiously on Flagg’s status, knowing his health could be pivotal to their season moving forward.