Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg Out For Home Opener With Shoulder Sprain After Aaron Nesmith’s Flagrant Foul

The Dallas Mavericks announced that star Cooper Flagg will miss Saturday night’s home opener against the San Antonio Spurs after an MRI revealed a mild left shoulder sprain.

The reigning NBA Rookie of the Year suffered the injury Friday night when Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith fouled him hard from behind on a breakaway late in the second quarter of Dallas’ 121-105 road win. Flagg will be reevaluated next week.

Cooper Flagg Injury News

Flagg appeared headed for an easy dunk when Nesmith chased him down and made contact, sending the 19-year-old crashing to the floor under the basket. Flagg immediately grabbed at his left shoulder.

The play sparked a heated scuffle between the two teams. Mavericks forward Naji Marshall confronted Nesmith under the basket, and officials had to separate players from both sides. After a review, officials upgraded the foul to a Flagrant 1 on Nesmith, and they assessed technical fouls on both Nesmith and Marshall.

Flagg made both of the free throws awarded on the flagrant before being subbed out and heading to the locker room ahead of halftime. He did not return. He finished with 14 points, six assists, five rebounds, three steals and a block in just 17 minutes.

“Cooper has left shoulder soreness; he’ll be evaluated in the next couple of days,” Mavericks coach Dusty May said after the game.

The Mavericks were in full control when Flagg went down. Dallas jumped to a 42-23 first-quarter lead and led by more than 30 at the time of the foul. Kyrie Irving led the Mavericks with 24 points as Dallas spoiled Tyrese Haliburton‘s return to the Pacers’ home floor.

The injury interrupts what had been a blistering start to Flagg’s second NBA season. In Wednesday’s season-opening loss to the Houston Rockets, he poured in 32 points, the highest-scoring season-opener by a teenager.

Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft out of Duke, won Rookie of the Year last season after averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He also dealt with a string of injuries as a rookie, missing 12 games due to various ailments.

The Mavericks will now face the Spurs without their franchise cornerstone on the second night of a back-to-back. The team has not given a timeline beyond next week’s reevaluation, though the “mild” diagnosis suggests Flagg may avoid an extended absence.

The league could also scrutinize Nesmith further, as it routinely reviews flagrant fouls and on-court altercations for possible fines or suspensions.