Cooper Flagg Injures Shoulder, Expected To Play Wednesday

Rookie No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg injured his left shoulder on the opening possession of Monday’s 101-94 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder and finished with two points on 1-of-9 shooting, two rebounds, two steals, no assists and a team-worst -20 in 31 minutes. He wore a heat wrap during the game, said he will get scans and expects to be “good to go” for Wednesday’s game. Head coach Jason Kidd sat Flagg for most of crunch time in favor of a lineup that sparked a 25-4 run, saying the move was to give the Mavericks their best chance to win; Flagg said he understood the decision and did not use the injury as an excuse. The setback underscores the steep learning curve for the 18-year-old, who had shown promise but now becomes an even bigger focal point of Dallas’s rebuild as the team sits 1-3 and last in offensive rating. Team officials say they will balance Flagg’s development with caution to avoid risking long-term damage while integrating him into a rotation expected to improve as key players like Kyrie Irving return.