The Dallas Mavericks will be without rookie forward Cooper Flagg on Thursday night for a big matchup with the Utah Jazz. Flagg suffered an ankle injury during Wednesday night's loss to the Denver Nuggets and did not return after halftime. He was listed as doubtful throughout the day before being downgraded to out, according to Mavs beat writer Joey Mistretta.
Dallas (15–26) continues its four-game homestand and closes a back-to-back against Utah (14–26) at 8:30 p.m. EST. The Mavericks’ Thursday afternoon report cited a left ankle sprain for Flagg, placing his availability in serious doubt.
The 19-year-old appeared briefly in the 118–109 loss to the Nuggets before exiting. Flagg finished with six points, one rebound, one assist and one block while shooting 3-for-9 from the field in 15 minutes. The injury occurred when he fell to the floor after being called for a foul while defending Denver wing Peyton Watson.
Cooper Flagg’s injury status looms over Mavericks vs. Jazz matchup
The setback involved the same ankle Flagg injured two nights earlier against the Brooklyn Nets. In that contest, he briefly left the game to have the ankle taped before returning and delivering one of his strongest performances of the season. Flagg led Dallas with 27 points, five rebounds and five assists while shooting 10-for-17 from the field in 35 minutes during a 113–105 win.
Flagg has played a central role in Dallas’ rotation throughout his rookie campaign, taking on expanded responsibilities on both ends of the floor. Entering Thursday, he is averaging 18.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game while logging heavy minutes and frequently handling late-game situations.
With Flagg listed out, Dallas could be forced to adjust its frontcourt rotation for a second straight night as it searches for consistency during the homestand.
Utah arrives in Dallas after a 128–126 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night and has gone 3–7 over its last 10 games. The Jazz will also be shorthanded, with forward Lauri Markkanen ruled out of Thursday’s contest due to an illness.
