Mavs' Flagg out for home opener with mild left shoulder sprain
An MRI revealed a mild left shoulder sprain for Cooper Flagg, and the Mavericks have ruled him out of Saturday night's home opener against San Antonio.
Dallas Mavericks 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 team announced the result on Saturday, and Flagg will be reevaluated next week.
The injury happened on Friday night, when Flagg took a flagrant foul from Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith on a breakaway late in the second quarter. Flagg left the game moments later and did not return, although Dallas still won on the road against Indiana.
That outcome had initially left his status uncertain. The Mavericks first described the problem as left shoulder soreness and said he would be evaluated over the next couple of days. The MRI has now given a clearer diagnosis and a definite decision for the home opener.
Flagg, 19, is the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year and had made a fast start to his second season. He scored 32 points in Wednesday's loss to the Houston Rockets, the highest-scoring performance ever by a teenager in a season opener.
Against Indiana, he had 14 points, six assists, five rebounds, three steals and a block in 17 minutes before exiting. Dallas will now have to open its home schedule without its young star while it waits for next week's reevaluation to show how long the sprain will keep him out.
Source: ESPN — Top Headlines — TrendWire reports stories in its own words; facts should be confirmed against the original source.