The Dallas Mavericks managed to get their star rookie Cooper Flagg back on the court on Thursday night.
On the road against the Orlando Magic, the Mavs put up a good fight, but ultimately came up short with a 115-114 loss. They have a quick turnaround, as the back-to-back set continues on Friday night against the Boston Celtics.
Although the Mavericks couldn’t confirm Flagg’s status right away following Thursday’s action, the team left him off the injury report on Friday afternoon. Flagg is available to play.
The Return Of Cooper Flagg
Lately, Flagg has been recovering from a midfoot sprain. Prior to Thursday’s game, Flagg’s latest showing was on the road against the Phoenix Suns on February 10. At the time, the rookie forward checked in for 35 minutes. He scored 27 points, coming down with five rebounds and dishing out two assists.
After spending eight games off recovering, Flagg was back in action. He checked in for 25 minutes against the Magic. The former Duke star shot 7-22 from the field, making just one of his four threes.
Flagg would produce 18 points, while coming down with five rebounds, dishing out six assists, snatching one steal, and blocking four shots.
"I thought for Coop being out for over 3 weeks, I thought he looked good on both ends,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd told reporters on Thursday night.
“He made plays down the stretch. Had some big blocks during the game. I think he's trying to find his legs. I thought he got his legs in the second half. Had a good look down the stretch. Just didn't go down for him. But the group played on the road and was in a position to win."
Flagg’s availability for Friday’s outing against the Celtics would depend on how his foot and the rest of his body respond to game action for the first time in weeks. While a rest night couldn’t be ruled out, Flagg seemed sure he would play on Friday, as he learned he could get a chance to face Jayson Tatum for the first time in his career.
"He's one of the guys I grew up watching," Flagg told reporters. "Kind of modeled my game after. Watched him at Duke … He's somebody I've always looked up to. I'm excited to face off and compete against him for sure."
Similar to Flagg, Tatum was cleared to make his return to the court on Friday. It will mark Tatum’s season debut, as he fully recovers from an Achilles injury that he suffered during the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
The Mavericks and the Celtics are scheduled for a 7:00 PM ET tip/
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