Cooper Flagg left Friday night’s game in Indianapolis with left shoulder soreness after a hard foul from Aaron Nesmith, and he never came back. Dallas still ran the Pacers off the floor, 121-105, but the only number Mavs fans care about this morning is how long their 19-year-old star is out.
What Happened
With 59.7 seconds left in the first half, Flagg went up for a dunk and Nesmith challenged him from behind. Flagg hit the floor hard and landed on that left shoulder. After a review, Nesmith was hit with a flagrant-1, as reported by Deadspin. Naji Marshall ran straight in and shoved Nesmith, and both players picked up technicals.
Before he exited, Flagg had 14 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds in just 17 minutes, with 3 steals according to ClutchPoints. Dallas was up 77-43 at the break. Kyrie Irving led the way with 24, and PJ Washington added 20 points and 13 boards.
Coach Dusty May said Flagg will be evaluated over the next couple of days and admitted he didn’t know yet whether an MRI would be needed. He also said Flagg was in good spirits in the locker room.
Marshall kept it simple when asked why he stepped in, telling The Athletic’s James Boyd: “Just standing up for my teammate. I hang with him every day, so it just made sense.”
The IAHHM Take
This one hits different for Carolina. The Duke product is the reigning Rookie of the Year, and he opened his second season with 32 points against Houston. Last year he gave Dallas 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists across 70 games. The Mavs are built around him now, so any shoulder issue is a big deal.
We also respect Naji for having his young star’s back. That’s what a locker room looks like when it actually believes in the kid. The good news: “soreness” beats a lot of other words. Now we wait on the evaluation.
Was the Nesmith foul just a hard play, or should it have been a flagrant-2? Let us know.
Source: Deadspin
