Overview
- Dallas announced at the start of the third quarter that Cooper Flagg would not return due to a left ankle sprain suffered in the first half against Denver.
- Flagg rolled the ankle defending Peyton Watson with 6:01 left in the second quarter, briefly returned for the final 2:35 before halftime, then stayed in the locker room.
- It is the same ankle he tweaked two nights earlier against the Nets, a game in which he led Dallas with 27 points, five rebounds and five assists.
- Through 39 games, Flagg is averaging 19.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists, drawing public praise from coach Jason Kidd and Klay Thompson and positioning himself as the Rookie of the Year frontrunner.
- Dallas is already shorthanded with Anthony Davis expected to miss at least six weeks and Kyrie Irving still out, and Flagg’s availability for Thursday’s home game against the Jazz is uncertain.