Cooper Flagg left Wednesday’s game against the Nuggets with a left ankle sprain, causing concerns among Mavericks fans.
The injury occurred in the first half while he was defending Denver’s Peyton Watson and moving laterally before losing his footing and went tumbling down to the floor.
Flagg looked to be in immediate pain, grabbing at his left ankle before several teammates came over and helped him up.
The 19-year-old walked off the floor under his own power, but he did not have the ability to put any pressure on his ankle as he went off the floor.
The first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft went to the locker room, and the team officially ruled him out for the rest of the game due to the ankle sprain.
The budding Mavericks star had six points on 3-of-9 shooting before the injury.
Flagg has played in 39 games this season, coming into Wednesday, and has averaged 19.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists.
Prior to the game, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd praised Flagg’s play.
“I think he’s doing great,” Kidd said. “I think everything he’s been through up to this point, the double teams you see that in the last couple games, he’s handling that well. We’re asking him to do everything. … I think he’s up for this challenge. I think the other thing is what you’ve seen here early on, if he does have a below-average game, he bounces back quickly, and that’s good to see for a 19-year-old.”
Flagg wasn’t the only big name to suffer an ankle injury on Wednesday night.
Knicks star Jalen Brunson twisted his right ankle during the first quarter of their game against the Kings in Sacramento and was ruled out early in the second half.
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