Mavs rookie Cooper Flagg injures shoulder, benched in clutch loss to Thunder

28/10/202508:15

Dallas Mavericks

Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg hurt his left shoulder on the opening play of Monday’s 101-94 loss

Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg hurt his left shoulder on the opening play of Monday’s 101-94 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder and spent crunch time on the bench.

Flagg finished with only 2 points (1-for-9 shooting), 2 rebounds, and no assists, saying he felt “flat” in his first NBA back-to-back. “I’ll get some scans, but it’s just sore,” he said after icing the shoulder postgame.

Coach Jason Kidd said sitting Flagg was a tactical move: “It wasn’t his night. The group on the floor gave us the best chance to win.” The No. 1 pick agreed, adding, “I wasn’t myself. Coach made the right call.”

Coach Jason Kidd ha elogiato il rookie per la sua durezza ma ha giustificato la scelta di tenerlo fuori nel finale: “Non era la sua serata. Il gruppo in campo ci stava dando la chance di vincere.” Flagg ha accettato la decisione: “Non stavo giocando bene. Coach ha fatto la scelta giusta.”