The Dallas Mavericks may have just received their toughest blow of the season tonight, during a blowout loss to the Denver Nuggets. Amid a season that has been riddled with countless setbacks, fans held their breath as rookie standout Cooper Flagg briefly left the game near halftime with an ankle injury.
Cooper Flagg limps to the locker room for the second consecutive game due to a visible limp with an issue related to his left ankle. pic.twitter.com/z7guEfGtrd
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) January 15, 2026
He was defending a drive to the rim when he lost his footing, slipped, and fell backward on the court. He landed awkwardly on his foot and clearly grimaced in pain as he assessed the damage. Flagg later returned to the Mavericks’ bench, seemingly making himself available before both teams went to their locker rooms for halftime.
While some fans breathed a sigh of relief when Flagg returned to the floor in the second quarter, many were worried that putting him back into the fold so soon could risk further injury. This marks the second-straight game that Flagg has tweaked his ankle, and most teams would err on the side of caution rather than let him play with a messed-up ankle.
Understandably, the Mavericks elected to take the cautious approach tonight. Coming out of halftime, Ryan Nembhard got the start while Flagg was nowhere to be seen on the bench. While he looked well enough after coming back, fans caught him wincing several times after he re-took the court for Dallas. In 15 minutes, Flagg totaled six points, one rebound, one assist, zero steals, and one block per game on 33.3% shooting (0-3 from three).
Not long after Flagg’s setback, the Mavericks’ night got even worse with Daniel Gafford going down. That marks two players out in one game.
Daniel Gafford heads to the locker room after being looked at on the bench. He was in visible pain coming off the court. pic.twitter.com/TTltLQVNjq
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) January 15, 2026
For Flagg, while this doesn’t look like a serious setback, the Mavericks need all hands on deck right now to turn this disappointing season around. At 15-25 (likely 15-26 after tonight), they are currently out of the play-in picture at 12th in the standings. With Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving already sidelined, any absence for Flagg (however short) threatens to throw this season into further despair for Dallas.
Through 39 games this season, the rookie forward is averaging 19.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game on 48.0% shooting and 29.3% shooting from three. He’s the leading front-runner for Rookie of the Year so far, and the lone bright spot in what has been a miserable season for Dallas.
If they have to go without Flagg, we can expect Dallas to struggle as they try to make up for the loss of their go-to offensive engine. We can also look for guys like Jaden Hardy, Naji Marshall, and Ryan Nembhard to step up in elevated roles. For now, the Mavericks are still hoping for the best while preparing for the worst. Regardless of the recovery plans, Cooper’s play could decide what happens next as the Mavericks approach a critical stretch of the season.
