The Dallas Mavericks picked up their first win of the season on Friday night on the road against the Indiana Pacers, 121-105.
While it was big for them to pick up their first win, it came at a cost, as star forward Cooper Flagg took a hard foul on what should've been an open dunk in the second quarter, falling to the ground and landing on his left shoulder.
Aaron Nesmith, the Pacers player who fouled him, was assessed a Flagrant Foul, and then a technical foul after Mavericks forward Naji Marshall came up and shoved him, defending Flagg.
Flagg would stay in the game to shoot the free throws, but would head to the locker room with about 30 seconds left in the first half. He'd be ruled out for the rest of the game in the third quarter.
The Mavericks announced on Saturday afternoon that Flagg has a mild shoulder sprain, will be out for this game, and will be re-evaluated next week.
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) October 24, 2026The Dallas Mavericks announced today that Cooper Flagg underwent an MRI that revealed a mild left shoulder sprain.
Flagg will be listed as out for tonight’s game against San Antonio and will be re-evaluated next week. Further updates will be provided as appropriate.
Will Kyrie Irving Play on a Back-to-Back?
Kyrie Irving is still ramping up after his ACL surgery in March 2025. He's played the first two games, but he only played about 23 minutes in the first game against the Houston Rockets, then was on a minutes restriction on Friday against the Pacers. He ended up playing about 25 minutes, but he fouled out with about four minutes left, the first time he has ever fouled out.
That likely would've put his minutes restriction around 28 minutes, but with this being the first back-to-back of the season, fans were curious if Irving would play in Saturday's home opener.
According to Saturday's injury report, Kyrie Irving is questionable to play his first game in the American Airlines Center in over 600 days, not counting the preseason.
Full Mavericks-Spurs Injury Report
Outside of Flagg, the Mavericks are still missing a few other pieces.
Center Dereck Lively II will be out for the foreseeable future as he recovers from surgery on his right foot back in December. He's been traveling with the team, which is a good sign, but there has been no update on what his timeline could be.
Forward Santi Aldama is still recovering from knee surgery in March, and while Dusty May says that Aldama is close to returning, they're erring on the side of caution this early.
Sharpshooter Tarik Biberovic is dealing with bursitis in his right heel and remains out.
Wing Caleb Martin has a right thumb sprain and will be out. Coach May said he didn't see the injury happen, but that they're playing it safe for now.
Jett Howard is dealing with calf tightness and is doubtful.
Max Christie is questionable with a right shin contusion, rookie Morez Johnson Jr. is also questionable with right shin splints, as is Zaccharie Risacher, who is dealing with right hip soreness.
The Spurs have not released their injury report, but we'll update here once they do.
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