{"id":640651,"date":"2026-03-05T09:04:44","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T09:04:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/640651\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T09:04:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T09:04:44","slug":"cooper-flagg-naji-marshall-klay-thompson-upgraded","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/640651\/","title":{"rendered":"Cooper Flagg, Naji Marshall, Klay Thompson Upgraded"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cooper Flagg<\/a> has been upgraded to questionable ahead of Thursday\u2019s game against the Orlando Magic, and the Dallas Mavericks are getting healthier elsewhere on the roster. Klay Thompson<\/a>, Naji Marshall<\/a>, and Brandon Williams<\/a> are all listed as probable.<\/p>\n

The updates come one day after Dallas lost 117-90 to the Charlotte Hornets<\/a> in the opening game of a six-game road trip. The Mavericks shot 3-of-22 from three-point range against a Charlotte team that went 20-of-51 from deep. The loss extended the streak to 14 defeats in the last 16 games and dropped Dallas to 21-40 on the season.<\/p>\n

Thursday is the second night of a back-to-back. Getting Thompson and Marshall back in uniform gives the Mavericks two of their more reliable perimeter options after both sat out in Charlotte \u2014 Thompson with a right adductor contusion and Marshall with a right finger contusion. Flagg\u2019s upgrade adds another layer of optimism, though the back-to-back timing could push his return to Friday in Boston.<\/p>\n

Cooper Flagg Upgraded to Questionable<\/p>\n

Flagg has missed eight consecutive games with a left midfoot sprain, but the designation change to questionable marks another step forward. DallasHoopsJournal.com<\/a> observed him going through a full workout at Spectrum Center on Tuesday \u2014 no visible hesitation on the left foot, launching off his left foot without issue, and shooting one-legged jumpers planted on the left. The activity was consistent with a player nearing a return. Coach Jason Kidd<\/a> was asked about the timeline before Tuesday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s ramping up,\u201d Kidd said. \u201cEverything is going well. Today he was going to get back into his routine, and hopefully, as we go on this road trip, he can get out and play in a game or two.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thursday is the second night of a back-to-back for Dallas, which factors into the decision. The more natural target has been Friday in Boston \u2014 Flagg grew up in Nokomis, Maine, a short drive from TD Garden, and the Celtics game comes around once a season. It would be difficult to envision him not playing by then at the latest. His status will be worth monitoring throughout the day on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Before going down, Flagg was averaging 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.8 blocks on 48.2% shooting across 49 games \u2014 leading Dallas in scoring and steals.<\/p>\n

Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, and Brandon Williams All Probable<\/p>\n

Thompson sat out Tuesday in Charlotte with a right adductor contusion after leaving Sunday\u2019s loss in Oklahoma City early. He was on the sideline at Charlotte\u2019s shootaround in street clothes rather than team gear \u2014 a sign he would not play. He is upgraded to probable on Thursday. Thompson has shot 47.3% from the field this season and has been one of Dallas\u2019s primary perimeter options when healthy. His return gives the Mavericks a significant boost on a night they will likely need him from three.<\/p>\n

Marshall has been out four straight games with a right finger contusion, but he was on the court at Charlotte\u2019s shootaround with a ball in his hands despite the out designation. He is upgraded to probable on Thursday. In his time in the starting rotation, Marshall averaged 15.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists on 53.1% shooting \u2014 one of the more productive stretches by a Dallas player this season.<\/p>\n

Williams, who led the Mavericks with 18 points Tuesday, going 10-of-11 from the free-throw line in the 117-90 loss to Charlotte, is listed as probable with a left quad contusion.<\/p>\n

Marvin Bagley III Remains Out With Neck Sprain<\/p>\n

Marvin Bagley III<\/a>\u2018s neck sprain stems from a Feb. 26 game against Sacramento, when he took a knee to the head in the third quarter and went to the locker room. He was able to return and finish that game \u2014 a 130-121 Kings win \u2014 but developed a neck problem from the incident and has not played since. There is no timetable for his return.<\/p>\n

At Charlotte\u2019s shootaround Tuesday, Bagley went through an extended dynamic stretching session before moving into an on-court workout \u2014 progress, but not enough to clear him for game action. Kidd was asked about what Bagley has brought to the roster in the short time since arriving in the Anthony Davis<\/a> trade.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a pro,\u201d Kidd said. \u201cWhen you look at his ability to come off the bench and give us that energy \u2014 things that we might not have had here in the past. Just the offensive rebounding. It just feels like he\u2019s been with us since training camp.\u201d<\/p>\n

In seven games with Dallas, Bagley averaged 13.0 points and 8.9 rebounds on 61.3% shooting.<\/p>\n

Two-Way Players Questionable With Games Eligibility in Play<\/p>\n

John Poulakidas<\/a>, Tyler Smith<\/a>, and Moussa Ciss\u00e9 are all listed as questionable as two-way players. Ciss\u00e9 did not play in Tuesday\u2019s loss to Charlotte. Poulakidas played 14 minutes in his Mavericks debut Tuesday, finishing with five rebounds and two assists. Smith did not dress.<\/p>\n

With the two-ways limited in how many games they can appear in at the NBA level, Kidd indicated the staff will have to be deliberate about when they use them. Managing their eligibility over a six-game road trip means not every game will be the right spot.<\/p>\n

Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II Traveling With Team<\/p>\n

Irving and Lively are both out for the season but are traveling with the team. Irving has been sidelined since March 3, 2025, when he tore his ACL against the Sacramento Kings. He was putting in work on the sideline in Charlotte \u2014 doing full-court sprints after resistance work \u2014 showing continued progress toward a return next season. Before the injury last year, he averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists on 47.3% shooting in 50 games.<\/p>\n

Lively underwent season-ending foot surgery in December to address swelling and discomfort in the same foot he had operated on the previous July. The Mavericks expect him back for training camp next fall. In seven games before the surgery this season, he averaged 4.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.6 blocks in 16.4 minutes per game.<\/p>\n

What to Know About the Orlando Magic<\/p>\n

Orlando enters Thursday sitting seventh in the Eastern Conference, pushing to avoid the play-in. Paolo Banchero<\/a> matched his season high with 37 points in a 126-109 win over Washington on Tuesday, the same back-to-back opener Dallas just played in Charlotte.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re approaching every game as a playoff-level game,\u201d Banchero said. \u201cEvery game counts for us at this part of the season, and we\u2019re trying to fight for position in the standings. Just coming in with that mentality and preparing the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Magic are dealing with their own injury concerns heading into Thursday. Anthony Black<\/a> (right quad contusion) and Wendell Carter Jr.<\/a> (left ankle soreness) are both questionable. Franz Wagner<\/a> is out with a high left ankle sprain. Jalen Suggs<\/a> returned Tuesday after missing three games with a back injury and had 10 points, nine assists, two steals, and two blocks against Washington.<\/p>\n

Dallas comes in having lost 14 of its last 16 and looking to get back on track before a pivotal stretch of the road trip.<\/p>\n

Tip-off Thursday is at 6 p.m. CT at Kia Center in Orlando.<\/p>\n

Latest Dallas Mavericks News & NBA Rumors<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cooper Flagg has been upgraded to questionable ahead of Thursday\u2019s game against the Orlando Magic, and the Dallas…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":640652,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3779],"tags":[7,10823,225,149,3716,498,48,6338,5989,6,8889,3101,47,76,3883,402],"class_list":["post-640651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando-magic","tag-basketball","tag-brandon-williams","tag-cooper-flagg","tag-dallas-mavericks","tag-jason-kidd","tag-klay-thompson","tag-magic","tag-marvin-bagley-iii","tag-naji-marshall","tag-nba","tag-nba-injury-report","tag-nba-news","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-magic","tag-orlandomagic","tag-paolo-banchero"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116175769710982568","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=640651"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640651\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/640652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=640651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=640651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=640651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}