{"id":455995,"date":"2026-02-12T19:49:53","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T19:49:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/455995\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T19:49:53","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T19:49:53","slug":"cooper-flagg-ruled-out-against-los-angeles-lakers-wont-play-in-rising-stars-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/455995\/","title":{"rendered":"Cooper Flagg Ruled Out Against Los Angeles Lakers, Won’t Play In Rising Stars Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dallas Mavericks will be without Cooper Flagg<\/a> for at least Thursday\u2019s game against the Los Angeles Lakers, along with NBA All-Star Weekend. <\/p>\n

Flagg suffered a left midfoot sprain during Tuesday\u2019s 120-111 loss to the Phoenix Suns<\/a>. An MRI confirmed the diagnosis, and he has been ruled out for Thursday\u2019s road game against the Los Angeles Lakers as well as Friday\u2019s 2026 Castrol Rising Stars event.<\/p>\n

The injury adds to a growing list of availability concerns for a Mavericks team attempting to halt an eight-game losing streak before the break.<\/p>\n

MRI Confirms Midfoot Sprain for Cooper Flagg<\/p>\n

Flagg exited Tuesday\u2019s game after playing 36 minutes and finishing with 27 points and five rebounds. He shot 8-of-20 from the field and went 11-of-14 from the free-throw line, continuing an aggressive stretch offensively despite Dallas falling into a 31-point deficit earlier in the contest.<\/p>\n

An MRI conducted after the game confirmed a left midfoot sprain. The Mavericks have officially ruled him out against the Lakers, and the injury will also sideline him for the Rising Stars showcase. <\/p>\n

The early sentiment is that Flagg\u2019s injury is not expected to cause a long-term absence. He will have the All-Star break to recover before the Mavericks return to action on Feb. 20 against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center to begin a three-game road trip. <\/p>\n

Impact on the Dallas Mavericks\u2019 Rotation<\/p>\n

Flagg has played in 49 games this season, averaging 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 34.1 minutes per game. He is shooting 48.2% from the field, 30.2% from three-point range and 80.4% from the free-throw line, posting a 56.0% true shooting percentage.<\/p>\n

He leads Dallas in scoring and has totaled 999 points, 321 rebounds and 202 assists, while also contributing 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks per contest.<\/p>\n

Without Flagg, the Mavericks lose their primary offensive engine. The burden could shift further to players such as Naji Marshall<\/a> and P. J. Washington \u2014 though Marshall\u2019s availability is also uncertain. Marshall (left foot strain) is listed as questionable, as is Caleb Martin<\/a> (left ankle sprain).<\/p>\n

Dallas has already been managing longer-term absences, and Flagg\u2019s injury compounds a rotation that has lacked continuity in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

One positive development is the return of Klay Thompson<\/a> from rest, giving the Mavericks an additional perimeter scoring option. Meanwhile, Khris Middleton<\/a> could see an expanded role as he continues acclimating to the team following last week\u2019s trade. Middleton\u2019s playmaking and veteran presence become even more important with Flagg sidelined.<\/p>\n

What Comes Next<\/p>\n

The Mavericks have not provided a timetable beyond ruling Flagg out for Thursday and Friday. Midfoot sprains can vary in severity, and further evaluation is expected during the All-Star break.<\/p>\n

For Dallas, the immediate priority becomes stabilizing its lineup and regaining momentum once play resumes. Flagg\u2019s absence removes the team\u2019s leading scorer at a time when the margin for error has already been thin, and with additional injury questions still looming.<\/p>\n

Latest Dallas Mavericks News & Trade Rumors<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Dallas Mavericks will be without Cooper Flagg for at least Thursday\u2019s game against the Los Angeles Lakers,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":455996,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5117],"tags":[55380,7645,196,5047,147,5278,5,12888,2068,555,44750,21101,4,197],"class_list":{"0":"post-455995","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas-stars","8":"tag-castrol-rising-stars","9":"tag-cooper-flagg","10":"tag-dallas","11":"tag-dallas-mavericks","12":"tag-dallas-stars","13":"tag-dallasstars","14":"tag-hockey","15":"tag-jason-kidd","16":"tag-los-angeles-lakers","17":"tag-nba","18":"tag-nba-injuries","19":"tag-nba-news","20":"tag-nhl","21":"tag-stars"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116059401341820526","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/455995","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=455995"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/455995\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/455996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=455995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=455995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=455995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}