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Mavericks Announce Cooper Flagg News After Missing 1 Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Nov 20, 2025 5:59 PM ET

Cooper Flagg missed his first NBA game on Wednesday night as the Dallas Mavericks suffered a tough 113-111 loss to Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft was unable to suit up due to illness, leaving Dallas extremely shorthanded for the Knicks matchup.

It was D’Angelo Russell (23 points, seven assists) and Naji Marshall (23 points, three triples) who came off the bench to lead the Mavs on Wednesday. Despite their effort, however, Dallas still fell short against the Knicks at home, marking its fifth loss in six games.

Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first half at Target Center.Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Flagg has been one of the few bright spots for the Mavericks this season. The rookie has dealt with some growing pains, but there’s no denying that Flagg has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his first 15 NBA games. During this stretch, the 6-foot-9 guard-forward has produced averages of 15.5 points on 45.5% shooting, 6.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 triples in 33.7 minutes per contest.

The Mavs are back in action on Friday to battle the New Orleans Pelicans. The good news for Flagg is that he has been cleared to return for that game. Dallas announced via the official injury report on Thursday that the former Duke Blue Devils star is available to play against New Orleans.

Anthony Davis, however, remains out for the Mavs as the 10-time All-Star continues to nurse a lingering calf injury. Dallas announced on Sunday that Davis will be re-evaluated in seven to 10 days, meaning Flagg and Co. will still need to navigate the next few games without their star big man.

Dallas enters Friday’s matchup against the Pelicans with a 4-12 record. As of writing, they are 13th in the Western Conference.

New Orleans, however, owns the worst record in the conference at 2-13, which should give the Mavs a good opportunity to get back to the win column against a hapless Pelicans side.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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