The Mavericks aren’t taking any chances with Cooper Flagg
All in all, the Mavericks should be very thin on Thursday night to face the Jazz. In addition to Anthony Davis, Derek Lively II, Kyrie Irving and Dante Exum, Cooper Flagg and Daniel Gafford should be taken away from Jason Kidd. Why predict that? Simply because they were both injured last night against the Nuggets.
“Cooper stepped on someone’s leg, and I think in the last game he also twisted his ankle. Jason Kidd explains. “The staff decided to save it for the second half.”
Already out with an ankle injury Monday against the Nets, Cooper Flagg injured his left ankle while defending Peyton Watson and then fouled out. He left the field for treatment, only to return three minutes later. Very much out of sorts until then, the Mavs rookie ended up not returning to the game.
Jason Kidd draws from his bench
As for Daniel Gafford, he got hurt in the third quarter. For him, it was also a sprained ankle, and he did not return to the game either.
It’s hard to imagine him being in uniform tonight against the Jazz, even if Jason Kidd hasn’t ruled it out. The Dallas coach simply said he didn’t know when the reporter asked him the question.
“Your character is tested in tough times, and this is a tough time for us. We’ve had a lot of injuries. Sometimes we joke that we’re finally healthy, but we’ve been injured since the first day of training camp.” Jason Kidd recalls. “So that’s the norm for us, and that’s how it is. Character is revealed in complicated moments: even when we’re down, we keep fighting. ‘Next man up’ isn’t just a phrase. Because of injuries, our two-way players give us energy. Ryan was good tonight. B. Will, too. Miles had some good shots…”
2026-01-15 07:46:00
