Cooper Flagg Scare After Hard Foul by Nesmith

Dallas Mavericks' first season victory left a bitter taste. The Texans dominated the Indiana Pacers (121-105) and led by as much as 37 points, but lost Cooper Flagg before halftime following a nasty fall that has the franchise worried.

The play occurred late in the second quarter with the Mavericks up 33 points. Flagg was running alone toward the basket for a dunk on a fast break when Aaron Nesmith came from behind attempting to block. He didn't touch the ball, but he did hit the player, who lost his balance in the air and fell hard on the court. The referees called a Type 1 technical foul on Nesmith. Flagg got up, made both free throws, and asked to be substituted with obvious signs of shoulder pain. He did not return to play.

Awaiting Tests

Dusty May was cautious after the game. "Cooper has shoulder pain and we'll need to evaluate him over the next few days," explained the Mavericks head coach. When asked if an MRI would be necessary, he didn't want to jump ahead: "I don't know. I saw him in good spirits in the locker room, but we'll know what we need to know in the coming days."

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Dallas players criticized Nesmith's play while Flagg remained on the floor, but May wanted to downplay the incident. "Nesmith is a good guy and a great player. I've known him since high school and it was simply an unfortunate play. I just hope Cooper is okay," he said. The scare comes at the worst possible time for the Mavericks, who have Santi Aldama sidelined with a knee surgery and were coming off a loss in Houston in a game where Flagg was their leading scorer with 32 points.