Two days after a shoulder sprain kept him out of the Mavericks’ home opener, Cooper Flagg played 40 minutes in Miami and got into a duel with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Flagg finished with 29 points, 11 assists and five steals, then blocked Andrew Wiggins’ three that would have put Miami ahead in the final minute of a 113-109 win for the Dallas Mavericks. Giannis got the triple-double. Flagg got the win.
Cooper Flagg Return: 29 Points, 11 Assists and a Game-Saving Block
Flagg scored 12 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter and his block of Wiggins’ three-point try with 31 seconds left preserved a two-point lead. A driving layup with 10 seconds left made it a four-point game. He shot 12-of-23, which means 10-of-15 inside the arc and 2-of-8 from three, and his 11 assists tied a career high. He opened in full facilitator mode with five first-quarter assists, including four straight possessions with one. And he did all of it without looking hurt. He attacked the rim relentlessly and finished with his left hand, the side of the shoulder that forced him out of Friday’s game.
The Duel With Giannis
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 29 points and his first triple-double since joining the Heat, and it wasn’t enough. Miami fell to 0-4, its first such start since 2007-08. Flagg tied him at 29 points and won the game. Coach Dusty May said Dallas just put the ball in Flagg’s hands late “and knew he’d make a great decision.” For a 19-year-old in his second season, that’s a vote of confidence worth noting. Last year’s Rookie of the Year averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists. This version is already getting trusted with the game on the line.
The Flagrant Foul Behind It All
This started Friday in Indiana. Late in the second quarter of a 121-105 Dallas win, Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith hit Flagg with a hard foul on a breakaway. It was ruled a Flagrant 1. Naji Marshall confronted Nesmith, a scuffle broke out and both received technicals. An MRI on Saturday morning revealed a mild left shoulder sprain, and Flagg missed Saturday’s home opener, a loss to San Antonio, with plans to be reevaluated this week. He went through shootaround Monday, was upgraded to probable, and played 40 minutes.
Was Forty Minutes the Right Call?
It worked, but I’m not sure it was an easy one. Dallas is 2-2, and its injury report keeps growing. Sergio De Larrea left the game early with an injury, and Marcus Sasser struggled, so May turned to Walter Clayton Jr.. That left even more of the night on Flagg. Playing a 19-year-old with a fresh sprain for 40 minutes in a four-point game is a gamble the Mavericks will take when they need to. But the Cooper Flagg return shouldn’t hide the point that Dallas is leaning very hard on a player who needed an MRI three days ago.
Cooper Flagg Return From Shoulder Sprain Came With a Giannis Twist