After appearing in a pair of games this week, Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg is back on the injury report for Sunday’s contest at Toronto, writes Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (subscription required). Flagg, who missed close to a month with a left midfoot sprain, admitted that the foot was bothering him in Friday’s game at Boston.
“It was a little awkward,” said Flagg, who’s listed as questionable. “It was a little sore, but it was something I could play through. It was a little tender, but nothing I couldn’t deal with.”
Flagg played 30 minutes on Friday, but had to leave the game for evaluation after slipping in the first quarter. He went through stretching and movement drills with a trainer, then rode the stationary bike for a while before returning to action. He shot a combined 14-of-45 in the two games since the injury, but he attributes that to the long layoff rather than his health.
“I’m getting to my spots and taking the shots I want,” Flagg said. “They’re just not falling right now. It’s about getting my rhythm and touch back, and I’m not worried about it.”
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Marvin Bagley III has been upgraded to questionable for Sunday after missing the past five games with a neck sprain, Afseth adds. Bagley, who was acquired from Washington as part of last month’s Anthony Davis trade, has been productive since joining the Mavericks, averaging 13.0 points and 8.9 rebounds in seven games.
- Grizzlies forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper has his sights set higher after being promoted from a two-way contract to a standard deal this week, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal states in a subscriber-only story. Prosper said he’s “grateful, but not satisfied” and wants to prove himself even more during the final five weeks of the season. “It’s just belief in myself and trusting that everything is going to work out,” Prosper said. “Staying true to the process. Staying true to my work. It was definitely something that I’m very grateful about (and) very happy.”
- The Spurs continued their remarkable season by erasing a 25-point deficit in Friday’s win over the Clippers, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN. Victor Wembanyama said after the game that he was “about to pass out” and called it one of the high points of his time in the NBA. “That was one of the best wins,” he added. “That was one of the best games, best parts of my career, my basketball life.”