Cooper Flagg will end up missing his first All-Star weekend after all.
The Dallas Mavericks rookie underwent an MRI on Wednesday that revealed a left midfoot sprain, the team announced. He will now miss the Mavericks' game with the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday and won't participate in the Rising Stars game at the Intuit Dome on Friday to kick off All-Star Weekend in Southern California.
While Flagg won't get to participate in the weekend's festivities, the injury is arriving at perhaps the best time for the Mavericks. Flagg isn't expected to miss any further time recovering, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon. The Mavericks will return from the All-Star break on Feb. 20 for a matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, giving Flagg more than a week to recover.
Flagg, whom the Mavericks selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft last summer, has averaged 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game this season. The former Duke star has shot just better than 48% from the field. Flagg had a game-high 27 points and five assists in Dallas' 120-111 loss to the Phoenix Suns in Arizona on Tuesday night.
But despite a strong start to his rookie campaign, the Mavericks have struggled lately. The team will enter Thursday's game at Crypto.com Arena with a 19-34 record. They have lost eight straight and sit in 12th in the Western Conference standings, which has them on pace to miss the playoffs for a second straight year.
It's unclear who will replace Flagg in the Rising Stars game. Flagg was on Team Melo with head coach Carmelo Anthony. That, along with the celebrity game and the HBCU Classic, will kick off All-Star Weekend on Friday night.