Is Cooper Flagg Playing Tonight? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Mavericks vs. Pelicans)

The latest injury update for Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Monday night against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Dallas Mavericks rookie sensation Cooper Flagg has only missed one game so far in the 2025-26 season, but he's officially listed as questionable on Monday night against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Flagg is dealing with a back contusion, but he's coming off a 24-point game in over 36 minutes on Saturday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. So, it appears that Flagg still has a chance to play in this game as the Mavericks look to get back in the play-in tournament conversation in the Western Conference.

Dallas is actually a 1.5-point underdog on the road in this matchup, and that's partially due to the fact that New Orleans has won four games in a row and is starting to turn around what was an awful start to the 2025-26 season.

This season, Flagg has been everything the Mavs could have hoped for in a No. 1 overall pick, averaging 18.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 47.8 percent from the field and 23.4 percent from beyond the arc. Flagg hs 22 or more points in each of his last four games.

Even with the rising star listed as questionable for this game, he could be worth a look in the prop market if he's able to play on Monday.

Best Cooper Flagg Prop Bet vs. Pelicans

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Cooper Flagg UNDER 0.5 3-Pointers Made (+139)

This may seem like a fade of Flagg on Monday night, especially since the Pelicans rank 29th in the NBA in opponent 3-pointers made per game.

However, this is more just acknowledging that the No. 1 overall pick is not settling for 3-pointers when that's clearly not a strength of his game (he's shooting just 23.4 percent from deep).

Flagg has not made a 3 in five of his eight games this month and eight of his last 13 games overall. He shot 0-for-4 from deep in his last matchup with New Orleans, which does rank 12th in the NBA in opponent 3-point percentage.

In fact, Flagg has not attempted more than four shots from deep in a game since Nov. 12. So, there's going to be very low volume from him, and he's already not a plus shooter from 3. I don't mind getting him at plus money to remain an inside-the-arc scorer on Monday.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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