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

Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg has missed the last seven games with a midfoot sprain, but he's been upgraded on the team's injury report ahead of Tuesday night's game against the Charlotte Hornets.

Flagg is listed as doubtful against Charlotte, a sign that he's still a few days away from returning. Earlier this week, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that there is optimism that Flagg is nearing a return from his foot injury, which means he could play on Thursday against Orlando or Friday against Boston.

The Mavericks have officially listed Cooper Flagg (left midfoot sprain) as doubtful for Tuesday’s game in Charlotte against fellow Rookie of the Year top contender Kon Knueppel.

Doubtful is at least a step up from Flagg’s outright OUT classification for the past seven games. https://t.co/0cHy8vHhWb
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) March 2, 2026

This season, Flagg is averaging 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 30.2 percent from beyond the arc. The Mavs are just 4-7 in the 11 games that the No. 1 overall pick has missed.

Dallas is a 12.5-point road underdog in Charlotte on Tuesday, a sign that Flagg will not play in this game. Oddsmakers at DraftKings have set Dallas at +470 to win this game to snap a three-game skid.

Flagg's foot injury has helped Dallas fall even further in the Western Conference, which could lead to the team landing a top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. However, it has also pushed him behind Charlotte's Kon Knueppel in the latest odds to win the Rookie of the Year.

Knueppel is now the odds-on favorite in the market, and Flagg won't have a chance to go head-to-head against his college teammate if he's eventually downgraded to out on Tuesday. Earlier this week, a FanDuel trader told me that Flagg's injury has certainly changed the scope of the Rookie of the Year race.

"Flagg getting shut down or playing less will definitely alter the odds for ROY,” a FanDuel trader told Sports Illustrated. “Already a fairly close race, and we think if Flagg isn't contributing much down the stretch and Kon is contributing to a winning team, voters will recognize that.”

Flagg's next chance to play will come on Thursday in Orlando, but it's possible Dallas will hold him out until Friday's game in Boston (since it is a back-to-back). Flagg, who is frome Maine, is making his first appearance in Boston of his NBA career on Friday.

Dallas will likely remain a major underdog in any game Flagg misses the rest of the season.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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