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

Dallas Mavericks star rookie Cooper Flagg has missed the last eight games with a midfoot sprain, but it appears he's nearing a return to action.

Flagg is listed as questionable on the front end of a back-to-back on Thursday against the Orlando Magic. Dallas plays the Boston Celtics -- Flagg's hometown team -- on Friday night.

After missing seven games with a midfoot sprain, Flagg was listed as doubtful earlier this week for Dallas. While he didn't play in the game, it was a sign that the 2025 No. 1 overall pick was getting closer to a return.

Cooper Flagg has been upgraded to questionable for Thursday’s game at Orlando after missing Dallas’ past eight games due to a left midfoot sprain. https://t.co/yYYc8AUPQD
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) March 4, 2026

Even with Flagg potentially set to play on Thursday, oddsmakers have set the Mavericks as 8.5-point underdogs on the road in this matchup. Dallas has dropped four games in a row, and it's just 7-20 straight up on the road in the 2025-26 season.

Flagg's potential return would do wonders for his Rookie of the Year odds, as he's fallen behind Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel in that market. DraftKings Sportsbook has Flagg at +145 to win Rookie of the Year while Knueppel is the odds-on favorite at -180.

"Flagg getting shut down or playing less will definitely alter the odds for ROY,” a FanDuel trader toldSports 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.”

Dallas is tanking at this point in the 2025-26 season, so it doesn't have much of an incentive to rush Flagg back into action. Since this game begins a back-to-back for Dallas, it wouldn't be shocking if Flagg misses either tonight's game or tomorrow's game to manage his foot injury.

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 4-8 in the 12 games that the No. 1 overall pick has missed.

This story will be updated with Flagg's official status for Thursday's game against the Magic.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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