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

Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg has been out since before the All-Star break with a midfoot sprain, and he remains sidelined on Sunday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Sunday will be the seventh game in a row that Flagg has missed, and it has shifted his odds in the NBA's Rookie of the Year race.

Flagg is now +175 at DraftKings to win Rookie of the Year, which puts him behind his college teammate Kn Knueppel (-135) in the latest odds. This is a sign that Flagg's injury issues could totally derail his Rookie of the Year case, as he's appeared in just 49 games this season.

Cooper Flagg (foot) listed out for Sunday.
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) February 28, 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 3. The Mavs star would likely be the favorite in the Rookie of the Year market if he was healthy, but it remains unclear when he could return to action. During the All-Star break, the rookie was seen in a walking boot.

Dallas is tanking at this point in the season, so it has no incentive to rush Flagg back into action over the final month-plus of the regular season.

With the 2025 No. 1 overall pick out of the lineup on Sunday, oddsmakers have set the Thunder as 15.5-point road favorites in this matchup. When Flagg plays this season, the Mavs are 17-32, but they've won just four of 10 games without him and have dropped eight of their last 10.

Flagg's next chance to play will be on Tuesday on the road against the Charlotte Hornets -- his last matchup against Knueppel in the 2025-26 regular season. Since Flagg has been ruled out well in advance of the Mavs' last seven games, it's hard to see him returning to the floor on Tuesday without a positive update on his recovery.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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