Will Mavericks' Cooper Flagg play against New Orleans Pelicans?

The Dallas Mavericks are playing on the first night of a back-to-back on Monday as they get ready to play the New Orleans Pelicans. Both teams have been playing well recently, with the Mavericks winning 6 of their last 9 games and the Pelicans winning four straight.

Mavericks star rookie Cooper Flagg is no longer an 18-year-old, as he turned 19 on Sunday. He had one of the best campaigns ever for an 18-year-old, finishing behind only LeBron James and Kobe Bryant for scoring, and he also became the youngest player to score 40+ points in a game, as well as the youngest to have 10+ assists. It was as impressive a start to a career as one could have.

However, Flagg enters Monday's game on the injury report as questionable due to a back contusion. He could be seen on Saturday night against the Philadelphia 76ers putting a heating pad on his back at one point, but still ended up leading the team in scoring with 24 points (Anthony Davis also had 24).

Flagg has played through a few different things this year, but mainly has had a thumb splint on his shooting hand for over a month at this point. He hasn't missed any games due to the splint, only sitting out one game this year due to an illness against the New York Knicks. With this being the first night of a back-to-back, he may miss one of the next two games to save him for Christmas.

Dec 20, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) passes the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Full Dallas Mavericks-New Orleans Pelicans Injury Report

The Mavericks ended up with six players on the injury report, including Cooper Flagg.

Max Christie (illness) and Klay Thompson (right knee soreness) are both questionable. Thompson had this injury designation on Saturday, but ended up playing against the 76ers. Again, with this being the first night of a back-to-back, he could miss one of the next two games.

Kyrie Irving (left knee surgery recovery) is still out with no clear timeline for his return, even if rumors are starting to pop up that he could return in January. Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery) and Dante Exum (right knee surgery) are out for the season. Lively just had his surgery this weekend, with the team making the announcement that he had his operation in London.

For the Pelicans, they'll be without Dejounte Murray (right Achilles tendon rupture) while Herbert Jones (migraine) is questionable.

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