ORLANDO, Fla. — Dallas Mavericks star Cooper Flagg will make his return to the lineup Thursday against the Orlando Magic after being sidelined for more than three weeks.
Flagg, who has missed the Mavericks’ past eight games with a left midfoot sprain, will play between 20 and 25 minutes, coach Jason Kidd said. The rookie’s return will be a boost for the struggling Mavericks, who have lost four straight games and are in 12th place in the Western Conference.
“It’s great,” Kidd said. “He can run the offense, he can set the tone for his teammates. And also, he can score left and right. I thought he was starting to shoot the ball really well before the injury. Also, the pace. Being able to play a lot faster with Cooper. Being able to rebound and go.”
Flagg’s left foot injury occurred in a Feb. 10 game against the Phoenix Suns. On Feb. 19, Kidd described Flagg’s status as “day to day,” but Flagg still missed Dallas’ first seven games after the All-Star break as the team took a cautious approach to his return.
Flagg was unable to play Tuesday against the Charlotte Hornets. Without him, the Mavericks scored 90 points, the second-fewest points they’ve scored in a game this season. Meanwhile, Hornets guard Kon Knueppel — Flagg’s former college teammate at Duke and his primary competition for the Rookie of the Year award — scored 13 points.
Flagg, who is averaging 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks, has played in 49 games this season, while Knueppel has played in 62. The home stretch of the regular season could determine which one of them wins the Rookie of the Year award.
The Mavericks are in the midst of a season-long six-game road trip. After facing the Magic on Thursday, they play the Boston Celtics on Friday in what will effectively be a homecoming game for Flagg, who grew up in Newport, Maine — a 3 1/2-hour drive from T.D. Garden.