Cooper Flagg Exits Mavericks 121-108 Win Over Pacers With Shoulder Injury After Hard Foul Dallas Mavericks star Cooper Flagg left Friday's game against the Indiana Pacers with an apparent left shoulder injury after a hard foul by Aaron Nesmith in the final minute of the second quarter. The Mavericks won 121-108, but Flagg did not return. Dallas Mavericks star Cooper Flagg exited Friday night's game against the Indiana Pacers with an apparent left shoulder injury after taking a hard foul while attempting a layup. The injury occurred in the final minute of the second quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Flagg made a great defensive play to intercept a pass and broke down the court for what looked like an easy fastbreak layup. Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith hustled from behind and fouled him hard, sending Flagg to the ground, where he landed hard on his left shoulder. As Flagg lay on the ground, Naji Marshall and P.J.Nesmith And Marshall Get Flagrant FoulWashington ran up from halfcourt and confronted Nesmith. Marshall shoved him. The foul was upgraded to a Flagrant Foul Penalty 1, and both Nesmith and Marshall were assessed technical fouls. Pacers assistant coach Jenny Boucek dove into the fray to retrieve Nesmith.Flagg shot the free throws before exiting the game and going to the locker room with about 30 seconds left before halftime. While it was concerning that he left early, he was not acting like it was too serious. He was not available for the start of the second half and did not return. Before leaving, Flagg was having a tremendous game with 16 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals.The foul came when Dallas was up by 33 points, a turning point in the game. It was the second game of the season for both teams. The Mavericks held on to win 121-108. It was a tale of two games for the Mavericks, who were down 32 at halftime on Wednesday against the Houston Rockets but found themselves up by 34 at halftime of this game.Everything was rolling for the Mavs. At the break, they were 10/19 from three, had 6 turnovers to the Pacers' 13, and had 8 steals. Every team likes to have an enforcer for its stars, and Naji Marshall has been that ever since he signed with Dallas. He and P.J.Marshall Known For Protecting TeammatesWashington had a notable scuffle with the Phoenix Suns in the 2024-25 season, when Marshall punched Jusuf Nurkic after a hard foul on Daniel Gafford. Marshall and Washington are never going to let anything fly and will protect their teammates above all else. It is a sign of a good culture that guys want to stand up for their teammates.While it was an unnecessary foul by Aaron Nesmith, worse has been seen in the past, such as Andrew Bynum's cheap shot on JJ Barea in the 2011 playoffs. Flagg's injury is the main storyline here. If there is an update on his injury, this story will be updated. The Mavericks will be fired up about the win, but it might be overshadowed by concern for Flagg.