Cooper Flagg sprains an ankle and is ruled out after halftime as Mavs lose to Nuggets

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg was ruled out for the second half of a 118-109 loss to Denver on Wednesday night after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half Wednesday night.

Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson, and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6:01 left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2:35 before the break.

The 19-year-old didn't come of the locker room for the second half before the announcement that he was out for the game. Flagg injured the same ankle two nights earlier, leaving briefly to get it taped before returning and leading Dallas with 27 points in a 113-105 victory over Brooklyn.

“He stepped on someone’s foot,” coach Jason Kidd said. “Last game, he twisted his ankle, too. We decided to hold him (out) for the second half.”

Kidd said he didn't know if Flagg, who wasn't available to reporters after the game, or center Daniel Gafford would play the second game of a back-to-back against Utah on Thursday night. Gafford was ruled out during the second half against Denver with a right ankle sprain that has bothered him most of the season.

Flagg was playing his 40th game, three more than his only season as a Duke standout when he led the Blue Devils to the Final Four as The Associated Press men's player of the year.

Flagg missed just one game in the first 41 of the Mavericks, due to an illness in November. The Rookie of the Year contender is averaging 18.8 points and 6.3 rebounds.

Before Gafford exited, the Mavericks were already without their top two frontcourt players in 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis and young center Dereck Lively II. Davis is expected to be sidelined about six weeks with ligament damage in his left hand, and Lively is out for the season following foot surgery.

“This is a hard time for us,” Kidd said. “We have had a lot of injuries. … We have been hurt since day one of training camp. This is the norm. The character has been displayed in tough times of being down. But we keep fighting.”

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Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg walks on the court after briefly leaving to the locker room during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) shoots a basket against Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg leaves the court and heads to the locker room during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, right, goes up for a basket against Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian drone struck a train near the Ukraine- Poland border on Sunday shortly after senior visiting officials — including the former prime ministers of the U.K. and Sweden -- passed through, Ukraine’s state rail operator said.

According to Ukrzaliznytsia, a diplomatic train carrying Boris Johnson, Carl Bildt and security advisers from several European Union states had purposely left the station at Yahodyn ahead of schedule. The visitors were on their way back from a security conference in Kyiv.

“It is highly probable that the Russian drone ’s intended target was in fact the diplomatic train, which had departed the station earlier than scheduled,” the company said in a Telegram post.

Bildt, the former Swedish PM, shared a video on X of the attack at Yahodyn station, near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing with Poland.

“This wasn't our train, but the one just minutes after us by the Polish border crossing,” Bildt said. “It was evacuated as the Russian drone approached and no one was hurt. Very good safety system. Our train just had an evacuation warning.”

Bildt, Johnson and fellow passengers had been in Kyiv for the Yalta European Strategy conference, which is an annual gathering of leaders and experts across politics, business, security and media.

Another train, with former CIA Director David Petraeus on board, was still at Yahodyn station when the drone struck, according to Ukrzaliznytsia.

There were no immediate reports of casualties on any of the trains.

Ukrzaliznytsia said it “constantly adjusts train schedules” to guard against strikes.

“I don’t know what warped logic drove Putin to blow up a stationary Ukrainian locomotive on the Polish border this morning,” Johnson wrote in a post on X.

“What we can say for sure is that this is the kind of random and senseless attack Ukrainians are enduring every day — even on civilian railways,” he added.

Earlier on Sunday, a Russian drone hit a truck less than a mile from Polish territory, according to border guards, forcing the temporary closure of the Yahodyn-Dorohusk crossing.

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Ukrzaliznytsia Railway Company Press Office, a locomotive damaged in a Russian drone attack is seen at Yahodyn railway station near Ukraine's border with Poland, Ukraine, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (Ukrainian Ukrzaliznytsia Railway Company Press Office via AP)