Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg Out for Mavericks vs. Spurs After Injury Scare

Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg will not play for the Dallas Mavericks against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, leaving coach Dusty May without two of his most prominent players in his home debut. Flagg is out after an MRI showed a mild sprain of his left shoulder, an injury he suffered in Dallas's win at Indiana the previous night. Irving is sitting out the second half of the back-to-back for load management.

How Flagg was injured

Flagg was hurt in the final minute of the first half of Friday's game against the Pacers. He had stolen the ball near midcourt and was driving toward the basket for an apparent dunk when Aaron Nesmith fouled him from behind. Flagg landed behind the baseline on his left shoulder and did not return. Nesmith was called for a Flagrant 1 foul, and a double technical was assessed after a brief shoving match.

Before leaving, Flagg led all scorers with 14 points, five rebounds and six assists in 17 minutes. He finished with 15 points, five rebounds and six assists, according to NBA.com's final tally. The league's last season's Rookie of the Year will be reevaluated next week.

Irving's return and load management

Irving is back on the court this season after being sidelined for 19 months with a torn ACL. He scored 15 points in 24 minutes in Dallas's season opener, a 128-110 loss at Houston. On Friday at Indiana, he scored 24 points and made 5-for-10 from three-point range.

The Mavericks' 121-105 win over the Pacers was their first under May. Dallas led 77-43 at halftime after a 22-6 first-quarter run and a 15-point burst in the second quarter. P.J. Washington added 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Mavericks' next steps

Dallas will be without its two highest-profile players against the Spurs, a game that marks May's first home game as coach. The team's next game is Monday night at Miami. May earned his first NBA coaching win about 80 miles from Terre Haute, Indiana, where he was born, and he led Michigan to the NCAA championship last season.

What we know so far: Flagg's shoulder injury is a mild sprain, and his status will be updated after next week's reevaluation. Irving's absence is planned rest rather than an injury.