NBA Notes: Mavericks, Cooper Flagg, Suns, Jalen Green, Nets

Mavericks

Cooper Flagg was frustrated earlier in the week. Then the Mavericks finally went on the road and picked up a win in Washington and he felt like they at least steadied things a bit. Christian Clark of The Athletic wrote that Flagg looked relieved postgame.

Either way, coach Jason Kidd said this is just the reality of entering the league. It is 82 games. It is not Duke. It is not high school. You learn fast.

“I think you learn really fast when you play 82 games with the best players in the world,” Kidd said. “It is not high school. It is not college. You lose more than six games. There are lessons to be learned.

“It does not take you from becoming a champion or one of the best players in the world. You have to adjust and understand that you are going to lose. But you learn from losing each time you take the floor.”

Kidd also told reporters Saturday that Dante Exum is being reevaluated for the right knee issue that has kept him out all season, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal.

Exum has not practiced since early in training camp.

Suns

Phoenix fears Jalen Green could miss some time after tweaking that right hamstring again Saturday against the Clippers.

Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic wrote that Green felt a sharp pain after he swung a pass to Ryan Dunn in the corner late in the first quarter.

He immediately grabbed the hamstring, hobbled toward the bench and needed help getting to the locker room. He was ruled out pretty quickly.

This was only his second appearance since being acquired from Houston in that monster Kevin Durant deal. His debut came Thursday when he put up 29 points. He missed the first eight games with the same hamstring issue.

“Injuries suck, but he will work hard,” Dillon Brooks told reporters.

John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 expects imaging once they get back home and estimates Green could miss four to six weeks.

Coach Jordan Ott said expectations stay the same.

“This team will have no excuses,” Ott said. “We lace them up, go out and play.”

He did acknowledge how tough the moment was for Green. “You just feel for him,” Ott added. “He worked so hard to get back.”

Dunn and Grayson Allen figure to get more minutes in the short term.

Phoenix at least got Brooks back after a core muscle issue. He returned with 16 points, two rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes. His late three helped snuff out a Clippers rally.

Nets

Egor Demin made his first NBA start Friday and with Cam Thomas sidelined by a hamstring strain it sounds like he will get more runway, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post.

Demin finished with eight points and seven assists in that game and only turned it over once.

Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said what he loves most is Demin’s length on defense and how it should translate as he learns the league.

“He is a really smart kid. He asks questions. He works at it,” Fernandez said. “His super power on defense is his length and rebounding.”

There was also a teaching moment in the first half. Demin acknowledged he forced a couple shots in that stretch before Fernandez pulled him aside.

“It is really good for everybody,” Demin said. “He is super open to communicate and tell us what exactly he wants.”

Thomas is expected to miss three to four weeks but indicated the injury is not as severe as the hamstring issue he had last season.

“I dodged a bullet with that,” Thomas said, via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.