Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg to miss Rising Stars Game with midfoot sprain

The Mavericks will be hitting pause on Cooper Flagg for a bit.

Dallas announced Wednesday that Flagg is dealing with a left midfoot sprain and will be sidelined through All-Star Weekend. The good news is it doesn’t appear to be long-term.

A team source told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon that Flagg is expected back immediately after the break.

The injury occurred Tuesday night in Phoenix and was confirmed by an MRI the following day. As a result, Flagg will miss Thursday’s game against the Lakers and won’t participate in the Rising Stars Game.

Not ideal. But not panic time, either.

Flagg has been everything Dallas hoped for and then some. The No. 1 pick is the Rookie of the Year frontrunner and, frankly, the only thing keeping the Mavs afloat lately.

Even during an eight-game losing streak, the 19-year-old has been putting up veteran numbers, averaging nearly 30 points a night over that stretch.

On the season, he’s at 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists, already carrying the kind of workload most teams don’t dare hand to a teenager.

Dallas’ timing is rough, but the break helps. Extra rest. Extra treatment. No rushing.

The Mavericks’ first game out of the break is Feb. 20 in Minnesota, and all signs point to Flagg being back then.