Concerning Cooper Flagg injury update in focus as Mavericks announce injury report with 8 players vs Pelicans (Dec. 22)

Cooper Flagg headlined the Dallas Mavericks' eight-player injury report ahead of Monday's contest against the New Orleans Pelicans. The No. 1 pick could miss his second game with a new ailment reported for the first time. The Mavericks listed Flagg as questionable due to a back contusion.

It's unclear when Flagg hurt his back, but it likely happened during the Mavericks' 121-114 road loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. Flagg had 24 points in that clash. He missed a game earlier this season, but it was due to illness. Flagg could be a game-time decision.

The Mavericks could also miss Max Christie, Moussa Cisse, Klay Thompson and Miles Kelly. All four have a questionable status. Christie is dealing with an illness, while Thompson has a left knee soreness issue. Cisse and Kelly are with the Mavericks' G League team. All four could be game-time decisions.

The other three players on the injury report are Kyrie Irving, Dante Exum and Dereck Lively II. Irving is recovering from an ACL surgery. Exum and Lively are out for the season with knee and foot injuries.

Here's the full Dallas Mavericks' injury report:

Player	Status	Injury
Dereck Lively II	Out	Right foot surgery
Max Christie	Questionable	Illness
Moussa Cisse	Questionable	G League, Two-Way
Dante Exum	Out	Right knee surgery
Cooper Flagg	Questionable	Back contusion
Kyrie Irving	Out	Left knee surgery
Miles Kelly	Questionable	G League, Two-Way
Klay Thompson	Questionable	Left knee soreness

Cooper Flagg was on fire in Pelicans-Mavericks' last game

Cooper Flagg had one of his best games of the season when the Mavericks matched up with the Pelicans on Nov. 21. Flagg had a then-career-high 29 points on 63.2% shooting with seven rebounds and five assists. He led Dallas to a 118-115 win despite Anthony Davis' absence.

The Mavericks will hope Flagg is available on Monday, as it could potentially decide the outcome of the game. The Rookie of the Year favorite has been firing on all cylinders in December, averaging 24.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 3.8 apg and 1.4 spg, shooting 51.1% from the field in eight games.

The Pelicans are also in the middle of their best stretch, having won their last four consecutive games.