Instant Reactions: Wolves physicality hampers Cooper Flagg

Minnesota’s physicality set the tone early, and with Dallas missing several key creators, Cooper Flagg never found the offensive rhythm needed to keep the Mavericks competitive in a 124-94 loss at the American Airlines Center on Monday night.

From the opening quarter, the Timberwolves made Flagg work through contact.

The Mavericks rookie took a hard accidental backhand from Rudy Gobert while tracking the ball in the air, sending him to the floor for several seconds before he slowly got up and ran back on defense. Officials ruled the play incidental, opting not to assess Gobert a flagrant foul.

The physicality continued in the second quarter when Flagg absorbed another bump from a Wolves defender and immediately grabbed his shoulder while retreating behind half court.

After shooting better than 50 percent over his previous five games entering Monday, Flagg never looked fully comfortable against Minnesota’s length and pressure.

He finished with 12 points on 5-of-19 shooting (26 percent) in the loss, with much of his early offense limited to plays above the rim.