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Cooper Flagg gave the Mavericks a scare Monday night when he hurt his shoulder early in a loss to Oklahoma City, but the rookie appears to have avoided anything serious. Flagg returned to the floor but clearly wasn’t himself, finishing with just two points on 1-of-9 shooting. According to Christian Clark of The Athletic, he’s not on the injury report for Wednesday’s matchup with Indiana, which means he should be good to go. Dallas will likely be without Dereck Lively II for the second straight game, though. The starting center remains doubtful with a right knee sprain. The Rockets went smaller and finally got in the win column. After starting the season 0-2 with a jumbo lineup, Ime Udoka replaced Steven Adams with Josh Okogie in the starting five for Monday’s game, giving Houston a more defensive-minded look. “(Okogie) knows his role,” Udoka said, via Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle. “Brings the physicality and aggressiveness on the defensive side of the ball. Knows how to play off other guys and then fits in with the areas we like: crashing the glass, slashing, making plays, second opportunities, and kind of gives Amen (Thompson) a break on ball at times.” The move worked. Houston rolled past Brooklyn, and in the 13 minutes the lineup of Thompson, Okogie, Alperen Sengun, Kevin Durant, and Jabari Smith Jr. played together, it posted a +29.2 net rating. That said, Udoka is expected to keep experimenting. The Sengun-Adams pairing still carries a strong +18.2 rating through three games, so both configurations figure to remain part of the rotation mix. GG Jackson II is trying to work his way back into the Grizzlies’ plans after a quiet start to the season. The 19-year-old forward broke out last year as one of the youngest players in the league but has seen his minutes dip under new head coach Tuomas Iisalo, who is emphasizing defensive improvement. “GG is always very valuable for us,” Iisalo said, via Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “It’s easy to forget that he’s still the youngest player on our roster, even though he’s a third-year professional. “He’s worked incredibly hard the whole summer. He’s looking to become a complete basketball player, and he’s taking steps in the right direction.” With Memphis battling multiple injuries, Jackson could see his role grow again soon, provided he continues to make progress on the defensive end.
