The Dallas Mavericks enter the NBA All-Star Weekend sporting a 30-26 record, good enough for the eighth-best spot in the Western Conference. The Mavs have won two straight games, including a huge 111-107 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.
Following Dallas’ 118-113 win over the Miami Heat in front of 19,935 fans at American Airlines Canter on Thursday night, ESPN‘s Shams Charania posted a troubling update about three players on Mavericks that are dealing with injuries.
Center Derek Lively II has been out for a month due to a stress fracture. The Mavs reserve center, Dwight Powell has missed the last 14 contests due to a hip injury.
Dallas Mavericks: Daniel Gafford and Anthony Davis will miss weeks
Those complications were expected to be relieved when Dallas traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, but the big man suffered a left adductor strain in his debut on Saturday. The worry at center intensified when Daniel Gafford suffered an injury during Monday night’s loss to the Sacramento Kings.
Per Charania, Gafford will miss at least six weeks for a Grade 3 MCL sprain on his right knee. Davis will miss approval a month.
“Sources said All-Star forward/center Anthony Davis, the headliner of the return package in the Luka Doncic trade, was expected to be sidelined for at least four weeks as the Mavericks proceed with caution in his recovery from the left adductor strain suffered in his Dallas debut,” Charania wrote.
ESPN story with @espn_macmahon on Mavericks center Daniel Gafford sidelined at least 6 weeks, meaning Dallas' top 3 big men will be out for extended time after All-Star break: https://t.co/M5dCQwf2fI
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 14, 2025
With their top options at center out, small forward Kessler Edwards has been filling in the role at center in the last two contests. The six-foot-seven, 203-pound athlete played a prominent role in the Mavs’ win on Thursday night, recording 15 points, nine rebounds and three assists in 40 minutes of play.
The issue with Davis, who has a history of injuries in his NBA career, will frustrate a fan base that didn’t understand why Dallas traded a 25-year-old star in his prime for a 30-year-old, often injured athlete.
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