The Mavericks ruled out Anthony Davis for the second half October 29 against the Indiana Pacers with left lower leg soreness after he was initially listed as questionable to return. The 10-time All-Star exited in the first half and did not re-emerge after the break as Dallas adjusted its frontcourt rotation on the fly. The team had listed Davis as probable pregame with bilateral Achilles tendinopathy before clearing him to play.Â
Davisâ in-game status shifted quickly. Dallas first announced he was dealing with left lower leg soreness and might return; subsequent updates confirmed he would not play the second half. Multiple outlets noted his early exit and leg issue, consistent with the teamâs initial messaging.Â
What Happened & Where Things Stood at Halftime
Davis headed to the locker room in the first half after an awkward landing, per local reports, and was later held out for the remainder of the game as a precaution. The Mavericks had little margin up front entering the night, with Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II recently listed on the injury report, and Kyrie Irving already sidelined. That context made Davisâ brief stint even more impactful to the rotation calculus.Â
Indiana controlled the early run of play; the Pacers led in the second quarter while Dallas tried to stabilize without its star big. Dallasâ interior numbers were modest early, though the Mavericks did manage to hold a slight edge in points in the paint during one first-half stretch.
Davis exited with four points, four rebounds and a steal in seven minutes played.Â
Immediate Rotation: Dwight Powellâs Early Minutes
With Davis sidelined, Dallas turned to veteran center Dwight Powell to soak up frontcourt minutes. Powell contributed five points and three rebounds in his first 12 minutes and provided activity on the glass and as a rim runner to keep the offense afloat. Those were valuable bridge minutes as Dallas mixed coverages and toyed with smaller lineups to counter Indianaâs pace-and-space attack.
Expect Powellâs role to grow if Davis misses additional time, with Dallas also toggling to small-ball units featuring P.J. Washington at the five and wings flattening the floor around Cooper Flagg. The frontcourt depth chart remains fluid until thereâs clarity on Davis, Gafford and Lively II for the upcoming games.Â
Pregame Status & Recent Context
Davis had been managing bilateral Achilles tendinopathy coming in, but heâd been available and productive to start the season, including a 26-point, 11-rebound outing against the defending NBA Champion Oklahoma City Thunder. His medical history in Dallas has been closely watched since the trade that brought him from the Lakers last season, and heâs already navigated multiple soft-tissue tweaks since then.Â
The early exit against Indiana follows that pregame caution, though the teamâs first designation â questionable to return â suggests the Mavericks were evaluating whether symptoms would subside. By halftime, that evaluation ended with a shutdown for the night.Â
Whatâs Next
Dallas will update Davisâ status after further evaluation. Any missed time would test a rotation already stretched by other injuries, and it would put additional burden on Powell and the small-ball looks that head coach Jason Kidd has leaned on at times. For now, the Mavericks will treat this as a short-term, in-game precaution until imaging or follow-up exams indicate otherwise. Expect more updates postgame.Â
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