Against the Pacers, Dallas Mavericks big man Anthony Davis left the game early with a leg injury. Coming into the game, Davis was probable due to Bilateral Achilles Tendinopathy, but was able to start the game.
Davis left the game after playing just seven minutes against Indiana. He walked off the court while grimacing and grabbing his leg. He eventually limped to the locker room, and the Mavericks ruled him out after halftime. This is the first game Davis has had to leave early.
Davis has an extensive injury history throughout his NBA career. He only played in nine games for Dallas last season after being acquired in a trade for Luka Doncic. Last season, it was an adductor injury that sidelined him for most of the back half of the year.
The Dallas Mavericks Give Positive Injury Update After Anthony Davis Gets Injured
After the game, head coach Jason Kidd was asked about the injury to Davis and if he had any updates. He gave a positive injury update that seems to indicate the team was being overly cautious by holding him out.
“Tried to return. Didn’t want to take any chances. We’ll see how he is going forward.”
Dallas was able to survive a late comeback attempt from the depleted Pacers, winning the game 107-105. It’s likely that the Mavericks thought they could win the game without Davis returning to the game, which they did, so they didn’t want to risk him returning.
Davis is one of the most injury-prone players in the league. In 11 full seasons in the league, Davis has played more than 62 games in a season just four times. It was one of the major concerns for the Mavericks when they decided to trade for him last season.
While Doncic was a great addition for Los Angeles last season, Davis has yet to really make a massive impact on Dallas. The Mavericks are still without Kyrie Irving, who tore his ACL in early March last season.
Mavericks Will Be Cautious With Anthony Davis
Despite the fact that this doesn’t seem to be a long-term injury, the Mavericks will be cautious with Davis. Because he has been injury-prone, they want to make sure he is healthy for the long-haul. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him sit out their next game against the Pistons.
Dallas is 2-3 on the season thus far, sitting tied for 11th in the Western Conference standings. With it being so early in the season, they certainly are not panicking. Kidd was impressed with young Brandon Williams, who showed some scoring prowess against Indiana.
“We’ve missed him playing…His speed and his ability to get to the rim is something that we haven’t had here of late and I thought he did that at a very high level.”
If the Mavericks do decide to sit Davis for a few games, Kidd is going to have to rely on other players to handle most of the scoring and rim-protection responsibilities. Regardless, Davis should not be out long-term.
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