01/09/26 06:05:00
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01/09 18:03 CST Mavs' oft-injured Anthony Davis to miss time with ligament
damage in hand
Mavs' oft-injured Anthony Davis to miss time with ligament damage in hand
By SCHUYLER DIXON
AP Sports Writer
Anthony Davis has ligament damage in his left hand, and the Dallas Mavericks'
oft-injured big man is seeking multiple opinions on treatment options, the team
said Friday without offering a time frame on a possible return.
Davis was injured late in a 116-114 loss at the Utah Jazz on Thursday night.
The 10-time All-Star was in obvious pain on the bench before going to the
locker room. The team said an MRI revealed the damage.
The possibility of a lengthy absence from the latest injury for Davis is a
significant development for the Mavericks as they try to figure out how to move
on from the trade for Davis that sent young superstar Luka Doncic to the Los
Angeles Lakers 11 months ago.
General manager Nico Harrison, the orchestrator of the deal, was fired in
November after Dallas got off to a slow start. The Mavericks are 10 games under
.500 and out of the playoff picture less than two years after playing in the
NBA Finals.
There has been speculation about Davis getting traded again, but most of that
has been predicated on him being healthy. The hand injury could sideline him
until after the Feb. 5 trade deadline. Davis is averaging 20.4 points and 11.1
rebounds per game.
The 32-year-old Davis missed 18 of the Mavericks' first 38 games this season
with calf and groin injuries. He was nursing an abdominal injury when the
Mavericks traded for him last February, and he re-aggravated it in his Dallas
debut. Davis was sidelined for the next 18 games.
Another injury to Davis also could affect the franchise's decision on when
Kyrie Irving returns from last season's knee injury. It's possible the
nine-time All-Star guard won't play at all in 2025-26. Irving tore the ACL in
his left knee on March 3 last year.
No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg has shown plenty of promise as a rookie, but
the Mavs have little hope of moving up in the standings without Davis and
Irving. Dallas controls its first-round pick in this year's draft but not the
next four drafts. The Mavericks have the Lakers' first-rounder in 2029 from the
Doncic deal.
The last time Dallas was focused on the draft at this point in a season, the
club was on the verge of getting Doncic in 2018. The Mavericks had the fifth
overall pick and made a trade with Atlanta, which selected Doncic at No. 3
while Dallas picked Trae Young for the Hawks. Young was traded to Washington
this week.
Despite the trade of Doncic to the Lakers and the lengthy injury absences for
Davis and Irving last season, Dallas made the play-in tournament and beat
Sacramento before losing to Memphis for the No. 8 seed in the playoffs. Missing
the postseason bumped the Mavericks to the draft lottery, which they won
despite having just a 1.8% chance.
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This story has been corrected to show the Mavericks have played 38 games this
season, not 31.
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